Hey Ski - do you ever think of moving? I was at a friend's house the other night. Retired Battalion Chief, Los Padres NF. He saved his house in the Mountain View fire. 10 hours. Just him and a shovel. We are getting sick of it but where to go? ( where can we afford) We were discussing. Tornados would be a firm no.
Teledork, please forgive my tardiness as we were away for a few days.
Do we ever think of moving? Probably everyday. First off, it's just fun to dream. But, more critical, it's important to face the reality of living here. It is inevitable that everything will burn here. It is deep - all the way to your bones - frightening to realize what a death trap this area is poised to be.
Our home lot is as cleared and safe as we can make it. We have a fire hydrant 35 feet from where I sit. It is our neighbors that will take most everything we own and possibly kill us. Neighbors below us live in thickets of fuel and have failed their CalFire inspections. They do nothing. Below us is a large forested subdivision - once private timberland now dense second or third growth - quarter acre lots with intertwining "greenbelts". For the over 30 years we've lived here the infighting among the residents have stopped any moves toward making it fire safe. They still squabble. The smart ones are selling. Home prices are booming and homes sell within days. Do the new buyers even investigate the cost of fire insurance? Ours has gone up 350% in the last three years.
The county's not much better. They try. We live just off the major county road here. It will be THE evacuation route. It needs massive clearing on both sides. The canopy over the road is scary. We have only a half mile to the big highway. It is scary to think of the hundreds who could die in their cars in the chaos of being overrun with fire. Our local USFS National Forest is doing a better job of turning major forest roads into possible fuel breaks. The private owners and the county are not.
Do we ever think of moving? Yes.