Fires, Day 2

We are still OK. These fires are very serious, though. San Diego's Mayor, Jerry Sanders, had described the fires as among the worst in the history of the state of California. In his own words, that's saying something. One of the problems contributing to the fires is the wind. One of the seasonal aspect of living in this region is a hot desert wind known as the Santa Ana. Santa Ana winds can be very strong and blow east to west. The winds have been fueling the fires and blowing ash and embers westward to touch off more fires. The big problem here is that the more populated coastal areas lie to the west of the fires, including San Diego. Everyone is hoping that the tide will turn to a sea wind by the end of today or early tomorrow, and help stop the fire's westward migration. We can only wait and see.

The lab facility where I work remains closed, and emergency officials are asking that people stay off the freeways and off cell phone networks so that emergency traffic and communications can easily get through. Like I said, we are doing fine - but hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated and many of them have already lost their homes. One positive thing in this whole situation has been the way people have responded. My understanding is that there has been very minimal loss of life because of the evacuees' calm and orderly responses to evac orders, and the support of volunteers and emergency officials, including the Marine Corps and National Guard.

I am sure you can find more detailed information from any news site, but just wanted to let you know what's happening from our perspective.