President Trump is in Paradise, California, with Governor Jerry Brown and Governor-elect Gavin Newsom to review the absolute horror as the death toll from the worst wildfire in California history continues to climb.  Up to a thousand people are still missing.
President Trump carefully couches his anger and delivers remarks at 01:15

(more…)

Unimaginable sadness.  According to the latest official briefing, seven more bodies were located today in the Califorinia region impacted by the horrific ‘Camp Fire’.  This brings the total death toll to 63 with hundreds still missing…

CALIFORNIA – Authorities have reported seven more fatalities from a blaze in Northern California, bringing the total number of fatalities so far to 63 in the deadliest wildfire in state history.
The announcement came Thursday as authorities continued to search the devastated town of Paradise for human remains.

(more…)

Terrible news from the region just north of Sacramento California where the devastating ‘Camp Fire’ impacted the town of Paradise.  Late Wednesday evening search and recovery workers located another eight sets of human remains bringing the total death toll from this single fire event to 56.   The death toll is anticipated to climb…

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and FEMA Director Brock Long visited the devastated area today to thank firefighters and rescue workers.  The search for bodies is gruesome as some human remains are found inside burned structures and others outside.

CALIFORNIA – 9 p.m. ET: As of Wednesday night, eight more human remains have been found, bringing the death toll to 56. Six of them were found inside structures and two were found outside. Statewide, the death toll is 59 (including three from the Woolsey Fire).
There have been more than 10,000 structures destroyed by the Camp Fire, including homes. The total amount of evacuated residents remains at 52,000 people.
The Camp Fire containment remains at 35 percent. Some 138,000 acres have been scorched.

(more…)

PARADISE, Calif. (Reuters) – The charred remains of 14 more people have been found in and around a Northern California town overrun by flames from a massive wildfire, officials said on Saturday, raising the death toll to at least 23.

.
The bodies were recovered in and around Paradise, a mountain community some 90 miles (145 km) north of Sacramento that has been left devastated by the Camp Fire, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Scott Maclean said (read more)
(more…)

For those who know the stages of hurricane recovery, specifically in the deep southeast and Florida region, there is no needed explanation for the importance of this video and the subsequent joy.

.
For those who don’t know – this convoy means the catastrophic stages of rescue work and the painstaking process of going block by block therein is complete.  People are now safe. Primary arteries are clear.  Massive numbers of power crews are working to rebuild the grid; tens of thousands of tons of debris being removed. [Much of what is now called “debris” represents the cherished belongings of thousands of lives.]
Now it’s time to try and restore some sense of normalcy for those who have been so incredibly impacted, and commit to a long-term rebuilding process. For many outsiders it’s just an innocuous convoy; yet for others it represents a purposeful recovery phase where we have counted our blessings and live thankfully, neighbor-to-neighbor, hand-in-hand, in fellowship.
(more…)

Vice President Mike Pence meets employees at Flint River Mills in Bainbridge on Tuesday, October 16, 2018. Vice President Mike Pence touched down in this Southwest Georgia city Tuesday and addressed the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition in Moultrie as he surveyed storm damage from Hurricane Michael.

.
The Vice-President’s visit comes a day after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump traveled through the Florida Panhandle and central part of Georgia to met with residents, farmers and recovery workers.
(more…)

Media reporting has only scratched the surface on the devastation. Collaborative FEMA and National Guard assessments are ongoing. Pray for the missing; there are hundreds missing.

(more…)

The parallels between Homestead after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Mexico Beach after Hurricane Michael are stunning.  There are remarkable similarities including the first 48 hours of media incomprehension due to their inability to gain access.

For those who might not remember, immediately following hurricane Andrew (’92) no-one initially realized the scale of devastation in/around Homestead, FL, because all eyes were focused on the more well-known Miami area.  It took a few days for people to fathom where the real devastation took place.  Homestead was almost entirely obliterated.
Fast forward 26 years and the exact same scenario exists near Mexico Beach, FL.  The difference between Michael and Andrew is the width of the devastation.  Andrew was a much wider storm than Michael; but the aftermath is eerily similar.  Seriously, it’s PTSD flashback central…. stunningly so.
Just like the area around Homestead AFB ’92, the area around Tyndall AFB in 2018 is identical. Complete devastation.  Amazing. I mean the comparisons are spookily similar, right down to the displayed fighter jets being torn from their concrete pedestals.
(more…)

Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, FL, as a strong 155 mph hurricane.  The storm is now entering the southeast Georgia area while retaining quite a bit of energy.  The 5:00pm EST advisory: Maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph (205 km/h) with higher gusts. Michael is a dangerous category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

STORM SURGE: Water levels are beginning to recede in some locations, however, the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will continue to cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. (read more)
(more…)

Hurricane Michael has made landfall east of Panama City Beach in an area called Mexico Beach.  The well defined eye-wall hits the coast as an extremely strong category 4 storm with sustained winds of 155 MPH.  [Cat5 is 157mph]  The area near Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base is taking a direct hit. Wind gauges near the AFB recorded wind speeds of 130mph prior to equipment failure.
All small residential structures on/near the Mexico Beach impact zone are suffering complete structural failure. Larger steel reinforced concrete buildings are under extreme pressure.

[Hurricane Center] At 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Michael was located near latitude 30.0 North, longitude 85.5 West. Michael is moving toward the north-northeast near 14 mph (22 km/h). Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 155 mph (250 km/h) with higher gusts
(more…)