General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHere' a group hug for our Canadian DUers, family
and friends in Alberta who are facing a horrific wild fire
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36215046
<snip>
A massive wildfire in Alberta, Canada, has moved south, forcing more evacuations on Thursday.
The fire is now 85,000 hectares, or 850 sq km, which is larger than the city of Calgary.
It has grown five times its initial size since it broke out, prompting more than 88,000 evacuations.
The fire started on Sunday in Canada's oil sands region and many oil sands projects have cut production.
The emergency operations centre has moved 300 km south and the evacuation order has widened as the flames spread past Fort McMurray.
There are still no known causalities from the fire but there was at least one vehicle crash with fatalities on the evacuation route.
Eight thousand evacuees currently in camps north of Fort McMurray will be resettled in southern urban areas, officials said on Thursday.
---------------------
Note where the fire stated
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)and when I looked down, I saw - canals. Well, they sorta looked like canals, and that reminded me of what I used to read about Mars in the 1970s.
I asked somebody what those were - fire breaks in the forests.
Of course, that was well to the east of Alberta.
I hope it is not oil related. That could be hard to put out.
malaise
(269,257 posts)What a mess
Rockyj
(538 posts)...and concentrate on other forms of energy instead of fossil fuels.
Sadly, too many Canadians were willing to have Keystone XL run through our country & destroy our environment instead of there's!
polly7
(20,582 posts)TU THANH HA
The Globe and Mail Last updated: Thursday, May 05, 2016 11:07AM EDT
Watch the wildfire raging along Highway 63 - VIDEO
The weather, the type of trees in the local forest, the time of the year and the kind of fire propagation were all indicators that the flames would be hard to tame, jumping over the Athabasca and Hangingstone rivers as they spread northward into the city.
To make things worse, there had been an inversion, a weather condition where hot air at higher altitude traps down the smoke. However, by the end of the morning, the inversion reversed, Mr. Schmitte said, which would have fanned the flames and smoke further.
THE CROSSOVER
Brian Burnett, head instructor at Wildfire Specialists Inc., an Ontario training school, noted that the Fort McMurray area was experiencing a weather condition familiar to forest firefighters, the Crossover.
The Crossover happens when the numerical value for the ambient humidity is lower than the recorded temperature.
On Tuesday in Fort McMurray, while the mercury soared towards 30C, the humidity dropped to 15 per cent.
Its just a recipe for a wildfire. This is such a difficult situation, Mr. Burnett said in an interview.
Such hot, dry conditions were made worse by the wind which pushed the flames toward the city.
Full article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/albertas-highway-of-fire/article29863650/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10875786
Thanks sis
polly7
(20,582 posts)My brother in Edmonton told me about 30,000 people have made it there, so far. They're still evacuating those who fled north to the oil camps and those who are stranded there already. Another fire further north just hopped over into Alberta from B.C. So sad. They're pretty much saying all that can stop the Fort McMurray fire will be rain.
malaise
(269,257 posts)wild fires.
I heard that they don't expect rain until the middle of next week.
OnlinePoker
(5,729 posts)What you were probably seeing were the powerlines coming from the James Bay hydro stations near Hudson's bay. They have to keep them clear for line maintenance, but also stop fires from taking out the lines.
redwitch
(14,952 posts)So scary! Sparks falling on the line of cars heading to safety! Our friend travels to some scary places for work, he was in Turkey when the random bombings were going on. We never thought the scariest place he'd visit was Canada!
malaise
(269,257 posts)New York City
Glad your friend is OK
redwitch
(14,952 posts)I hope it rains. Buckets.
malaise
(269,257 posts)for sure
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)along the only road out today, with helicopters flying ahead to make sure the road remains safe to pass.
malaise
(269,257 posts)the evacuations - apparently citizens still matter in Alberta.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)would not have been pretty. And since it's not the population of the lower portions of the Gulf Coast, I'm inclined to think even Republican presidents would put states' autonomy ideology aside to act. Of course, all my most spectacular mistakes in political judgement are due to failure to understand conservative "values."
etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government will match individual donations made to the Canadian Red Cross to help those affected by the raging wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., as federal party leaders rose in the House of Commons to express their support for Albertans.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)malaise
(269,257 posts)https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3297
<snip>
In just two days, the fire engulfing the Canadian city of Fort McMurray in Alberta has seared itself into the North American consciousness. This appears to be the first time in the continents history we have seen a city of more than 60,000 residents (officially an urban service area rather than a city), located hundreds of miles from any comparable population center, forced to evacuate a furious wildfire. The fact that a city this large is also so remote owes everything to the presence of vast oil sands, the driver that has increased Fort McMurrays population more than twentyfold since the 1960s. As of Thursday morning, May 5, more than 1,600 structures had been destroyed and 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) burned as the fire continued to burn out of control. According to Reuters, a hotel north of the airport's main terminal had caught fire, but as the sun rose on Thursday, there was no obvious damage to the airport. There were no deaths from the blaze, but fatalities were reported in at least one vehicle crash along the evacuation route. Weather conditions in Fort McMurray on Wednesday were hellacious for firefighting--a high of 89°F, humidities as low as 7%, and powerful winds sustained at speeds as high as 34 mph, gusting to 45 mph. Thursday's weather is not going to be as bad, with highs in the upper 60s and west-northwest winds of 10 - 20 mph. There is no rain in the forecast until next Wednesday, and temperatures are predicted to once again rise above 80°F in breezy conditions on Saturday. The average high for this time of year is just 59°F.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)malaise
(269,257 posts)to a horrible catastrophe
malaise
(269,257 posts)WTF????
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)renate
(13,776 posts)I can't even begin to imagine the anxiety about losing one's home, heirlooms, photographs, memories... multiplied by tens of thousands of families. It's just heartbreaking.
malaise
(269,257 posts)the sheer number of homes destroyed is heart-breaking
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Hmmm... we all know who's from Calgary, don't we? And he's no longer otherwise occupied.
fred v
(271 posts)Should that happen, you'll be playing America to our Mexico.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Climate change
These superstorms were predicted in the IPPC. Yup, this is a superstorm. It is creating it's own weather and am surprised there are no smoke eaters from the USFS on the way....or if they are, we have not heard
Have you noticed how low key the coverage has been?
Two more words: Climate refugees
malaise
(269,257 posts)but M$Greedia won't touch it
ljm2002
(10,751 posts)...and they are preparing to airlift another 25,000 to safety:
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2016/05/05/raging-wildfire-drives-out-newly-resettled-evacuees/83960660/
(...)
The raging wildfire engulfing the Canadian city of Fort McMurray showed no signs of subsiding Thursday, forcing officials to relocate thousands of evacuees farther south for a second time and prepare to airlift 25,000 more from camps north of the embattled area.
I don't think I've ever heard numbers like that before in relation to a wildfire. It is stunning.
Hugs all around to our Canadian brothers and sisters. I fear for our planet...
malaise
(269,257 posts)Think about the loss to so many people - everything is gone. Thankfully only two people have died and in an accident while evacuating.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)But was for a couple of days. The level of destruction was not there either
ljm2002
(10,751 posts)...but still, these numbers are just stunning.
Thanks for all of your reporting, Nadin! We need more local reporting like you do.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)I know the stadium became the de facto evac center
Worst than that... memory fails...
one million
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_California_wildfires
It literally burned throughout the county
And thanks I just came from the horowitz event... good news, lots of photos, but do not need that many to actually run. Bad news, debating which one to run of Mr. Horowitz
malaise
(269,257 posts)Damn!
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Demonaut
(8,937 posts)our news is a joke
Hekate
(90,978 posts)Monk06
(7,675 posts)malaise
(269,257 posts)This is a major catastrophe and they say no rain until the middle of next week
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)hugs to them. A friend/co-worker of mine - her dad works up there and he lost his apartment. We both work for the same company and we think we've lost at least one store up there (we have several). Our company is currently taking care of all the employees that had to evacuate. It's a big deal here (Edmonton). We all know someone who lives/works there.
malaise
(269,257 posts)who have lost everything.
This is huge.
Monk06
(7,675 posts)Last edited Fri May 6, 2016, 08:30 PM - Edit history (1)
accommodation to even fly them in. My son is there doing NDT scanning on boiler welds They want him to sign up for five years but he is on a 6 on 6 day off 6X12 hour schedule and he's a fly in.
Other workers both support and production as well as those working in supply jobs have to rebuild before they can get back to normal
The insurance bill is estimated to be from $3.4 to upwards of $5Billion so the money will be there but settling claims and reconstruction will take years
The sad good news is that there will be a new construction boom in Fort Mac but a lot of people have lost personal affects that can't be replaces
My nephew and his wife got away with passports and their son's kindergarten drawings and baby pictures but little else
The had a trailer parked south of the fire that they are using to live in but all the gear inside was left behind in the house Then the men left with the vehicles and two new Harley's
They packed so fast they forgot socks
No tears on FB today's so it looks like their house is still standing
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)Do they have someone who let them know? or they assume it's okay? Funny they forgot socks - there's a website that people are posting too w/dark humor about all the stupid things they DID pack while running for their lives. You can probably find it from the CBC website. It's pretty funny. "forgot passport, remembered mini-eggs"
My friend's dad's apartment is 100% surely gone, as it was starting on fire as it was still being evacuated.
I agree, this is going to be a mess...for instance, my friend's dad cannot go up there to work, as he has no place to stay, and his company (rents large equipment) isn't sure when they will be needed again. He's not technically laid off, but now has no income.
It will be months before people can even get back into the city, as it's probably unsafe.
I agree with the construction boom though. Maybe this time they can build it right (my brother helped build/put his engineer stamp on one of the few subdivisions there that wasn't a disaster, he used to be disgusted with what passed up there.)
Monk06
(7,675 posts)make fire breaks from destroyed houses
They RCMP are giving them hell for not leaving which maintains my low opinion of the RCMP
If you want a problem to remain impeded and unsolved call the RCMP
https://www.facebook.com/darren.fletcher.739/videos/pcb.1295015123845419/1295013913845540/?type=3&theater
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)My SIL is a city cop (Edmonton) I hear all the time her opinion of the RCMP, lol.
Lots of companies stepping up. It's impressive.
Tsiyu
(18,186 posts)The conversation, posted to the Fort McMurray's Controversial Humour group, was kicked off by Jennifer Knuth, who shared these pictures of Kraft Singles and snowpants that somehow made it into her suitcase.
With her photos, she wrote:
In this time of crisis when we have lost almost our entire city and packed our whole lives into a car or a suitcase we need laughter. I urge each and every one of you, as you unpack wherever you are, to post a picture of the funniest thing you packed while fleeing for your lives. I shall go first ... Cheese slices and snow pants!!!!! God bless Fort McMurray.
She later added, "I left my childhood photos. But thank God for cheese. I have one pair of pants ... and one pair of snow pants."
laundry_queen, which is the best charity to donate to? I read of one Edmonton charity that was collecting socks, diapers, etc, but I can't remember the name of it. It had a 3-word acronym people were using.
Best wishes to your loved ones and friends.
LeftishBrit
(41,212 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)democrank
(11,112 posts)Hope everyone gets out safely.
felix_numinous
(5,198 posts)We need to reform our infrastructure and budget to handle the inevitable climate change refugee situation. It is upon us.
malaise
(269,257 posts)some countries are reforming their infrastructure
GOPblows431
(51 posts)Stay safe up there, my Canadian friends.
malaise
(269,257 posts)Pastiche423
(15,406 posts)Tsiyu
(18,186 posts)but the pics I've seen make Fort Mac look like a war zone.
My heart goes out to the many displaced people in the area. I can't imagine what they must have experienced or what they're going through now.
After seeing videos of that crazy fire engulfing the town and the highway, I swear I'm going to stop feeling unlucky when it rains too much.