The Institute (協会)

Anthony,
I don't mean to sound callous or uncaring (and I would argue I am being more caring than most) when I ask, 'When we will stop building with our heads up our @$$?' I feel the same way about southern Cal. as I do about N.O. and Katrina; I am sorry for the loss but I hope that this causes us to think about where and how we build. We can build houses that don't burn and we can also NOT BUILD where fires are a natural part of the ecosystem, why we don't do either is beyond me. I am not trying to sound naturalistic or anthropocentric, but maybe I am trying to be a little of both.

I believe there was an article in our Metropolis a few years back about a gentleman who built in the hill country of Cal. and his roof system harvested rain water and stored about 2" across his whole roof. He used block walls and had about a zero chance of ever burning down. It may not be cheap to build like that, but it has to be cheaper than re-building.

Churnock,

I spoke today to a friend of mine that lives in the area, and the suspicion is that this is arson. I suppose that when you have 20 million people in an area you are going to get a few nutballs thrown into the mix.

Also, I'm not sure that the people most effected by Katrina in N.O. were "home builders" in the sense that you intimate. A person doesn't get to choose where he is born, and he certainly can't help the fact that the oppresive economic conditions into which he was born and lives create some overly restrictive barriers to simply relocating to a "safer" environment. I would assert that the potential for disaster in the lives of the N.O. residents most effected by Katrina were at a lethal level long before the first crack appeared in the weakest levy. From all accounts the church was way late with her outreach in waiting until Katrina had accomplished what time, pressure and Christian apathy were already inflicting on the lives of those citizens.

Random Guy,
Again, I am not trying to be callous to the people in the situations, but critical of the reasons why those people would be in those situations. The fires in Southern Cal. may have been started by arson, but that ecosystem is sustained by fires (regardless of the source). I do feel sorry for the people 'trapped' in New Orleans, my heart breaks for them. But we saw it coming. The French saw it coming and that is why 'The French Quarter' was one of the least damaged areas. They knew you don't build below sea level, that and they didn't have the tech. to pump out the swamps. I understand the individual in New Orleans may not have had a choice where they were born and lived, but somewhere along the line someone had that choice and the decendents had to pay the price. I wouldn't imagine that you, Random Guy, would build you house on a semingly abandoned train track, and that is exactly what New Orleans and Southern Cal are, dormant tracks just waiting for a train.

Again, I am sorry for the loss, but when is enough enough?

Sorry, that sentence should read: "I wouldn't imagine that you, Random Guy, wouldn't build you house on a seemingly abandoned train track, and that is exactly what New Orleans and Southern Cal are; dormant tracks just waiting for a train."

never mind, I didn't not have it right the first time...

CHurnock, are you from Cal? Have you been to southern cal?
Do you know where these fires are at?
There are so many fires its crazy right now. The Santa Annas have been whipping these things up for days now and the houses/businesses/nature it devours is completely random.

Maybe take a note to self and realize that whenever anyone says, "I don't mean to sound callous or uncaring" they are about to say something callous or uncaring.

Hilarious bro, Ant puts something like this up here and you come at it like an un loving father whose son ends up in jail and then you just pile on with the I love you but... I told you so... your an idiot and if you would have just listened to me none of this would have happened.

If only people would start building houses where fires cant reach, hurricanes and tornadoes cant blow, water cant flood, blizzards and hail cant fall and where earthquakes wont shake.

churnock,
the chances of one's home being destroyed by fire in southern california are far too miniscule to justify your suggestion that the homes that have been destroyed here were built by people with their heads up their asses. historically, wildfires here are generally no more of a threat to homes than wildfires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes in other respective parts of the country. there's someone staying at my house right now who had to evacuate hers because of the fire. she thinks you would have to have your head up your ass to live in a place like chattanooga when you could live in san diego, notwithstanding the higher cost of living and small risk of losing your house. maybe you're both right. we all have our heads up our asses in one way or another.

STork,
I used to live in Southern Cal. and 90% of my family still lives in the Burbank area, so I am familiar with the fires. I am sorry on an individual scale and I can't imagine the loss to each of the families. But based on your last sentence you get where I am coming from. As an Urban planner I see this all the time. We 'out kick our coverage' when it comes to building in dynamic and fragile areas.

Jeff,
When I left Southern Cal, I never looked back. More power to those in San Diego, but I'd take Chattanooga any day. And I know I have my head up my ass all the time.

http://www.werc.usgs.gov/news/1999-06-10.html - this is worth a read.

http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/shrubland.html
http://www.radicalurbantheory.com/mdavis/firebugs.html

Churnock,

I understand where you are coming from. I built my house upon the sand for about 30 years, and then, once I was shown the folly of this method, I was compelled to build my house upon the rock.

BTW, my wife and I have begun to rethink our decision to build a house on a train track. It seemed romantic at the time, but, now that you mention it, I wonder if we aren't courting disaster. Thanks for the heads up!! How do you feel about the idea of building our new home on an ancient Indian burial ground? or should we just restore that old house on the hill in which those grizzly murders took place when the previous owners were driven insane by demons?

Prof Bradley. i was informed about an article that said "it is because of So. Cal's wickedness" that the fires are occuring. I thought, man this is ridiculous. If it were for wickedness sake, we all should be on fire. I pray for these individuals and though through God's sovereignty that this is allowed, to call it judgement or not is overstepping our boundaries and may just be religious pride. I saw on the front of the NY Times that the fireman have been working around the clock and sleeping on the trucks and streets trying to get this thing contained.