More Fire Updates

Another day of staying inside. Looking out my window, I still don't see any ash (as was quite prevalent in my area in 2003), but the advisories for people to stay inside include my area. So, as extra precaution, I've had to again postpone all the things I need to get done.

Apparently the cell phone towers survived, because I still have cell service. As many people nowdays have no landline phones, just cell phones, keeping cell phones in service was very crucial. Though cell phones are very handy, many residents who had only cell phones were at a loss when it came to the "reverse 911 calls." Authorities can only call landline phones to alert people to evacuate. Most phone lines through DSL or cable aren't able to receive reverse 911 calls, either, depending on the provider. And, naturally, phones that depend on electricity, as all remote phones do, were of no use when power went out in various neighborhoods. (That's why I always have an extra "old-fashioned" corded phone connected as an extension. It doesn't rely on electricity.)

Fires continue to burn northeast and southeast of me and northwest up the coast in the Camp Pendleton area. According to the CBS 8 fire blog, there was a helicopter crash in the east part of San Diego county, northwest of Poway. None of the four inside were injured. It said those inside were surveyors from San Diego's electric company, to inspect the area damages. With as much traffic as there is in the air fighting this fire, it's amazing this has been the only incident.

More communities of people are allowed to go back to their homes, or what remains of them. With hope, soon San Diego will get back to normal--or should I say as much back to normal as possible, considering the circumstances.

The map links given in an earlier post have been changing in boundaries. For the current status, see previous postings.