Letter to the Editor: Tahoe should be taking note of L.A. fires
Dear Editor
The scenes from LA are horrific and unimaginable. The terrifying fact is that given the right conditions this level of devastation can happen anywhere in California. A number of years back there was one of the first major wildfires in an urban area, the Oakland Hills Fire. At the time few would have been predicting a wildfire of that magnitude could have laid waste to such a large swath of a heavily populated area. Since that time we have seen other urban fires such as the one in Santa Rosa. Both of these fires were fast moving and sadly resulted in the loss of life.
Fire risk is ever-present on the minds of foothill and mountain residents. While effective work has been done to lessen the threat of a catastrophic fire, the dangers still exist. As communities continue to grow, especially in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas, they must assure that they are not compounding an already hazardous situation.
The Tahoe region has a perilous risk of having destructive fires like we are witnessing in LA. The area over the years has seen extensive growth that has pushed it beyond the ability of the infrastructure to confidently provide a safe exit during a major fire event. The Tahoe area has very limited and narrow access roadways, which makes it particularly vulnerable during a fast moving fire. Shelter in place is given as an alternative to evacuating when roadways are blocked or congested. Fire agencies give this as the last option because it holds the highest risk to public safety.
Further development in the Tahoe area only intensifies the already very dangerous situation. Unfortunately the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and the jurisdictions around the Lake have been cheerleaders for new projects and new development over having realistic considerations of the true risks in the Tahoe region. As an example, the Placer County Board of Supervisors (BOS) will be taking up a request by Palisades Tahoe to exempt Palisades from the State of California regulations related to fire emergency egress and life safety. The BOS recently approved the Palisades project knowing that it requires a second road for fire egress; this is a state requirement for all new or expanding developments in California if the road is longer than the regulations allow, which it is in this case. There is clearly a reason for this restriction and to ignore it puts lives at high risk of injury or death. Anyone in a position of authority that supports this exemption, in the face of known risks, makes them complicit in whatever tragedy happens related to that decision.
The Placer County Board of Supervisors will likely be taking up the Palisades request for exemption within the next few weeks. I would encourage you to let them know what you think about this potential threat to public safety.
The email addresses for the Placer County BOS members are: cindygustafson@placer.ca.gov, bonniegore@placer.ca.gov, suzannejones@placer.ca.gov, slandon@placer.ca.gov, anthonydemattei@placer.ca.gov, boardclerk@placer.ca.gov.
Wayne Nader
Auburn
An open letter to County supervisors, TRPA & developers:
Do you really want to have on your conscience a Pacific Palisades, Paradise or Maui fire disaster here at Tahoe?
It’s absolutely clear that decisions are being made at Tahoe on the basis of possible profits for county treasuries & developers (people who don’t even live here) & NOT on matters CRITICAL to those who do live here. You have no right to risk our lives and property in the decisions you make to enrich developers which, ironically, ALSO PUTS AT RISK THE COUNTIES’ PROPERTY TAX INCOME.
On a human level, PLEASE picture yourself :
*Sitting in gridlock watching flames get closer & knowing there’s no way to escape.
*Having lost your perfect-for-you COMMUNITY, friends & way of living, & looking for ANY place to live when there’s no availability.
*Having lost everything in your life except the clothes on your back (& hopefully your family); all the photos, books, valuable &/or meaningful possessions & the “tools” that allow you to live your best life.
*Figuring out how to put your life back together w/o the benefit of the business papers, documents, computers & other things lost in the fire.
*Finding a way to survive financially especially if you’ve lost your insurance, job, home, business, health, or all of those.
*Trying to comfort children traumatized in trying to escape, not having their friends, schools, toys, or stuffed animals to comfort them. Worrying about the psychological damage that all this will have on them.
You MUST address fire risks and evacuation REALISTICALLY & IMMEDIATELY. A disaster like SoCal’s will devastate not only Tahoe residents and property owners but also the property tax income that you’ve been courting developers to provide more of. Tahoe will not be a place people want to come to if this gorgeous, precious place is reduced to only burnt trees & rocks, rubble & ash, and if the lake is green, brown, cloudy, and unsafe to be in. Fire WILL come to Tahoe (as it already has); you officials have a major responsibility in determining just how bad it will be.
Gail High
Kings Beach
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