OVERNIGHT A FAST MOVING FRONT WILL SWEEP INTO THE AREA. RAIN WILL BECOME LIKELY DURING THE EVENING ACROSS THE CENTRAL COAST...RAIN WILL THEN DEVELOP EVERYWHERE BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF THE EASTERN HALF OF L.A. COUNTY WHICH MIGHT STAY DRY UNTIL DAWN. IT WILL BE WINDY AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH SOUTHWEST ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS DEVELOPING OVER THE MTNS AND INTERIOR VLYS OF SLO AND SBA COUNTIES AS WELL AS THE ANTELOPE VLY.
Hazardous Driving Conditions will persist over MTN Passes:
SNOW LEVELS WILL LIKELY START OUT ABOVE 7000 FEET TONIGHT...BUT COULD BE A BIT LOWER ACROSS NORTH FACING SLOPES DUE TO COLD AIR TRAPPED IN PLACE. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER TO AROUND 5000 FEET BEHIND THE FRONT ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...THEN PLUMMET QUICKLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS A SURGE OF VERY COLD AIR ENTERS INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH. THE GRAPEVINE ALONG INTERSTATE 5 WILL LIKELY BE IMPACTED BY SNOW SHOWERS BY WEDNESDAY EVENING...WITH SNOW FALLING AS LOW AS 2000 FEET BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THIS TYPE OF LOW SNOW LEVEL WILL PUT AREAS SUCH AS THE CUYAMA VALLEY...CARRIZO PLAIN...FOOTHILLS OF THE ANTELOPE VALLEY...AND PORTIONS OF INTERSTATE 14 THROUGH SOLEDAD CANYON AT RISK FOR A FEW SNOW SHOWERS. NORTH FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPES NEAR THE KERN COUNTY LINE...INCLUDING THE GRAPEVINE AREA...WILL LIKELY SEE MORE SUBSTANTIAL ACCUMULATIONS...POSSIBLY IN THE 4 TO 8 INCH RANGE. WITH THE SURGE OF VERY COLD AIR...ICY CONDITIONS WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS MOUNTAIN AREAS THAT RECEIVE PRECIPITATION WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...ADDING TO THE TREACHEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. WINDS WILL ALSO BE A PROBLEM FOR THE MTNS OF L.A. AND VTA COUNTIES WITH ADVISORY LEVEL SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS OF 55 MPH TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND THEN TURN STRONGLY TO THE NORTH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SO EVEN THOUGH THE SNOW AND WINDS ARE SOME WHAT OUT OF PHASE ISSUED A SINGLE WINTER STORM WATCH TO COVER ALL OF THE HAZARDS EXPECTED FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THAT BRINGS US TO THE WINDS...IN THE WAKE OF WEDNESDAY MORNING`S COLD FRONT A SURGE OF VERY COLD AIR WILL SLAM INTO THE AREA. GOOD COLD AIR ADVECTION IS THE ONE THING THAT ALMOST GUARANTEES A STRONG WIND EVENT...THE MORE COLD AIR THAT POURS IN...THE MORE WIND THAT DEVELOPS. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE SHARPLY ACROSS THE REGION DURING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS WILL PEAK WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND WILL REMAIN STRONG THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. A COLD AND DEEP UPPER TROUGH DIGGING INTO THE GREAT BASIN WILL HELP THE WINDS ALONG BY ADDING A PROLONGED PERIOD OF STRONG UPPER LEVEL WIND SUPPORT. DURING THE PEAK OF THIS WIND EVENT WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...MOUNTAIN AREAS COULD SEE DAMAGING WINDS OVER 70 MPH. OTHER AREAS AT RISK FOR POTENTIAL DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH INCLUDE THE SANTA BARBARA SOUTH COAST...ANTELOPE VALLEY...AND SANTA CLARITA VALLEY. HIGH WIND WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE SBA COUNTY MTNS AND SOUTH COAST AND THE ANTELOPE VLY. MANY OTHER AREAS ESPECIALLY THOSE NEAR NORTH/SOUTH PASSES AND CANYONS WILL LIKELY NEED WIND ADVISORIES AS THE EVENT DRAWS NEARER. IN ADDITION...THE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH A VERY COLD AIR MASS COULD BRING THE COLDEST WIND CHILL READINGS OF THE SEASON SO FAR...PERHAPS REACHING DANGEROUS LEVELS IN THE MOUNTAINS.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Delray Beach Florida Invitation to all So Cal Members
You are cordially invited to attend the 43rd Annual Delray Beach Florida - International Fire Service - St. Patricks Parade, to be held on Saturday March 12th, 2011. With the Pre-Parade gathering and celebration on Friday March 11th.
This is the largest, most popular St. Patricks Parade in the state of Florida.
Uniformed marching Firefighters, Honor guards, Color guards, Fire service and civilian Bagpipe bands, Antique fire trucks..., Modern fire trucks, Motorcycles, Fire Safety Clowns, Dalmatians, Specialty groups, Civilian floats, 10 Ladder trucks from 10 different fire departments, paired into 2's and hanging 5 - huge 20' X 30' flags over the parade route.
Fire Engineering Magazine Editor and FDIC Hall Of Famer: Chief Bobby Halton is coming. Chief Halton is a strong proponent and advocate of keeping fire service traditions alive.
The Good Year Blimp has been invited to fly over the parade with "Good Year Salutes Firefighters" flashing on the Jumbo Tron screen, Randy Mantooth (Johnny Gage from the hot show of the 70's - EMERGENCY), Pre-Parade and Post Parade celebrations, staged band concerts, and more.
Honor Guard / Pipe Band / USAR / Combat Challenge / Extrication / Heavy Rescue - team members and other specialty groups, if you'd like official written letters of invitation to your Chief officer, e-mail us his/her name and address and we'll send them the invite for you @: fireman9722003@yahoo.com
Pipe bands - if you plan on coming as a complete pipe band, you may be offered the opportunity to march and play as a stand alone band, and lead your own column of uniformed personnel. A complete band will be at least 12 members, with a bass drum. Contact ASAP us to put your name on the list. fireman9722003@yahoo.com
Mark the date on your calendars (Saturday March 12th). Spread the word to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. If you're intending to march in your own St. Patricks Parade on on Thursday March 17th, you have plenty of time to spend a couple of days down here, catch a Florida sun tan, and make it back in time for your own parades.
Check back on the following website link for more information on directions, times, firefighter discount hotels, travel, firefighter registration, ect, and please send us your travel itinerary - arrival / departure information as soon as possible for airport pick ups and drop offs. (Airline / Airport / Times / Amount of people) .....
http://www.iaff2928.com/
If you'd like to be a parade sponsor, please call:
(561) 883-7763
If you're a vendor and would like to set up a booth / tent at the parade, please call (561) 279-0907
This is the largest, most popular St. Patricks Parade in the state of Florida.
Uniformed marching Firefighters, Honor guards, Color guards, Fire service and civilian Bagpipe bands, Antique fire trucks..., Modern fire trucks, Motorcycles, Fire Safety Clowns, Dalmatians, Specialty groups, Civilian floats, 10 Ladder trucks from 10 different fire departments, paired into 2's and hanging 5 - huge 20' X 30' flags over the parade route.
Fire Engineering Magazine Editor and FDIC Hall Of Famer: Chief Bobby Halton is coming. Chief Halton is a strong proponent and advocate of keeping fire service traditions alive.
The Good Year Blimp has been invited to fly over the parade with "Good Year Salutes Firefighters" flashing on the Jumbo Tron screen, Randy Mantooth (Johnny Gage from the hot show of the 70's - EMERGENCY), Pre-Parade and Post Parade celebrations, staged band concerts, and more.
Honor Guard / Pipe Band / USAR / Combat Challenge / Extrication / Heavy Rescue - team members and other specialty groups, if you'd like official written letters of invitation to your Chief officer, e-mail us his/her name and address and we'll send them the invite for you @: fireman9722003@yahoo.com
Pipe bands - if you plan on coming as a complete pipe band, you may be offered the opportunity to march and play as a stand alone band, and lead your own column of uniformed personnel. A complete band will be at least 12 members, with a bass drum. Contact ASAP us to put your name on the list. fireman9722003@yahoo.com
Mark the date on your calendars (Saturday March 12th). Spread the word to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. If you're intending to march in your own St. Patricks Parade on on Thursday March 17th, you have plenty of time to spend a couple of days down here, catch a Florida sun tan, and make it back in time for your own parades.
Check back on the following website link for more information on directions, times, firefighter discount hotels, travel, firefighter registration, ect, and please send us your travel itinerary - arrival / departure information as soon as possible for airport pick ups and drop offs. (Airline / Airport / Times / Amount of people) .....
http://www.iaff2928.com/
If you'd like to be a parade sponsor, please call:
(561) 883-7763
If you're a vendor and would like to set up a booth / tent at the parade, please call (561) 279-0907
Monday, December 27, 2010
Fatal Shooting on Christmas, 85th West and Western
South L.A. woman gunned down on Christmas in front of 3-year-old daughter
Daily News Wire Services
Posted: 12/27/2010 08:31:07 AM PST
Updated: 12/27/2010 08:38:27 AM PST
SOUTH LOS ANGELES -- Police today said a woman shot to death on Christmas night was leaving the home of an acquaintance when she was gunned down, according to a sergeant releasing new information.
Kashmier Shari James, 25, had been visiting a male acquaintance at a home on the 1700 block of 85th Street, Sgt. Jim Lewis said. She was getting into her car at about 10:20 p.m. Christmas night when two men in a dark blue vehicle drove up and fired nine shots, striking her once in the head, before fleeing south on Western, Lewis said.
It has not been determined whether the male acquaintance was the intended target of the suspects, he said. There is nothing to indicate that the suspects were involved with a criminal street gang, he added.
Lewis said James had no criminal record.
Friends and family today mourned the death of the woman who was gunned down in front of her 3-year-old daughter in South Los Angeles.
Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene at 10:41 p.m. Lewis said.
Her daughter, who was in a carseat in the back seat of the vehicle, was unharmed. She was turned over to her father at the 77th Street station.
A candlelight vigil was held at the crime scene today, according to broadcast reports.
"This 3-year-old will never grow up to see her mama," James' boyfriend, Chris Jackson, said in broadcast reports. "I don't know how to explain it to her, to tell her, she's not here, she's not here."
Cousin Sharonda Conley was distraught. "I don't understand why they would take somebody's life in front of their kid on Christmas," she said.
Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to call LAPD detectives at (213) 485-4175.
Daily News Wire Services
Posted: 12/27/2010 08:31:07 AM PST
Updated: 12/27/2010 08:38:27 AM PST
SOUTH LOS ANGELES -- Police today said a woman shot to death on Christmas night was leaving the home of an acquaintance when she was gunned down, according to a sergeant releasing new information.
Kashmier Shari James, 25, had been visiting a male acquaintance at a home on the 1700 block of 85th Street, Sgt. Jim Lewis said. She was getting into her car at about 10:20 p.m. Christmas night when two men in a dark blue vehicle drove up and fired nine shots, striking her once in the head, before fleeing south on Western, Lewis said.
It has not been determined whether the male acquaintance was the intended target of the suspects, he said. There is nothing to indicate that the suspects were involved with a criminal street gang, he added.
Lewis said James had no criminal record.
Friends and family today mourned the death of the woman who was gunned down in front of her 3-year-old daughter in South Los Angeles.
Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene at 10:41 p.m. Lewis said.
Her daughter, who was in a carseat in the back seat of the vehicle, was unharmed. She was turned over to her father at the 77th Street station.
A candlelight vigil was held at the crime scene today, according to broadcast reports.
"This 3-year-old will never grow up to see her mama," James' boyfriend, Chris Jackson, said in broadcast reports. "I don't know how to explain it to her, to tell her, she's not here, she's not here."
Cousin Sharonda Conley was distraught. "I don't understand why they would take somebody's life in front of their kid on Christmas," she said.
Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to call LAPD detectives at (213) 485-4175.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Chrsitmas Night House Fire, LAFD Task Force 33
Los Angeles City Firefighters were called to a reported structure fire at 124 W 83 Street in South Central Los Angeles Christmas evening at approximately 11:08 hours. Upon arrival BC 13 and Task Force 33 found a single family dwelling with moderate smoke showing. Several occupants in stocking feet were assisted out of the building and were checked by LAFD paramedics for injuries. Aggressive interior attack had knock down in approximately 10 minutes. Unknown dollar loss.
Photos Jeff Zimmerman
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Caution in Storm Run Off
We are expecting more rain on Christmas, which will make the roads very hazardous for travelers. Motorists should be encourage not to go through flowing creeks and debris dams. Swift water has a tremendous force associated with it and should be avoided at all costs. High water may also cause the engine to stall and cause serious damage to the vehicle.
Storm run off may contain pollutants such as sewage, motor oils, gasoline residues and pesticides, so human contact should be avoided if at all possible.
For children playing near creeks and over flowing storm drains there is a chance of drowning so please have youngsters supervised and told to avoid the water.
Storm Images, LA Times
Photos of record breaking storms, LA Times: http://framework.latimes.com/2010/12/22/series-of-storms-hits-southern-california/#/0
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Flash Flood Warning for LA and San Bernardino 10:19 am
Flash Flood Warning for Burn Areas:A series of strong thunderstorms is forming over LA and Moving north east, embeded mesocylones in storms, thunderstorms moving towards La Canada Flintridge and towards San Bernardino County. Flash floods are possible, warning 10:19 am
Monday, December 20, 2010
Mesocylones Spotted on Radar, San Bernardino and Riverside County
19:21 PM: Strong thunderstorms over Big Bear and San Bernardino County, several mesocyclones are spotted on radar with reported hail at higher elevations, flash flood watch is in effect!
Breaking News, Traffic Collision 14 Freeway at Agua Dulce
Los Angeles County firefighters responded in torrential rain to a traffic collision with fire on the south bound 14 freeway just south of Agua Dulce Canyon Rd. Upon arrival shortly after 3 pm firefighters found a multi car accident, with one vehicle over turned, off the freeway and on fire. Several patients were seriously injured and were taken to local hospitals. The accident is under investigation by the CHP. Traffic was snarled in the area for 30 minutes.
Photos Jeff Zimmerman
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Fatal Traffic Accident, Pear Blossom Highway
Our top story today in So Cal: Driving rain and gale force winds have created mud and debris problems and contributed to numerous accidents along CA busiest highways. Several inches of rain have fallen today in the Station Wildfire Burn area. Roads have been slick and several fire apparatus have been involved in accidents today. Supt 21 from LA County was hit head on at Foothill Bl and Aspen while responding to a mud flow in La Crescenta CA. Thankfully their were only minor injuries.
Several serious accidents today including this double fatal, with 2 major injuries along Pear Blossom Highway and Sierra Highway in Palmdale, the high desert district of LA County Fire Department.
Photos Jeff Zimmerman
Extreme Caution in Burn Areas
911 dispatchers are sending resources to La Canada and La Crescenta CA on several debris flows in the burn area, use extreme caution for potential flash flooding. Heavy rainfall continues across Southern California and hillsides are now saturated.
Forecast:SHORT TERM (TODAY-WED)...EXTREMELY MOIST FLOW OF AIR WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH MID WEEK. THE AFTERNOON RAINFALL ENHANCEMENT ARRIVED ON SCHEDULE AND IS NOW FOCUSING ON LA COUNTY WITH RAINFALL RATES PEAKING AT ONE HALF TO ONE INCH PER HOUR. THESE RATES WILL START TO TAPER OFF THIS EVENING IN MOST AREAS, THOUGH A FAVORABLE SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL MAINTAIN PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS ERN LA COUNTY MOST OF THE NIGHT. IN ADDITION, ANOTHER BURST OF HEAVIER RAIN IS EXPECTED TO HIT SLO AND SBA COUNTIES LATER TONIGHT, AND INTO VENTURA AND LA COUNTIES MONDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THIS IS EXPECTED TO BE FOLLOWED BY AT LEAST TWO MORE BURSTS OF HEAVY RAIN THROUGH WEDNESDAY, THOUGH TIMING THESE IMPULSES BEYOND ABOUT 12 HOURS IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT SO CAL WILL REMAIN VERY MUCH UNDER THE GUN IN TERMS OF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE MODELS ARE EXHIBITING RATHER EXTREME DIFFERENCES IN HANDLING THE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE FORECAST, MOST NOTABLY WHERE THE PLUME OF HIGHEST MOISTURE WILL BE AND THE EXTENT OF LOW LVL SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW. AS AN EXAMPLE, THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE SHIFTING THE PLUME EAST OF LA COUNTY TUESDAY WHILE THE NAM HOLDS IT BACK FURTHER WEST OVER LA/VTU AND ERN SBA COUNTIES, RESULTING IN A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN RAINFALL POTENTIAL FOR THOSE AREAS. THE CURRENT FORECAST IS STICKING WITH THE WETTER NAM. AS SUCH, THE FORECAST THROUGH WED CALLS FOR ANOTHER 8-15 INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND SOUTH FACING SLOPES FROM SRN SBA COUNTY THROUGH ERN LA COUNTY AND 3 TO 8 INCHES FOR COAST AND VALLEYS. ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS NORTH OF PT CONCEPTION ARE EXPECTED TO BE 3 TO 5 INCHES.
Forecast:SHORT TERM (TODAY-WED)...EXTREMELY MOIST FLOW OF AIR WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH MID WEEK. THE AFTERNOON RAINFALL ENHANCEMENT ARRIVED ON SCHEDULE AND IS NOW FOCUSING ON LA COUNTY WITH RAINFALL RATES PEAKING AT ONE HALF TO ONE INCH PER HOUR. THESE RATES WILL START TO TAPER OFF THIS EVENING IN MOST AREAS, THOUGH A FAVORABLE SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL MAINTAIN PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS ERN LA COUNTY MOST OF THE NIGHT. IN ADDITION, ANOTHER BURST OF HEAVIER RAIN IS EXPECTED TO HIT SLO AND SBA COUNTIES LATER TONIGHT, AND INTO VENTURA AND LA COUNTIES MONDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THIS IS EXPECTED TO BE FOLLOWED BY AT LEAST TWO MORE BURSTS OF HEAVY RAIN THROUGH WEDNESDAY, THOUGH TIMING THESE IMPULSES BEYOND ABOUT 12 HOURS IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT SO CAL WILL REMAIN VERY MUCH UNDER THE GUN IN TERMS OF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE MODELS ARE EXHIBITING RATHER EXTREME DIFFERENCES IN HANDLING THE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE FORECAST, MOST NOTABLY WHERE THE PLUME OF HIGHEST MOISTURE WILL BE AND THE EXTENT OF LOW LVL SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW. AS AN EXAMPLE, THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE SHIFTING THE PLUME EAST OF LA COUNTY TUESDAY WHILE THE NAM HOLDS IT BACK FURTHER WEST OVER LA/VTU AND ERN SBA COUNTIES, RESULTING IN A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN RAINFALL POTENTIAL FOR THOSE AREAS. THE CURRENT FORECAST IS STICKING WITH THE WETTER NAM. AS SUCH, THE FORECAST THROUGH WED CALLS FOR ANOTHER 8-15 INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND SOUTH FACING SLOPES FROM SRN SBA COUNTY THROUGH ERN LA COUNTY AND 3 TO 8 INCHES FOR COAST AND VALLEYS. ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS NORTH OF PT CONCEPTION ARE EXPECTED TO BE 3 TO 5 INCHES.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Weather Warning for So Cal Burn Areas
Strong gusty winds and driving rain are possible today through Monday with rain totals of 2-4 inches in the south facing mountains. With the sub-tropical moisture hitting south facing slopes, orographic lifting is possible, with above average K values,(Potential for T-cell Develpoment) there is a chance for flash flooding in Southern California burn areas.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Mild to Moderate Offshore Wind Event
A NORTHERLY PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL STRENGTHEN THROUGH THE DAY...BRINGING GUSTY NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS TO THE SANTA YNEZ RANGE AND SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST...AS WELL AS THE LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK TONIGHT...THEN DIMINISH SOME THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH TO NORTHEAST SATURDAY EVENING AND STRENGTHEN AGAIN...AND WIND ADVISORIES MAY AGAIN BE NEEDED.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Israel Battles Forest Fire, LA Times Reports
International help pours in as Israel battles forest fire from Bulgaria to Jordan and Greece, even Turkey, send firefighters, equipment, helicopters and other help as a fire rages in Carmel Forest. The toll rises to 41 as officials hope to control the blaze by weekend.
A woman in the hills above Haifa has a clear view of the Carmel Forest blaze, the worst wildfire in Israel's history. About 17,000 of residents in areas around the forest have been evacuated. (Marco Longari, AFP/Gettyy Images / December 2, 2010)
Forest fire in Israel kills 37 prison guards trapped in fleeing bus
By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times
December 4, 2010
— From Jordanian firefighters to Greek aircraft, a rare outpouring of international support for Israel helped the nation battle its worst-ever forest fire Friday, but the blaze continued to rage out of control.
The death toll was revised to at least 41 people, according to Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. They included 36 prison guards whose bus was engulfed in flames Thursday as they rushed to help evacuate a nearby prison.
The toll includes two police officers who were trapped in the same firestorm that ensnared the bus. One passenger car reportedly was able to escape only by speeding through the flames.
Four rescue workers remain missing, Rosenfeld said. Nearly 7,000 acres have burned and 17,000 people have been evacuated from towns around Carmel Forest, near the northern port city of Haifa.
Responding to an appeal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for help, Bulgaria and Jordan sent firefighters; Cyprus, Greece, Russia and the United States dispatched aircraft to ferry water and chemical retardant; Britain sent helicopters; and additional assistance came from Spain, Azerbaijan, Romania and Egypt, government officials said.
"This attests to the unprecedented international response to our appeal for international help and it is very important to Israel in every possible aspect," Netanyahu said during an emergency Cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv. "The extraordinary response from the world should offer some comfort to Israeli citizens at this difficult moment."
Fire officials hoped to have the blaze under control by the weekend.
Even Turkey sent two planes to assist in the emergency effort, despite the strained relations between the two countries since May, when Israeli commandoes raided a ship, killing nine Turkish activists, including a Turkish-American dual citizen, who were trying to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
"We very much appreciate this mobilization and I am certain that it will be an opening toward improving relations between our two countries," Netanyahu said of Turkey's help.
Israel, which takes pride in its self-sufficiency and has few friends in the region, has seldom asked for outside help in coping with a natural disaster. It has frequently lent its support and expertise to other nations during times of need, such as during the Haiti earthquake.
As the fire raged out of control Thursday, however, Israeli officials made an unusually frank admission that the country lacked the resources to stop it.
Government officials and pundits debated Friday who should be blamed for Israel's unpreparedness for fighting fires, a shortcoming that had been repeatedly underscored in recent years by studies and commissions.
The nation has only 1,500 firefighters, though international standards call for four times that number for a country of Israel's size.
After a series of fires this year, the government nearly ran out of chemical retardant Friday. Israel has no emergency aircraft to ferry seawater to fire sites.
Questions were also raised about how quickly firefighters responded. A flight instructor who reported the fire to authorities Thursday morning said it took nearly three hours for crews to react, allowing the blaze to spread.
"A national failure," wrote Itamar Eichner in Israel's Yediot Aharonot newspaper. "The fire service was always the stepchild of Israel's emergency services. Even though firefighters around the world are esteemed and regarded as heroes, Israel has never taken them too seriously. "
edmund.sanders@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times
A woman in the hills above Haifa has a clear view of the Carmel Forest blaze, the worst wildfire in Israel's history. About 17,000 of residents in areas around the forest have been evacuated. (Marco Longari, AFP/Gettyy Images / December 2, 2010)
Forest fire in Israel kills 37 prison guards trapped in fleeing bus
By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times
December 4, 2010
— From Jordanian firefighters to Greek aircraft, a rare outpouring of international support for Israel helped the nation battle its worst-ever forest fire Friday, but the blaze continued to rage out of control.
The death toll was revised to at least 41 people, according to Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. They included 36 prison guards whose bus was engulfed in flames Thursday as they rushed to help evacuate a nearby prison.
The toll includes two police officers who were trapped in the same firestorm that ensnared the bus. One passenger car reportedly was able to escape only by speeding through the flames.
Four rescue workers remain missing, Rosenfeld said. Nearly 7,000 acres have burned and 17,000 people have been evacuated from towns around Carmel Forest, near the northern port city of Haifa.
Responding to an appeal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for help, Bulgaria and Jordan sent firefighters; Cyprus, Greece, Russia and the United States dispatched aircraft to ferry water and chemical retardant; Britain sent helicopters; and additional assistance came from Spain, Azerbaijan, Romania and Egypt, government officials said.
"This attests to the unprecedented international response to our appeal for international help and it is very important to Israel in every possible aspect," Netanyahu said during an emergency Cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv. "The extraordinary response from the world should offer some comfort to Israeli citizens at this difficult moment."
Fire officials hoped to have the blaze under control by the weekend.
Even Turkey sent two planes to assist in the emergency effort, despite the strained relations between the two countries since May, when Israeli commandoes raided a ship, killing nine Turkish activists, including a Turkish-American dual citizen, who were trying to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
"We very much appreciate this mobilization and I am certain that it will be an opening toward improving relations between our two countries," Netanyahu said of Turkey's help.
Israel, which takes pride in its self-sufficiency and has few friends in the region, has seldom asked for outside help in coping with a natural disaster. It has frequently lent its support and expertise to other nations during times of need, such as during the Haiti earthquake.
As the fire raged out of control Thursday, however, Israeli officials made an unusually frank admission that the country lacked the resources to stop it.
Government officials and pundits debated Friday who should be blamed for Israel's unpreparedness for fighting fires, a shortcoming that had been repeatedly underscored in recent years by studies and commissions.
The nation has only 1,500 firefighters, though international standards call for four times that number for a country of Israel's size.
After a series of fires this year, the government nearly ran out of chemical retardant Friday. Israel has no emergency aircraft to ferry seawater to fire sites.
Questions were also raised about how quickly firefighters responded. A flight instructor who reported the fire to authorities Thursday morning said it took nearly three hours for crews to react, allowing the blaze to spread.
"A national failure," wrote Itamar Eichner in Israel's Yediot Aharonot newspaper. "The fire service was always the stepchild of Israel's emergency services. Even though firefighters around the world are esteemed and regarded as heroes, Israel has never taken them too seriously. "
edmund.sanders@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times
Earthquake Predictions
New method predicts earthquakes with 80 percent accuracy
Posted By: Cameron Scott December 03 2010 at 10:47 AM
A new Spanish study that analyzed local earthquake data since 1978 found patterns in the data that can predict a medium to large earthquakes with 80 percent accuracy.
USGS
The key factor was the fault's resistance: less resistance leads to lots of small earthquakes, whereas more resistance leads to scarcer but bigger quakes.
Fascinatingly, another recent study, this one out of Israel's Hebrew University, focused on the similar principle of friction. It found that the laws of physics long thought to determine friction don't really hold true: Rather than two blocks — used to simulate tectonic plates in the laboratory — touching at every point along their adjacent faces, there are actually a discrete set of points at which they touch, and the contact points don't all break at the same time.
When contact breaks in a slow cascade from point to point, the conditions are set for a quake causing minimum damage. But contact points that break all at once correspond to supersonic earthquakes, which cause serious damage.
The Israeli scientists suggest that analyzing the way a particular fault ruptures in one temblor will allow them to better predict what might happen next along the same fault.
Looked at together, the studies suggest that we may be much closer to being able to predict, and therefore prepare for, major quakes.
Posted By: Cameron Scott December 03 2010 at 10:47 AM
A new Spanish study that analyzed local earthquake data since 1978 found patterns in the data that can predict a medium to large earthquakes with 80 percent accuracy.
USGS
The key factor was the fault's resistance: less resistance leads to lots of small earthquakes, whereas more resistance leads to scarcer but bigger quakes.
Fascinatingly, another recent study, this one out of Israel's Hebrew University, focused on the similar principle of friction. It found that the laws of physics long thought to determine friction don't really hold true: Rather than two blocks — used to simulate tectonic plates in the laboratory — touching at every point along their adjacent faces, there are actually a discrete set of points at which they touch, and the contact points don't all break at the same time.
When contact breaks in a slow cascade from point to point, the conditions are set for a quake causing minimum damage. But contact points that break all at once correspond to supersonic earthquakes, which cause serious damage.
The Israeli scientists suggest that analyzing the way a particular fault ruptures in one temblor will allow them to better predict what might happen next along the same fault.
Looked at together, the studies suggest that we may be much closer to being able to predict, and therefore prepare for, major quakes.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Hazardous Occupancy to Be Burned
'Bomb factory' house in Escondido area to be burned down
November 30, 2010 | 10:01 pm
LA Times Article
Caution Area Residents, Explosive Devices In Home
The house just outside Escondido where massive amounts of explosive materials were found has been declared a public hazard and will be burned down, San Diego County officials told area residents Tuesday night.
A nearby stretch of Interstate 15 will be closed during the process, and some nearby residents will be evacauted, officials said.
The house, dubbed the "bomb factory" house by officials, was found to contain amounts of materials of the kind used by terroristbomb makers worldwide, as well as blasting caps, homemade grenades, and small-arms weapons.
The resident of the house, George Jakubec, a 54-year-old Serbian emigre, has been charged with 26 counts of possession of bombmaking materials and two counts of bank robbery. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail in lieu of $5 million bail.
The county has invoked its legal authority to declare a public emergency and to seize the house as a threat to public safety, a county lawyer explained to a town hall meeting of residents called by officials.
Bomb experts last week declared the one-story stucco house on Via Scott to be too dangerous to re-enter. On two occasions, they had entered the cluttered house and gathered evidence.
Sheriff Bill Gore said at the meeting that burning the house is the only safe way to rid the neighborhood of the explosive materials.
The materials include pentaerythritol tentanitrate (PETN), which is used by Al Qaeda terrorists and is the material that federal officials hope to discover through the new full-body screening and patdown procedures being used on airline passengers.
None of the charges against Jakubec involve the sale or use of explosives, and no motive for his alleged actions has been announced. His estranged wife suggested that he is mentally unstable.
The fire could be set between Dec. 8 and Dec. 10 but could be delayed depending on weather conditions, officials said. Safety barriers will be erected, some residents may be asked to leave and others to remain in their homes during the fire.
Jakubec was renting the home along the leafy, dead-end street. The owner of the home, who did not attend the town hall meeting, is discussing compensation with his insurance company, officials said.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/11/bomb-factory-house-in-escondido-area-to-be-burned-down.html
November 30, 2010 | 10:01 pm
LA Times Article
Caution Area Residents, Explosive Devices In Home
The house just outside Escondido where massive amounts of explosive materials were found has been declared a public hazard and will be burned down, San Diego County officials told area residents Tuesday night.
A nearby stretch of Interstate 15 will be closed during the process, and some nearby residents will be evacauted, officials said.
The house, dubbed the "bomb factory" house by officials, was found to contain amounts of materials of the kind used by terroristbomb makers worldwide, as well as blasting caps, homemade grenades, and small-arms weapons.
The resident of the house, George Jakubec, a 54-year-old Serbian emigre, has been charged with 26 counts of possession of bombmaking materials and two counts of bank robbery. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail in lieu of $5 million bail.
The county has invoked its legal authority to declare a public emergency and to seize the house as a threat to public safety, a county lawyer explained to a town hall meeting of residents called by officials.
Bomb experts last week declared the one-story stucco house on Via Scott to be too dangerous to re-enter. On two occasions, they had entered the cluttered house and gathered evidence.
Sheriff Bill Gore said at the meeting that burning the house is the only safe way to rid the neighborhood of the explosive materials.
The materials include pentaerythritol tentanitrate (PETN), which is used by Al Qaeda terrorists and is the material that federal officials hope to discover through the new full-body screening and patdown procedures being used on airline passengers.
None of the charges against Jakubec involve the sale or use of explosives, and no motive for his alleged actions has been announced. His estranged wife suggested that he is mentally unstable.
The fire could be set between Dec. 8 and Dec. 10 but could be delayed depending on weather conditions, officials said. Safety barriers will be erected, some residents may be asked to leave and others to remain in their homes during the fire.
Jakubec was renting the home along the leafy, dead-end street. The owner of the home, who did not attend the town hall meeting, is discussing compensation with his insurance company, officials said.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/11/bomb-factory-house-in-escondido-area-to-be-burned-down.html
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