October 25, 2007
San Diego Air Quality and Recommendations
Trying to figure out if any time out is OK today and it doesn't look so. I've found a couple of sources.
SDAPCD - Air Quality Forecast. In addition to specific dated text, there's a breakdown of areas of town and their Air Quality Index and Levels of Health Concern. Weather.com showed the levels also, but with no recommendations. I wonder if there is a general mapping of Level of Health Concern to general recommendations (which would help to use this information in general after the fires)? Here's today's recommendation...
The air quality forecast for Thursday, October 25 is for little change in conditions. Air quality levels will range from Moderate to Hazardous for All Individuals throughout the day.Due to the numerous wild fires burning throughout San Diego County, localized areas of smoke and ash have occurred in many areas. As a result elevated particulate matter concentrations, including fine particulates, or PM2.5 concentrations, may reach unhealthful to hazardous levels in some smoke impacted areas.
In areas of heavy smoke, assume that air quality levels are unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy and possibly hazardous for all individuals. In areas with minor smoke impacts, assume that air quality levels range from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups.
In areas where you smell smoke it is advised that you limit physical activity. If possible, stay indoors to limit your exposure to fine particulate matter.
I'm sharing other "sandiego air" links...
Bahia Hotel Hotel Mission Beach San Diego 10/25/07 8:47am - San Diego Fire Day 5
Bahia Hotel Hotel Mission Beach San Diego 10/25/07 8:47am - San Diego Fire Day 5, originally uploaded by Vince Outlaw.
Looking at http://Weather.com for San Diego for air quality guidance and stumbled upon this webcam (and others). Captured the shot and posting here.
Here's my own shot of the gray sky looking west from Del Cerro over Qualcomm Statdium, down Mission Valley, and toward Mission Bay. The gunk in the Bahia pictures looks similar to that layer right above land horizon in the shot. Our blue sky in Del Cerro is starting to become grayer as it looks like the stuff on the coast is going to finally envelop us, after 4 relatively clear days here.
South East San Diego Still Burns - SD Fire Day 5
Headed to the spot on Dwane and Elaine to overlook Lake Murray and South East San Diego county this morning to see what's happening. The scent of burn was heavy this morning here in Del Cerro...shifting winds are bringing some of the rest of the county's air to us.
I've added several other shots from this morning to my personal San Diego Fire photoset, like this one looking north-easterly over Lake Murray to Cowles Mountain. The sky is spottily clear in places this morning...
The San Diego Fire group on Flickr that I started on Monday morning has continued to grow and have pictures all over the county added and mapped. Here are some stats and a picture from the group as of 10/25/2007 8 am...
* 63 members
* 762 photos shared in the pool.
* 226 photos mapped (about 30% of total in pool, down about 7% from yesterday)
Here's one of several air shot added to the group by ashi...
San Diego Reporter Larry Himmel Burns As He Narrates
YouTube - Larry Himmel in front of his destroyed home...
Larry is a long-time fixture on San Diego TV. I'm sure this story is being repeated many times in SD today as most areas of SD City can be re-entered.
October 24, 2007
San Diego Fire Flickr Group Status - 41 Members, 400+ Pictures, 168 Mapped
San Diego Fire Flickr Group Status - 41 Members, 400+ Pictures, 168 Mapped, originally uploaded by Vince Outlaw.
The San Diego Fire Flickr Group continues to collect more pictures across San Diego County (and beyond, like our displaced member auer1816posting the sky from Mission Viejo)
To see the group map zoomed in as above, click here.
As of 10/24/07 8:45 am PT...
* 41 members
* 443 pictures shared
* 168 mapped pictures (37%)
Interesting to see it grow. Not much discussion in the discussion group, but I guess the pictures are saving enough for now.
Here's a shot from Bernard-SD of the group, action happening south of us in Del Cerro, but probably what I was seeing in my earlier stop at Lake Murray overlook...
Harris Haze Over Lake Murray La Mesa And East San Diego on Fire Day 4
Harris Haze Over Lake Murray La Mesa And East San Diego on Fire Day 4, originally uploaded by Vince Outlaw.
Starting the morning with status from the local perch. Smoke close to enclosing us.
October 23, 2007
OES - (County of San Diego) Office of Emergency Services
County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services: The people with the distinctive civil defense-like logo propped at the press conference's. The sign-language translator has been there all day! She rocks? Name and web-site? That would be a fun interview...maybe she's a jazz fan (or not)?
Sunset Westview From Del Cerro - San Diego Fire Day 3
Continued crazy blue sky above our area of SD County, but burnt brown and gray darkly surroumding us.
San Diego Fire Flickr Group Map
Mapped pictures from the San Diego Fire group. 64 out of about 300 pictures is not bad, maybe we can get more.
It's easy to use Flickr Organizer to put your pictures on your own map and then they get automatically located on the map for any Group that you've added the picture to. Here's my personal Vince Outlaw map (I map sporadically, so it's by no means complete.
Here's one of several similar pictures shared with the group by SOFTSERVEGIRL, followed by the story behind the picture...
just watched my dear friend Etoile's beautiful, sweet home, full of so many wonderful memories burn down in real time on TV. M & I had returned home about 1 hour ago, and we were watching w/horror as houses in her immediate area burn down. I thought I saw her home burning, but recognized that it was her next door neighbor's--Sam-- who had built the house. I called her right away and she was watching the same news channel. We talked about how sad it was that her friends houses were destroyed, and what a blessing it was that her house was spared and how amazing the fireman were. I went outside and swept ashes off the doorstep and when I came back in 10 minutes later her house was on the TV screen in full flame. The reporter was holding up photos from her house and showing them on camera, her family shots, girlfriends, some of which I had taken. He was saying excitedly how we could see the grand piano burning and how this house will filled with lots of personal mementos. I called her right back and she was crying and her boyfriend's two little boys were crying. It is heartbreaking.
Helitack - Helicopter About To Drop Water On Mt. San Miquel
By piclmike from about 10/23/2007 11 am. Another of the pictures added to San Diego Fires Flickr Group
Video of Mount Miguel Burning 10/23/2007 7am From Lake Murray
SD Fire Day 3 - Morning Over Lake Murray And The Harris Fire: A video from 7am on 10/23/2007, SD Fire Day 3.
Wildfires 2007 Blog Comments - What Information People Need
The Wildfires 2007 blog (looks to be sponsored by SD UT SignonSanDiego), is in my 1-priority news category today to get fire news, but I started looking at the Wildfires 2007 comments after each story and it looks like a list of requests for the information that's needed right now by people. Wouldn't it be great if you had the answers and you could immediately pick up the phone or text the answer to that person...right where they were that moment? (Maybe that's a Twitter application (KPBS' Twitters Updates to 'kpbsnews'
Here's the latest Wildfire 2007 - Comments (I wish there was a view of this on their site).
Lake Murray and Harris Fire At Sunrise SD Fire Day 3
I've uploaded pictures from a trip out this morning. As I stopped at the left-turn rise, heading south on College toward the Duane / Elaine Lake Murray Overlook, "That's MUCH darker than yesterday at sunset!" Then as I turned right here, headed up Madra and east on Duane, "FIRE!" I could see the fire burning across the valley on Mt. Miguel! What a shock to me! I pulled up and was surprisingly the only one at the overlook for at least 15 more minutes when several others including San DIego Police came by the share the eerie moment.
I've added these and more to my San Diego Fire - October 2007 set and there are new ones from across San Diego the Flickr Group San Diego Fire (wow...103 photos now and 14 members...I started it yesterday...interesting...)
Fire On Mount Miguel From Above Lake Murray - San Diego Fire Day 3
Fire On Mount Miguel From Above Lake Murray - San Diego Fire Day 3, originally uploaded by Vince Outlaw.
Wow. Came up much darker College, over Duane to see Fire!
VOs Priority News Feeds - What I'm Watching Online
Google Reader -"1.-priority" via Vince lists stories from the newsfeeds I'm following to keep up on the news. I'm up this morning to head back to the top of Del Cerro hill and see what it looks like at sunrise.
October 22, 2007
Getting and Giving Help At Qualcomm Stadium
fuggles added some pictures to the San Diego Fire taken at Qualcomm Stadium and the evacuation center that is working there. It looked like there we are lot of older folks there, something you don't think about until you see it...then it's pretty logical that these are probably folks that don't have anyone locally to stay with or means to get a hotel or something. Wow. (If you can't see the pictures in the group...it's been flaky showing the entire photo pool from the group...why?)
I added some more pictures of my own from this afternoon on top of Del Cerro hill and also have mine in a San Diego Fire set. Here's a later one of the sunset from our backyard...
Harrison Fire South East San Diego From Dwane Ave and Elaine Way Above Lake Murra
Harrison Fire South East San Diego From Dwane Ave and Elaine Way Above Lake Murra, originally uploaded by Vince Outlaw.
Getting some snaps at the top of Del Cerro. Warm but still relatively clear.
