This is how the Canadian Gov handles wildfires and helps people.

[dixiegrrrrl]

The Fort MacMurray fire, much like our Cal. wildfires in the hills, have only one main road in or out.

In Canada, people were stuck north of the fire, as it was coming towards them, but could not drive south to escape, because they would have had to enter Fort MacMurray fires.

Via Twitter:

"We're stuck here,running out of water in the camps, no fuel, food's rationed out. The guys just wanna go." #ymmfire

The Gov't response:

May 6 plan for North evacuees, as of May 6 2:45 am MST.



So the Gov't organized a convoy, gathered and provided even toiletries for people who were in the convey, escorted then out of the danger area.

Pics and vines of the convoys can be found here:
https://twitter.com/warnicam

I am impressed.

[packman]

1. That's because they couldn't find anyone named "Brownie"

[JNelson6563]

23. Lol..that's a win right there!

[47of74]

51. Yeah they don't put a no experience fucker in charge

[BrainDrain]

2. Now THAT's how you do it....

them pansie assed Canadians......seriously KNOW how to take care of their people....

[lagomorph777]

34. I don't think they're doing as well for people's animals

After Katrina I believe we passed a law to require that pets be evacuated too.

[Saviolo]

3. The whole situation is such a nightmare

I used to live in Calgary (a few hours south of Fort Mac), and when it gets drought-like there, it is dry as a bone, let me tell you. It's the zone where the dry prairie air meets the mountain air that can be moist, but is usually dry.

Additionally, Fort Mac was an oil boom town. Grew far faster than the infrastructure of the city would allow for, which is why there are so few access points. It's just a perfect storm of shitty things to happen to this community.

First was the economic collapse in Alberta because of the drop in the oil sector. Alberta had pretty much tied its entire economy to petroleum/oil, so when that market started to collapse, it was a bad scene. Lots of people are blaming the new NDP government (first left-wing government in Alberta in 40 years!) but it was mostly due to the Conservative Party's policies prior. Now add in natural disaster and things are just incredibly bad out there.

I'm seeing lots of ugly posts (not here, but elsewhere on the internet) blaming the victims. Saying stuff like "These people work in the oil industry, they're causing the climate change that is making these fires more likely..." etc... But, victim blaming is shitty in all cases, and what we really need to do is hold the huge oil corporations and their political enablers accountable. Don't blame the victims, they have lost everything.

[BlueMTexpat]

4. Nice post!

[polly7]

5. I lived about three hours from Fort Mac a long time ago, before the oil boom.

Two of those years were in drought-like conditions ... and the wind, it never stopped.

So many of these evacuees are also foreign temp-workers who are now going to be in trouble, as many of their employers are now burned out or closed down. I feel horrible for them ..... hopefully they'll get help and be allowed to stay to find work somewhere else.

Yes, there are many victims in desperate need. My brother is in Edmonton, he said about 30,000 have made it there so far. They're evacuating many who fled north to the oil camps today, as well as those stranded in them.

There's one certain video of a young man on 63 a few days ago with a dash-cam - it's terrifying to watch. He drove through black smoke and flames literally yards on either side of the highway from before noon until the early morning hours - the traffic completely shut down so many times he was afraid his tires would melt off.

[Saviolo]

7. Holy cow, yes

That dash-cam footage is insane. It's almost unbelievable, it looks like a special effect from a movie. The horror that those evacuees are going through is just incredible.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Linked here?

Dash cam video shows harrowing drive out of Fort McMurray

Here are a few: Fort McMurray dash cam video

This looks like the one:

[polly7]

10. Yes, thanks ... the one I saw was a bit longer, but that's him.

Terrifying.

[tclambert]

17. Oh, look, it's snowing fire!

Damn. How do you breathe driving through all that smoke?

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. Terrifying to watch.......

I was reminded of those poor people who were trapped on the Cal. freeway during a fire, they literally had to leave their cars and run, the cars were burnt out.
The idea of being stuck in such a huge long ling of slow moving cars, with embers dropping on your car and winds blowing fire at you.....yikes.

[polly7]

20. I remember reading of that too ... absolutely horrible for them.

My brother was burned in a fire, over 75% of his body. He spent almost a year in the Burn Unit and then another six months in hospital back home - fire is one of my biggest nightmares, I think I'd probably panic, myself, if I were in one of those lines of vehicles. All of this is just going to get worse, especially when they're forecasting such dry conditions already.

[dixiegrrrrl]

28. Speaking of refugees....

Read a piece this am about how Syrian refugees in Canada are organizing to help the fire victims, in a n effort to "give back" for being helped.

[polly7]

31. I saw that! So heartwarming. They are great people. nt.

[malaise]

47. Wish I could rec your

post

[Sticky]

6. Our local paper today

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[malaise]

48. That's the meaning of community

and society - lovely

[ChisolmTrailDem]

9. They decided to be a better country and now, with their new leader, they are better than us. nt

[Nye Bevan]

11. Are you aware that Trudeau supports the Keystone XL pipeline?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-keystone-pipeline-trudeau-obama-1.3307458

[ChisolmTrailDem]

12. Well that fucking low-down, scum of the earth, worthless piece of shit! Fuck him with a 2 x 4!

[polly7]

13. Are you aware your Koch freaks have been up here directly and heavily involved in the

oil sands and Canadian oil production for over 50 years - from drilling to exporting it down there and refining it?

[Saviolo]

14. No politician is going to be 100% perfect.

I certainly don't agree with his position on Keystone XL or his position on TPP (he has been for it, and there are some other problematic positions: http://www.straight.com/news/675091/ndp-icon-stephen-lewis-skewers-justin-trudeau-and-liberals-six-policy-shortcomings)

But Trudeau, especially in comparison to the former PM Stephen Harper, does indeed care about the people of this country, not just with maintaining control. Is he perfect? Not by a long shot, but let's not play the "perfect or Hitler" game, shall we?

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Here they do not publish it much, but we might do a story when the next fire hits

CAL FIRE has teams after the fire, to give psychological support, water and food.

Also in the US, due to a slew of laws, (personally I hate it) the cops cannot force you to actually leave.

Also for many reasons that is a major evacuation, things like that should happen with hurricane evacuations, During the Witch fire here in San Diego in 2007 the stadium (de facto evac center) had water, food, toiletries, up to the ceiling. They handled a fraction, since most people went to hotels or relatives as well.

[dixiegrrrrl]

18. People cannot be forced to evacuate here, either, during a hurricane.

When possible, law enforcement goes door to door and tells the stupid people to write their SS# on their arms with permanent markers.
" uhhh..why do you want us to do that?"
" So we can identify you when we pull you out of your washed away home".
Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

Every hurricane, 911 gets frantic calls from people who did not leave, said people not understanding that police cannot safely get to them during the hurricane.

Thousands of people decide to leave way too late, when the hurricane is almost on top of them, and then you get miles of stranded cars on the ONE freeway out of towns on the coast., people are forced to sit in their cars under the hurricane, till they run out of gas keeping the A/C on so they do not bake in the heat.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. I sugested to the PIO

and they are toying with it. that there should be a law passed, releasing rescue workers from the need to well rescue your ass if you refuse to leave. Essentially a form similar to against medical advise. That way, you call 911, you signed the form buddy. I do not have to put my personnel at even more risk due to your stupidity.

I know in the gulf coast people are told that after a certain time they are not going to respond. It might dawn on people if they have to sign an actual form.

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. I do think there is a form, come to think of it.

Seem to remember reading that Mobile Sheriff uses a form, it covers everything that could happen, in detail.

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. Here in CALI there is non

why they are considering it.

So people are idiots. You can always count on that stupidity.

[gratuitous]

43. US citizens have been carefully taught to fear their government and fellow citizens

In the midst of a disaster like this, and I've seen it over and over in Oregon, people refuse to leave their homes, concerned that either (1) the authorities are lying to them, and the situation isn't that bad; or (b) that if they leave their stuff behind, hordes of looters will descend on their property and pick it clean. The corollary to number (1) is that somehow the fire or the flood or the landslide will spare them even as it devastates their neighbors.

People haven't come to these opinions on their own. They have been taught by some very powerful and well-heeled special interests to distrust the government that they participate in, and to really distrust their neighbors with whom they live. People are encouraged to be armed to the teeth and to suspect everyone who crosses their path. The result is that a lot of people either die or require heroic rescue efforts when disasters strike in their area.

[nadinbrzezinski]

44. Actually in disasters this is not exclusive to Americans

[malaise]

49. Most of the people of Port Royal in Jamaica refuse to leave after hurricane warnings and watches

This after the entire city was destroyed twice by earthquakes and tsunamis.
They fear looting even though they have the least reason to fear. They just don't want to leave.

[nadinbrzezinski]

53. Same thing in Mexico

It is human nature

[niyad]

24. I understand that the convoy was accompanied by at least one helicopter scouting for danger.

imagine that in this country.

[ReRe]

25. Thanks, dixiegrrrrl

This is the first I've seen of in-depth news (twitter!) out of that effing nightmare up there. The worst thing about a disaster like this would be if no one ever knew it happened. Thanks for this OP.

[polly7]

27. There have been quite a few posts and threads on it. Everyone's been very concerned and kind here.

[dixiegrrrrl]

32. you might find this interesting......it is the Canadian news.

11 jaw-dropping videos from the Fort McMurray wildfire


http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/fort-mcmurray-wildfire-videos-round-up-devastating-footage-1.3567316

I find Twitter and Facebook give me much more info and better links than most MSM.

[malaise]

41. Everything about CBC news is better

than M$Greedia. Nightly they present news about their people and not just the political elites or some bombing somewhere or some item intended to frighten the crap out of people.

[Arugula Latte]

26. Why didn't those takers pull themselves out of the fire with their own bootstraps?!?!

[Saviolo]

30. Augh!

Why are my bootstraps on fire!?!?

[guillaumeb]

29. Canadians do not see the Federal Government as the enemy. eom

[GoCubsGo]

37. Neither do most Americans--who find themselves in a middle of some disaster.

They might think the Federal Government is the enemy. Then, some disaster happens, and they come begging for Federal help faster than you can say, "Help us, President Obama!" You see it every time a tornado, fire, hurricane, or other natural or man-made disaster hits a red state. They beg for FEMA's help before the dust even settles.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

33. Related: Study: West's Megafires Growing Bigger, More Costly

I'm clearing out stacks of old newspapers. "I'm going to read this article someday." Right. I came across this last night.

Study: Housing developments near drying forests a deadly combination in the West

By Darryl Fears
@bydarrylfears

March 8, 2014 

As the climate warms, forest fires in the West increasingly will feast on acres of dry brush, growing into giants. In a cycle that will become routine, homeowners will flee, while firefighters will rush toward their houses — and away from areas where they could be putting out wildfires.

Bigger, unwiedly burns — megafires — are becoming the new normal, according to a new report, which points to several reasons: States such as California are getting parched more frequently by drought; housing developments are pushing more deeply into forests; and the U.S. Forest Service is generally suppressing fires rather than letting them burn naturally, which would reduce the brush that fuels future fires.

“That’s one of our biggest conundrums,” said Scott L. Stephens, a professor of fire science at the University of California at Berkeley. “We continue building. We make fire management so much more difficult. The first thing you’re going to do is run and protect people’s homes.” ... In 1993, the average cost of fighting wildfires was $350 million a season. Now, it’s $2 billion, said Stephens, the lead author of “Temperate and boreal forest mega-fires: characteristics and challenges,” published recently in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
....

Global warming is accelerating climate change in the West, resulting in winters with less precipitation and a drier landscape. The wildfire season that historically started in June and ended in September now starts in May and ends in September.

[dixiegrrrrl]

35. There is also a common reporting error about natural disasters..

One will often hear something along the lines of " This was the most expensive disaster since ( the last most expensive disaster)
which is kind of true
but
does not mention inflation in the numbers.

So 10 buildings burn down in 1980, and 10 in 2026, and yes, replacement costs for identical buildings will be much much higher.

Thus, this sentence in the story above....

In 1993, the average cost of fighting wildfires was $350 million a season. Now, it’s $2 billion

[mahatmakanejeeves]

36. Yes, you're right.

This is an amazing story. An entire city of 80,000 people is told to evacuate. SMH.

Speaking of inflation, if Fort McMurray had had to evacuate twenty years ago, only 33,000 people would have had to leave town. Now that's inflation.

Fort McMurray, Demographics

[dixiegrrrrl]

42. Well, the oil boom brought a LOT to the area.

Sadly, there is now an oil bust and that will make rebuilding all the more difficult for many.

[SidDithers]

38. Labatt breweries shut down a brewery line, and converted it to water...

to send to the communities surrounding Ft. McMurray.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/labatt-brewing-water-to-help-those-affected-by-fort-mcmurray-wildfire-1.3569921


Thought that was pretty cool, too.

Sid

[dixiegrrrrl]

39. Wow....yes, way cool......no pun intended. n/t

[malaise]

40. Noted the role of government

in another thread - no surprise - society still exists in Canada.

[shadowmayor]

45. They can read a map in Canada too

Bet they didn't send the bottled water to Nova Scotia and ice to Winnipeg either. Remember the ice trucks after Katrina driving around all parts of the nation? Heckuva job Bush!

[dixiegrrrrl]

46. oh...I had forgotten the ice trucks fiasco.

I do not expect the system works any better today, either.

[shadowmayor]

52. Hurricane Andrew

It's worse than most people know. Following hurricane Andrew and daddy Bush's lame response - he changed the culture of FEMA. Each President hands a list of things to the incoming President to keep track of. For instance, Clinton told Shrub to be on the look-out for al qaeda and that the national debt was headed for the dust bin of history. Naturally, our first MBA president ignored both warnings and here we are! However, daddy told Clinton that Andrew really bit him in the arse, and that he'd worked hard to turn FEMA around. Bill took heed of this advice. During the 1990's FEMA was rated among the highest of Federal Agencies in worker morale, efficiency, and effectiveness. So when lil' Shrub put Brownie in charge, he was basically telling Clinton and his daddy to go to hell. When this country elects people who don't believe that government can work for the people, it's hard to be surprised at the results they deliver. Wonder what Shrub passed on to Obama?

[dixiegrrrrl]

54. FEMA in 1994 here was great, even in our very out of the way rural county.

Lost my home to Hurricane Opal, and had some FEMA guy following me around for days, begging me to take money.
So finally I let him give me enough to make a down payment on a little house here in town.
It was $1,000.
Housing is cheap down here.

[GOPblows431]

50. Very impressive indeed

In any case, best of luck for the people in Fort McMurray