July 19, 2008 about 8 am...
Today we're at 70% containment!
Here's the MODIS map for this morning (click on the map to expand it) and Jim's comments reflect my own concern and that of Rick Hutchinson... and that is, we still have a dragon on the doorstep.
The fire in the area of Miller Mountain is still a threat, and no small one. If conditions should change, its possible that the fire could make a run toward Hennicksons and Chews Ridges.
If you haven't listened to my interview with Rick Hutchinson, of Cal Fire about this, I recommend it, because I had Jamesburg Cachagua specifically in mind at the outset. And, based on his comments, we don't need to fret, but we DO need to remain prepared.
If you are living locally, listen and watch for increased helicopter and fixed-wing air traffic. Take note of the direction from which they are going and coming. This usually means increased fire-suppression activity... might be a backburn, or it might be something different. Keep up to date on the latest "Fire Status" of the Incident Reports at either KUSP or InciWeb, to get planned fire-suppression activity information and areas of concern, regarding the fire.
Jim's notes (thanks, as always, Jim!!):
"The update is a little late this morning because the server was serving a file that caused the dreaded “Invalid Token” error when imported into Google Earth. When this happens, repeated downloads are fruitless. You have to wait for another satellite pass, and hope that the file gets fixed in the update. So far, it always has. If this is Greek to you (this is NOT a veiled reference to Sheriff Mike Kanalakis, btw - Kelly's note), be glad that somebody’s downloading the files for you."
- No new hotspots at all in the eastern fire, either within the backburn triangle or south of there, where there was so much activity yesterday. There probably will be more fire in the Piney Creek region today, if only backburns.
- No new fires at all in the northern fire, south of firelines GG and LL. Again, I wouldn’t expect this happy circumstance to continue.
- Lots of activity around Miller Mountain, including some new hotspots headed for the Div MM fireline. Kelly asked Cal Fire's Rick Hutchinson yesterday if that could be a threat, and got an affirmative response, so we should watch this carefully. The fire north of Miller Mountain is burning downslope, and could also be a threat if it turns east.
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Homey Don't Play 'dat Sheet...
July 19, 2008 about 8 am...
You may remember that, recently - it seems like only yesterday - we received the following official notice about MoCo Sheriffs Department instituting a pass system.
To wit:
"The Monterey County Sheriffs Department is instituting a pass system to residents and their employees along Carmel Valley Road and Cachagua area. Residents living within the Cachagua Fire District can obtain passes from the Cachagua Fire Department. Residents living along the lower portion of Carmel Valley Road can obtain their passes from the California Highway Patrol officer situated near the junction of Carmel Valley Road and Arroyo Seco Road daily between 6:00 am and 8:00PM. Residents will also need to obtain passes for their workers."
"These passes are only valid for travel restrictions during voluntary evacuations. Passes are not valid during mandatory evacuations. Only passes from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department are valid."
Well, as any sentient being might have predicted, the traffic jams at the Sleep Hollow checkpoint caused the CHP to blurt out "This isn't gonna work..."
Cachagua Fire, as it turns out, agrees. Word has it that, as of this morning, Cachagua Fire is giving the responsibility of issuing and keeping track of the passes back to the source: The Monterey County Sheriff's Office.
So, keep that identification handy, as a backup for passing staffed checkpoints this weekend. The CHP is doing a GREAT job of keeping rice-rocket motorcyclists off Carmel Valley Road... which, after all, was what some residents requested and wanted.
So, THANKS, Cachagua Fire and CHP, for being the voice of reason and pragmatism.
Sheriff Mike Kanalakis, maybe a l'il sit down with Big Sur, Jamesburg and Cachagua residents - over a few bottles of Ouzo and some souvlaki - might be a good idea, so that perhaps things might go a bit smoother in the future... I'm just sayin'.... just a suggestion...
Posts
3 comments:
perhaps RYE would by the appropriate social lubricant?
Regarding the Sheriff department's new state-of-the-art pass system, I have some news I was asked to pass on, as well as a couple of anecdotes and an opinion.
First the news:
My wife and I spoke to CHP officers and a sheriff's deputy at the Sleepy Hollow roadblock this morning. When asked about the passes now required to enter Carmel Valley Road, one of the CHP officers said "I'm all about solutions. I've been all about solutions my whole life." Mr. Solution said that they are setting up a table at Sleepy Hollow with passes and a log book, from where they will be dispensing passes. We were told that this would all be set up by the time we returned from breakfast. He asked us to spread the word, so that's what I'm doing.
We were also told that passes issued by the Cachagua fire department were not legal(!) The CHP guys couldn't pronounce "Cachagua," so we helped them through that part of the conversation.
As of noon, there was no table or passes. The CHP guys had left the scene, leaving a lone Sheriff deputy who recognized us and let us through.
I have a feeling the fire may be extinguished before the pass program is ready for prime time.
This was the sequel to yesterday, when my wife and I were both stopped by sheriffs at Sleepy Hollow and challenged to produce ID proving that we lived beyond the checkpoint area.
I asked the officer whether a change in conditions had prompted the change in procedures. He replied that there had been mandatory evacuation which had now been downgraded to a voluntary evacuation.
I replied: "OK, well, if that's the case, shouldn't you have been checking IDs while the evacuation was mandatory instead of when it's voluntary?"
The officer said he didn't really have an answer, but said that he had just been assigned to the check point today.
I told him where I understood the former mandatory evacuation on Carmel Valley Road to be -- between Martin Road and Piney Creek Road. I asked him whether or not that had changed. He just repeated that he had just been assigned to the check point today and didn't really know anything beyond what he had told me.
Both my wife and and I have our former addresses on our drivers licenses. We both had mail in our cars with our current addresses. That was sufficient for the officer that checked my ID (probably because I was annoying him with my questions), but they gave my wife a hard time when she tried to pass. She finally managed to talk her way through.
It's pretty amazing that law enforcement would inject so much chaos into an already challenging situation by instituting a mandatory program with no preparation, no communication, no process, and no infrastructure. I have real difficulty seeing how this confusion is making any constructive contribution to our situation.
Todd,
Thanks so much for the information! I excerpted parts and included them in a main post.
Also, I interviewed a Sergeant from the CHP... so, my impression is that things should be smoother from here on out... unless we go Mandy again!!! A distinct possibility!
Best,
Kelly
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