My boss lost his home last night in Pacific Palisades. I never watch local news but heard my boss was on it broke me. He and his family got out safely and have positive attitudes. My cousin is a a fireman working the Pasadena fires. He was one of the first to the convalescent center and helped move those poor people out. The fact so much of this devastation could be avoided by maintenance is heart shattering. Scott (cousin) has been a fireman for over 15 years and said he's never seen anything like this. God help us. Thank you for this - it was soothing to hear your and Joan's words.
Prayers for your boss & family. Many prayers for your cousin. I have a special place in my heart for firefighters. My dad is a retired fireman. I grew up at the station, listening to those firemen (and falling for them as a teenage girl!) God bless and protect them all.
So sorry to hear about your boss’ home. I’m happy to hear he and his family are safe. Prayers for everyone in Southern California! My daughter and family live in Scripps Ranch in San Diego. I worry when I hear there are fires.
My cousin and her family lost their home in Altadena today. Her, her husband, their 3 kids, and their animals got out with not much more than the clothes on their backs. At least they’re safe now. So tragic.
I'm so terribly sorry. I pray they weren't one of the families whose insurance canceled. My heart aches for all. I'm cognizant of them each time I enter a different room of my house now - look at a picture hanging on my wall - go to my closet. I know it's "just stuff," but it means something. I'm grateful they are all safe.
I grew up with the Santa Anas in the San Fernando Valley until I left after college, 24 years. I hated them so much. They were icy cold and DRY in the winter, hot and DRY in the summer. My hair was always full of static electricity and skin dry. They would come whistling under the front door with the eeriest sound…made my skin crawl. There were some fires, but not typical. These days I see arson as the cause most likely. They blame climate change, but remember they now accept any fire started in any way as CC. Explanation: high fuel load and dryness=Climate Change.
I moved from LA to Austin partly because of the fires—just one of the reasons. To me, the fires represent a reflection of a collective consciousness, as well as some more nefarious forces at play. Listening to Alex Jones can make it all feel overwhelming, so I’m focusing on praying for everyone’s safety back in California.
Joan Didion’s writing about the Santa Ana winds resonates deeply. Firstly, I had no idea that the Santa Ana winds in 1957 were the most prolonged and severe on record. 14 days. More importantly, I had never thought about the psychological and physical effects on the ppl but now I do. I think the physical universe is a reflection of how we individually feel inside. Thanks for sharing Jessica. Puts things in perspective.
We evacuated last night. Many of our friends have lost their homes. Ours is ok for now, but very close to the fires and wind can turn on a dime. Hoping for the best.
Should we expect a distraction from no money at FEMA, no water and after giving fire trucks to Ukraine… with new Dancing FireFighter videos? Like the Co Vi D dancing nurses no one can actually find in real life?
CBS already turned Kamala’s street level drug user cheap labor to money laundering Boon$dawgle CalFire into dancing FireFighter Convict Heroes. Maybe they will put out a dancing FireFighter Video in Solidarity to California Marxists saving our world in fast EV golf carts that batteries on fire can’t be put out with water. Probably don’t want to be stuck in an EV evacuation traffic jam. Not like you can fill it up with a can of gas to get it moving again. Bring in the bulldozers! Meanwhile, from GoreBull Warming Left Coast, to Ice Age GoreBull Cooling East Coast winter storms.
🍿🍿🍿
Prayers 🙏 for all in the middle of Disasters, the GoreBullies created these messes as Chaos Petri dish Crises to co-opt. Next up, China Flu 2.0, with Chicken Flu a smoke screen and excuse to destroy a large part of our food supply chain.
Interesting piece. Beautifully written but a little overly dramatic at the end there with violent random deaths. People die violently in LA daily. I’ve lived in southern California my whole life and I’ve always loved the warmth of the Santa Ana’s. It’s chaotic, and obviously dangerous for fires, but also kind of mischievously playful. With that said, these fires and the homes lost is devastating for so many. I can never understand how we are always so unprepared for fires when we live so close to water. And I know people have excuses as to why we can’t use the ocean but I still question it. We’re supposed to believe that we can send people in a rocket to space to walk the moon but we can’t pull water from the ocean?
Actually I think the author was correct about how the Santa Ana’s affect human behavior. I for one get very anxious and uneasy when those hot dry Diablo Winds show up. Always a relief when the winter shows up and adds some moisture.
As a SoCal native all of this is true and familiar. People get wild and fires are inevitable. When I was young the wind scared the shit out of me. Now I like to stand in the backyard with my hair blowing crazy and embrace the internal and external chaos that comes with a warm Santa Ana. Stay safe 💜💜
Beautiful writing, and good to remember LA has suffered these fires since forever. All of California mourns and fears the fires here, but we also know they are an inevitable part of living in this beautiful landscape.
I grew up in LA. Saw my share of fires. Watching the fires this morning on TV was sobering. I dont recall them being this catastrophic. I'm sorry for all the families going through this devastation. Alot of my family is still in the area....praying for everyone in Cali.
As always, Didion nails not just the mystery of the winds, but a Blues capsule of Los Angeles itself. Having previously lived there 30 years, and having Didion as a mentor, her truth is relatable and timeless.
Stay safe. We lived in San Diego for a decade and I still follow Kevin at Southern California weather force on Facebook. He’s predicting a severe Santa Ana event with a possibility of valley fever being spread. He is beyond accurate and I highly recommend anyone who lives in Southern California. Give him a follow.
I lived really near the Marshall Fires in Colorado. The wind makes allllll the difference. We are near open space and it was terrifying how quickly things could have shifted. We got lucky, many others did not. Prayers to everyone having to suffer through this.
My boss lost his home last night in Pacific Palisades. I never watch local news but heard my boss was on it broke me. He and his family got out safely and have positive attitudes. My cousin is a a fireman working the Pasadena fires. He was one of the first to the convalescent center and helped move those poor people out. The fact so much of this devastation could be avoided by maintenance is heart shattering. Scott (cousin) has been a fireman for over 15 years and said he's never seen anything like this. God help us. Thank you for this - it was soothing to hear your and Joan's words.
Prayers for your boss & family. Many prayers for your cousin. I have a special place in my heart for firefighters. My dad is a retired fireman. I grew up at the station, listening to those firemen (and falling for them as a teenage girl!) God bless and protect them all.
Prayers for your family.
So sorry to hear about your boss’ home. I’m happy to hear he and his family are safe. Prayers for everyone in Southern California! My daughter and family live in Scripps Ranch in San Diego. I worry when I hear there are fires.
My cousin and her family lost their home in Altadena today. Her, her husband, their 3 kids, and their animals got out with not much more than the clothes on their backs. At least they’re safe now. So tragic.
I'm so terribly sorry. I pray they weren't one of the families whose insurance canceled. My heart aches for all. I'm cognizant of them each time I enter a different room of my house now - look at a picture hanging on my wall - go to my closet. I know it's "just stuff," but it means something. I'm grateful they are all safe.
I grew up with the Santa Anas in the San Fernando Valley until I left after college, 24 years. I hated them so much. They were icy cold and DRY in the winter, hot and DRY in the summer. My hair was always full of static electricity and skin dry. They would come whistling under the front door with the eeriest sound…made my skin crawl. There were some fires, but not typical. These days I see arson as the cause most likely. They blame climate change, but remember they now accept any fire started in any way as CC. Explanation: high fuel load and dryness=Climate Change.
Bullpuckey.
I moved from LA to Austin partly because of the fires—just one of the reasons. To me, the fires represent a reflection of a collective consciousness, as well as some more nefarious forces at play. Listening to Alex Jones can make it all feel overwhelming, so I’m focusing on praying for everyone’s safety back in California.
Joan Didion’s writing about the Santa Ana winds resonates deeply. Firstly, I had no idea that the Santa Ana winds in 1957 were the most prolonged and severe on record. 14 days. More importantly, I had never thought about the psychological and physical effects on the ppl but now I do. I think the physical universe is a reflection of how we individually feel inside. Thanks for sharing Jessica. Puts things in perspective.
What a terrifying yet beautiful piece of prose to read…and prayers to the people affected.
We evacuated last night. Many of our friends have lost their homes. Ours is ok for now, but very close to the fires and wind can turn on a dime. Hoping for the best.
Prayers for you and your family!
Should we expect a distraction from no money at FEMA, no water and after giving fire trucks to Ukraine… with new Dancing FireFighter videos? Like the Co Vi D dancing nurses no one can actually find in real life?
CBS already turned Kamala’s street level drug user cheap labor to money laundering Boon$dawgle CalFire into dancing FireFighter Convict Heroes. Maybe they will put out a dancing FireFighter Video in Solidarity to California Marxists saving our world in fast EV golf carts that batteries on fire can’t be put out with water. Probably don’t want to be stuck in an EV evacuation traffic jam. Not like you can fill it up with a can of gas to get it moving again. Bring in the bulldozers! Meanwhile, from GoreBull Warming Left Coast, to Ice Age GoreBull Cooling East Coast winter storms.
🍿🍿🍿
Prayers 🙏 for all in the middle of Disasters, the GoreBullies created these messes as Chaos Petri dish Crises to co-opt. Next up, China Flu 2.0, with Chicken Flu a smoke screen and excuse to destroy a large part of our food supply chain.
Interesting piece. Beautifully written but a little overly dramatic at the end there with violent random deaths. People die violently in LA daily. I’ve lived in southern California my whole life and I’ve always loved the warmth of the Santa Ana’s. It’s chaotic, and obviously dangerous for fires, but also kind of mischievously playful. With that said, these fires and the homes lost is devastating for so many. I can never understand how we are always so unprepared for fires when we live so close to water. And I know people have excuses as to why we can’t use the ocean but I still question it. We’re supposed to believe that we can send people in a rocket to space to walk the moon but we can’t pull water from the ocean?
Actually I think the author was correct about how the Santa Ana’s affect human behavior. I for one get very anxious and uneasy when those hot dry Diablo Winds show up. Always a relief when the winter shows up and adds some moisture.
You know the answer to that. Nincompoops.
As a SoCal native all of this is true and familiar. People get wild and fires are inevitable. When I was young the wind scared the shit out of me. Now I like to stand in the backyard with my hair blowing crazy and embrace the internal and external chaos that comes with a warm Santa Ana. Stay safe 💜💜
Beautiful writing, and good to remember LA has suffered these fires since forever. All of California mourns and fears the fires here, but we also know they are an inevitable part of living in this beautiful landscape.
I grew up in LA. Saw my share of fires. Watching the fires this morning on TV was sobering. I dont recall them being this catastrophic. I'm sorry for all the families going through this devastation. Alot of my family is still in the area....praying for everyone in Cali.
They weren’t. Fires with the winds were not usual. We have arsonists who take advantage of the weather these days.
Yes, the psycho fire bugs are out there in force. I never recall them being prevalent back then. Horrible
High winds...maui? A whole town burned down due to winds...sad
As always, Didion nails not just the mystery of the winds, but a Blues capsule of Los Angeles itself. Having previously lived there 30 years, and having Didion as a mentor, her truth is relatable and timeless.
My heart is broken for California!😭💔! Living in Oregon we understand the fires but this…this is unthinkable!!
🙏🏻🤍
Stay safe. We lived in San Diego for a decade and I still follow Kevin at Southern California weather force on Facebook. He’s predicting a severe Santa Ana event with a possibility of valley fever being spread. He is beyond accurate and I highly recommend anyone who lives in Southern California. Give him a follow.
Have always loved that Raymond Chandler quote. Economy of words but generous arc of storytelling.
On Joe Rogan a few months ago Trump discussed California’s water situation. Listen here: https://x.com/collinrugg/status/1877048612519121223?s=46&t=KuOnzom0daj3w3fAPYCApw
I lived really near the Marshall Fires in Colorado. The wind makes allllll the difference. We are near open space and it was terrifying how quickly things could have shifted. We got lucky, many others did not. Prayers to everyone having to suffer through this.