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The death toll from Northern California's wildfires now stands at 15, officials say, with a total of nine confirmed fatalities in Sonoma County. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said on its Twitter page that the number of dead had increased from seven to nine. Three others are dead in Mendocino County, two more in Napa and one in Yuba, officials say. In Sonoma County, more than 200 people have been reported missing, and 45 of those have since been located, officials said.
The fires have burned 115,000 acres statewide and destroyed at least 2,000 homes and businesses, Cal Fire Ken Pimlott said Tuesday. More than 4,000 emergency workers have been deployed to help battle the fires, including a massive effort at McClellan Air Park, where a record 45 missions were flown Monday that dumped 266,000 acres of retardant on the blazes.
Vice President Mike Pence visited the state's emergency operations center at Mather Air Park Tuesday and announced that President Trump had approved the state's request for federal assistance in the counties of Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Sonoma, and Yuba.
Also at CNN, The Washington Post, KQED, LA Times, and NPR.
(Score: 4, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday October 10 2017, @08:58PM (15 children)
I'm glad our president is focusing on the real issues that matter: what pose footballers take when a song is played. And not on a historically unprecedented disaster that's killed 15 people!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 10 2017, @09:18PM (2 children)
The wildfires are God's punishment for NFL players taking the knee. President Donald John Trump was trying to prevent this disaster by appealing to America's sense of morality. Unfortunately, the liberals continued to resist and now have this burnt blood on their hands.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday October 11 2017, @02:07AM (1 child)
I’m still open-minded. Nobody really knows. No one really knows for sure. Look, I’m somebody that gets it, and nobody really knows. It’s not something that’s so hard and fast. I remember when I was sitting back listening about Iraq, weapons of mass destruction, how everybody was 100% certain that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Guess what? That led to one big mess. They were wrong and it led to a mess. I do know this: other countries are eating our lunch. 🇺🇸
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday October 11 2017, @02:14AM
Cyber is hard! That was my tweet about global warming. My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible California fires. God bless you! 🇺🇸
(Score: 3, Insightful) by frojack on Tuesday October 10 2017, @09:27PM (2 children)
It isn't historically unprecedented.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_firestorm_of_1991 [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffith_Park_Fire [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Fire_(2003) [wikipedia.org]
The fire is typical when the hot inland winds blow seaward this time of year, which they do every year regardless of who is in the Whitehouse.
But nice try idiot.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday October 10 2017, @09:51PM (1 child)
Well, we'll know for sure in a couple week. It's already larger than 2 out of the 3 you listed, though.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday October 10 2017, @11:02PM
I just listed the high death toll ones. There are many longer ones every single year. And more property damage too.
Point is, its not unprecedented, and not the President's job to do anything about it.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 10 2017, @09:42PM (2 children)
Pence is a total douchebag.
Trump sent him to the game so that he could walk out when any player would "take a knee".
The stunt cost the taxpayers nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
what [a] useless, dunderheaded clown he is [deadspin.com]
What is it with this administration and ultra-expensive air travel?
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Funny) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday October 10 2017, @09:49PM
So Pence is wasting taxpayer money, is a paid protester AND is protesting at a NFL game. That's the hypocrite trifecta!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 11 2017, @12:36AM
Pence and his grandstanding was mentioned in TFS.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by takyon on Tuesday October 10 2017, @09:47PM (2 children)
The NFL has signaled that it will cave on this issue. [archive.fo]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by Ethanol-fueled on Tuesday October 10 2017, @10:49PM (1 child)
Too little, too late. And we have yet to see what the players and teams will actually do if such a rule goes into effect. My prediction is that they will continue to act like babies in some other way, like when mommy tells you to stay out of the candy jar so you go for the cookie jar instead. And I'm saying this as a guy who both loves to play football and used to love watching it until everybody else started taking Kapernick's "ha-ha, the won't fire me after this" little save-his-ass stunt waay too seriously.
You just watch. They'll lock arms, raise fists, wear clown makeup, fly North Korean flags, spit at fans, smoke crack, but hey -- at least they'll be standing for the anthem!
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday October 11 2017, @02:17PM
Personally I hate football. I hated playing it and couldn't bear to watch it. It's too static and boring. Rugby was my game.
Football is an American institution, though, and it's sad to see it shattered like so many others, in such a short span of time. And it was one of the last left where politics were kept mostly out of it. You didn't have to declare your place on the ideological spectrum to partake. Even given that you'd have to be a fool as the NFL to not know that the preponderance of your fans are on the red end of the spectrum. Those people are the very same ones who have fought flag burning all these decades. So firing players for not standing during the national anthem should have been a no-brainer, as a purely business decision.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by t-3 on Wednesday October 11 2017, @02:09AM (1 child)
Historically unprecedented?! That area has had seasonal wildfires for many millenia, it's a necessity for the ecosystem! Humans built homes in areas where "disasters" are a regular occurence... and now whine that a few die.
(Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Wednesday October 11 2017, @01:11PM
What I am wondering is how long has it been since these areas have burned or been cleared of undergrowth? This seems to be a problem in CA where the dead undergrowth has accumulated for decades because every small fire was suppressed and no one logged out an area out so now 50 years later we end up with fires that cause massive devastation. It was either the fires last year or the year before where there was a bad on and it was mentioned that the area hadn't been burned or cut in the last 70 years. That sort of thing seems to be a problem in a lot of these places and they really need to practice fuel management by getting the dead stuff out and clearing some of the undergrowth.
T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday October 11 2017, @01:36PM
"Historically unprecedented disaster?"
Oh my goodness, no. Wildfires burn every summer in the West. They're as regular and as expected as winter snow in Buffalo, or hurricanes in Florida, or tornadoes in Kansas, or Hell Night in Detroit. It's something you live with. You take the precautions you can, hope for the best, and help out your neighbors when they get hit.
Washington DC delenda est.