Singed?
Published 25 October 2007
Hi! You've stumbled upon a blog post by a guy named Ryan. I'm not that guy anymore, but I've left his posts around because cool URIs don't change and to remind me how much I've learned and grown over time.
Ryan was a well-meaning but naïve and priviledged person. His views don't necessarily represent the views of anyone.
I just wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know I'm okay. It's strange, living in a state of emergency, although at times it's hard to tell. I can see Malibu burning from the top of my office building, and everything to the South is a smokey haze. Otherwise, however, life for me is--for the most part--normal. You can see exactly where the fires are on the [LA Times Fires Google Map][fires].
A few people have asked how close I am to the action. No need to worry, I'm safe.
My house is about 10 miles from the nearest fire.It does strike me a bit funny, however, that the Californians I speak to are completely unfazed. I'm terrified. In comparison to fires and earthquakes, I'd take tornadoes any day--an exclamation that elicits some very strange looks from the natives. Perhaps it's a midwestern thing.
There also is quite an information dilemma with natural disasters that one would not expect in the information age. Leaders are scrambling, the firefighters are getting fatigued, and a million people are being evacuated. Where can a fit, intelligent twenty-five year old help? Good question. If there's a need for support other than cash donations, it's not an easy task to figure out where.
Also, if you've been living under a rock and have no idea what's going on, check out the the Southern California Fires - 2007 photo pool at Flickr.