Worse Still

Thank you all for your good wishes and concern. My family and I are fine. Although we have been under a mandatory evacuation order since Monday morning, our neighborhood is not currently threatened, and we are all sitting tight for the time being. Many of our friends and family have not been so lucky and are waiting in evacuation centers for news about their homes.

I don't know whether you can tell, but the evacuation area that I showed you yesterday was that little section west of Highway 15, north of Highway 56, and south of that yellow section on the left. As you can see, it is much larger today, covering several hundred square miles. (I live just south of the burn area, just west of Highway 15, and north of Highway 56, just to the left of "Poway" on the map. The fire is probably three miles north of us.) And this is only one of at least five fires burning in San Diego.

This is another one. As you can probably tell, it also covers hundreds of square miles. There are three or four other major fires burning in the county as well.

In fact, at least 500,000 people have now been evacuated. More than 1000 homes and hundreds of commercial buildings have been lost in San Diego, and more are going up in smoke all the time. Every hotel room in San Diego county is full, and evacuees are now being evicted from hotel rooms to make way for thousands of people who are supposed to be arriving today and tomorrow for a medical convention in San Diego. (If you are one of them, please stay home. You don't want to be here right now.) While there are many official evacuation sites, several of these have been evacuated, and at least one is currently threatened by a raging fire and cannot be evacuated. That center has been covered in flame retardant and the evacuees will weather the fire there. Spontaneous evacuation sites have sprung up at Qualcomm Stadium (home of the San Diego Chargers) and at Mission Bay, with thousands of people taking refuge at those sites with horses, dogs, and assorted other animals. The Del Mar Fairgrounds have been opened to the public and their horses.

The evacuation has been remarkably smooth and orderly, especially considering that San Diego has no experience in mass evacuations. People who have not been displaced have turned out in droves to volunteer at evacuation centers and to drop off water, food, clothing, tents, blankets, and supplies for the evacuees. There has not been a single report of public disorder or criminal activity at any of the evacuation sites, official or unofficial. And in all this chaos, only two people have lost their lives so far.

We are grateful that there have been so few injuries and so little loss of life, although our thoughts are with those injured and with their families. Please continue to send your good thoughts and prayers for our city.