Why Was Pacific Palisades Reservoir Empty? It Gets Worse...

Why Was Pacific Palisades Reservoir Empty? It Gets Worse...

Victoria Taft 

An empty reservoir and dry fire hydrants are now the symbols of California and local officials' response to the horrific Pacific Palisades wildfire—one of six Santa Ana windblown firestorms still burning in Los Angeles. Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation to demonstrate that he's doing something, but the damage is being done right now. 

The 117 million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir was empty and down for maintenance when the devastating fire was sparked, perhaps in the brush, between the homes and the Pacific Coast Highway. You can see a map of the area in my story Good Intentions Might Be the Cause of Devastating Palisades Fire. 

Friday, officials confirmed that the reservoir had been down for nearly a year —closing in February 2024—for maintenance to the cover of the reservoir. 

The New York Times reports that a contractor was hired in November to fix a crack in the cover. It is unclear why the reservoir had to be shut down for that extended period of time. 

The ripple effect was beyond devastating. 

The fires broke out Tuesday, Jan. 7. By the next day, Janisse Quiñones, the head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said their system tanks went dry three times. You'll want to remember that because the story is about to get worse. 

We have three large water tanks, about a million gallons each. We ran out of water in the first tank at about 4:45 p.m. yesterday. We ran out of water in the second tank about 8:30 p.m. and the third tank about 3 a.m. this morning.

She never mentioned the empty reservoir, though former DWP Commissioner and mayoral candidate Rick Caruso did say that "the reservoir" hadn't been filled. He was right and righteously angry.  

Firefighters complained that there was no water coming out of the hydrants. The fires burned uncontrollably. 

In addition to the "investigation" by Newsom, the New York Times reported that the Department of Water and Power, whose job it is to fill the reservoirs, is looking into whether the empty Santa Ynez reservoir in Pacific Palisades made a difference in their fire response. We are not kidding. 

 See if you can spot a problem for the DWP in the Times' piece.

Water for the Pacific Palisades is fed by a 36-inch line that flows by gravity from the larger Stone Canyon Reservoir, said Marty Adams, a former general manager and chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. That water line also fills the Santa Ynez Reservoir. 

Water from the two reservoirs then sustain the water system for the Pacific Palisades, and also pump systems that fill storage tanks that feed higher-elevation homes in the neighborhood. It was unclear whether officials could have brought the reservoir back online before the fire, after forecasters began warning of dangerous wildfire conditions.

Now, I'm no hydrologist or physicist, but wouldn't water pressure be helped by having water in all the tanks and reservoirs? Am I missing something here? 

But, what ho! We get an answer.

Mr. Adams said an operational reservoir would have been helpful initially to more fully feed the water system in the area. But he also said it appeared that that reservoir and the tanks would have eventually been drained in a fire that was consuming so many homes at once. Municipal water systems are generally designed to sustain water loads for much smaller fires than what consumed Pacific Palisades. [emphasis added]

Those are a lot of words to say that more water would have been helpful. 

Speaking of not being a hydrologist, I looked up the latest state hydrology report because the global warming crowd desperately hopes to blame "climate change/catastrophe" for the fires. Yeah, well, that dog won't hunt. 

MORE....

AP News Heavily Ratioed For Blaming Palisades Fire On Climate Change

When Government Officials Start Talking About Faraday Cages And EMP Weaponry, They Know Something About What Is Coming

When Government Officials Start Talking About Faraday Cages And EMP Weaponry, They Know Something About What Is Coming

Susan Duclos

While Americans are focusing on fires in California, terror attacks like the one in New Orleans, the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20, and a the media focuses on trying to derail Trump's cabinet picks, it seems the media in the UK, such as the Daily Mail, and The Telegraph, are back to noticing the threats of EMP's (Electromagnetic Pulse) to the world at large.

Of course to those writing about it, Russia is the boogeyman, but weaponized EMP technology is being explored by almost every powerful nation, including Russia, China, the UK and the U.S., who has been working on a "non-explosive electromagnetic pulse artillery shell, which would be capable of rendering a wide range of electronics, critical infrastructure, and computer-based systems as useless," since at least 2017, when it was reported on, but likely far longer.

The recent articles from UK media are all focusing on Russia's "Satellite Nuke."

Via Daily Mail:

This comforting status quo was shattered early last year, however, when a series of bombshell reports in American media revealed that US intelligence officials suspected Russia was working on plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space via satellite. 

Then in early December, US officials told the New York Times they believed a specific Russian scientific satellite - 'Cosmos 2553' - is already testing components for that very weapon. 

The reports sparked fears that Moscow could blast a satellite into space with a nuclear warhead on board, moving it into position above the United States or other Western nations before detonating at the perfect moment.

.... in no way should we doubt that Russia is working on an EMP weapon, after all, multiple other nations including the U.S., are doing the same.

As with any type of arms race, once one nation starts developing weapon technology, others countries follow.

While Daily Mail calls it a "star wars threat," The Telegraph offers the headline "The doomsday weapon Putin could use to cripple the West." Of course they don't mention how the west is developing and can use the same type of weapons against Russia, China or anyone else 

In his first term, Donald Trump signed an executive order making EMP protection a priority. Joe Biden scrapped it, but with Trump returning to office, it’s likely to become a priority......

Doomsday is actually a good term for the type of damage this particular type of weapon can cause, since multiple countries could be thrown back to the dark ages should even one be fired, by the resulting counter-attacks by other countries working on EMP weapons technology.

More...

 

LA fire death toll rises to 24 as locals are warned to brace for 72 hours of hell: Sheriff issues grim message

LA fire death toll rises to 24 as locals are warned to brace for 72 hours of hell: Sheriff issues grim message

BRITTANY CHAIN

The Los Angeles fires death toll has skyrocketed to 24 amid warnings hellish weather conditions will spur on the raging infernos for at least three more days.

Meteorologists warned residents in fire-ravaged evacuation zones that winds reaching 70mph will pick up on Sunday night and last to Wednesday, heightening the risk for fires to spread even further across southern California.

The weather warning also prevents locals from returning home to inspect the damage, and makes it more challenging for first responders sifting through the ash and debris searching for dozens of people who remain unaccounted for.

Four fires burned through 40,000 acres across the most affluent neighborhoods in LA, with A-list celebrity homes and restaurant hotspots among the 12,300 structures wiped out.

The Los Angeles medical examiner updated the death count on Sunday afternoon, revealing 24 people are now confirmed dead as a result of the fires.

But dozens more are unaccounted for as evacuees locked out of their suburbs face an anxious wait to return home and see what - if anything - remains.

With cadaver dogs now being brought in to locate human remains, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has warned the death toll will likely continue to rise.

'The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office and the Los Angeles County Fire Department [are] using cadaver dogs, doing grid searches,' he said. 

'I don't expect good news from those. We will keep people updated.' 

Miles Bliss, for the National Weather Service, provided a grim update on Sunday afternoon, warning strong Santa Ana winds which fueled the infernos last week will intensify once again.

'Critical fire weather conditions will be expected during this time so please be prepared to evacuate if told so by officials,' he said.

Similarly, meteorologist Rose Schoenfield warned: 'The general duration of this is not looking good.'

The weather is expected to contribute to another stint of dangerous and potentially extreme fire conditions which could exacerbate the fires already burning and cause more new ones to pop up.

Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said: 'It's very important that the community understands that these wind events are coming.'

These conditions have prompted a red flag warning until 6pm Wednesday. 

A CalFire spokesperson said: 'Life-threatening winds and dangerously low humidity are forecast for much of Southern California - from Ventura to San Diego - creating a significant risk of rapid fire spread. 

'The winds will cause increased fire activity.' 

Residents in the areas not yet facing evacuation orders but subject to the Santa Ana winds have been warned to avoid mowing or trimming their dry grass, parking their cars on grass and to ensure campfires are 'completely out.'

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said authorities won't consider allowing displaced residents to return home until after that warning has been lifted.

'Unfortunately, those conversations are not going to begin until the next predicted red flag ends on Wednesday,' he said.

More...

Hundreds of Thousands Flood the Streets in Romania to Protest Cancelling of the Presidential Election Over Bogus ‘Russian Influence’ Charge

Hundreds of Thousands Flood the Streets in Romania to Protest Cancelling of the Presidential Election Over Bogus ‘Russian Influence’ Charge (VIDEOS)

Paul Serran

Hundreds of thousands of Romanians furious with the current government for the cancellation of the presidential election marched today (12) through the capital Bucharest to demand that the vote should proceed and that outgoing – and by now illegitimate – President Klaus Iohannis should resign.
Reuters reported:

“In a move that polarized voters, Romania’s top court voided the presidential election on Dec. 6, two days before the second round.

The cancellation came after state documents showed frontrunner Calin Georgescu, a critic of NATO, had benefited from an unfair social media campaign likely to have been orchestrated by Russia, accusations Moscow has denied.”

Reuters is lying, here – the documents show no proof whatsoever of Russian involvement, and the ‘campaign’ they object to was proven to have been financed by Romanians.

Watch:  Romanians have had enough.

100,000+ take to the streets.

Romania’s top court ordered a re-run of the election. Governing party leaders have agreed – not yet officially – party to hold the two rounds on May 4 and May 18.

Illegitimate President Iohannis, whose term expired on Dec. 21, vows to stay on ‘until his successor is elected’.

“’Our right to vote was broken’, said Bogdan Danila, a 43-year-old truck driver. ‘In addition, Iohannis was in power for ten years and did nothing for the people, while parties betrayed us, they are all corrupt. We want something else’.

[…] ‘Authorities must say why they cancelled the election, we want to see the evidence’, said Cornelia, 57, an economist wrapped in a Romanian flag who declined to give her last name. ‘At this rate we won’t be voting anymore, they will impose a leader like in the old days’.”

Watch: Protests in Bucharest, Romania continue into the cold of the night.

More, videos

FEMA Warns of Escalating Fire Risks as High Winds Loom Over Los Angeles Wildfires

FEMA Warns of Escalating Fire Risks as High Winds Loom Over Los Angeles Wildfires

 yourNEWS Media Newsroom 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday raised alarms about increasing wildfire risks in Southern California. Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Criswell warned that strong winds and dry conditions could intensify the ongoing fires, which have already consumed over 62 square miles in Los Angeles County.

“I believe the red flag warnings have been put back in place,” Criswell stated. “The biggest thing that people need to know is that this is still dangerous, and they still need to make sure they’re listening to their local officials so they can keep themselves safe.”

The fires, which started in four Los Angeles neighborhoods, have claimed 16 lives and destroyed thousands of acres. According to CalFire, the Pacific Palisades fire is only 11% contained, while the Eaton Canyon blaze in the San Gabriel Mountains has reached 27% containment. Combined, these two fires have scorched 59 square miles.

The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings of severe fire conditions through Wednesday, predicting sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts exceeding 70 mph. Meteorologist Rich Thompson identified Tuesday as the most critical day for fire activity, citing strong Santa Ana winds and extremely dry vegetation as key factors.

“You’re going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere, and still very dry brush,” Thompson emphasized during a community meeting Saturday.

Approximately 150,000 residents remain under evacuation orders, with over 700 seeking refuge in shelters. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna urged residents to comply with evacuation orders to avoid endangering themselves and emergency responders.

“We even made arrests of two individuals posing as firefighters,” said Los Angeles Police Department Captain Michael Lorenz, reporting seven looting-related arrests over the weekend.

Criswell highlighted the unpredictable nature of the fires as winds intensify. “With the winds picking back up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she said. “It’s going to change the environment with which [firefighters] are operating under. The most important piece is keeping them safe as they try to protect all the homes that are in the path of the fire.”

As firefighters work tirelessly to contain the blazes, the coming days are critical. FEMA, local officials, and meteorologists are urging residents to heed warnings and prepare for potential evacuations as high winds threaten to worsen the already dire situation.