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[Mizhara]

So yeah, the news is telling me that practically the entire state is burning and there's somewhere between three and five times the entire population of the earth displaced from their (presumably burning) homes. While I've now ingested enough salt that I'll retain water until long after my death, I'll try to avoid writing the news off entirely.

Any of you people from that place and being evacuated or something? Do you require marshmallows? DO YOU HAVE COCOA AND CRACKERS?!

[BloodBird]

You know, if the entire fucking state is ablaze I don't think they will care to find nice places to fry small tofu-wannabe's anytime soon.

On the other hand this is the first I hear of this; I'm not very eager on the news-wheel but even I would have heard of it if 'the entire state is on fire :O' was even remotely true.

clarification would be nice.

[Milo Caman]

BBC article for those lacking google-fu skills.

[BloodBird]

BBC article for those lacking google-fu skills.

More like those who don't care enough to check themselves. Thankies o7

[Safai]

My best wishes go out to those affected anyway. I hail from a very arid region of BC, Canada that deals with forest fires quite frequently, so I know first-hand how terrifying it can be.

[Mizhara]

Bloodbird: Hyperbole is hyperbole is hyperbole is pretty much the default when on the interblags. Also, there is -always- time for tofuffins and smores. Always.

Anyway, was mostly just curious to see if anyone here was affected and if so where I should mail the emergency cache of campfire noms.

[Casiella]

I have a number of friends and colleagues in the Colorado Springs area, some of whose homes actually have been evacuated. It's a serious issue for a lot of people, though the entire state isn't on fire (it's 3/4 the size of all of Germany).

[hellgremlin]

The Something Awful thread:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3492683

Multiple posters have lost homes already. Apparently, the fire spread so quickly (65mph) and in so many directions, that firefighters had to sacrifice entire neighborhoods in Colorado Springs to establish fire-lines further back.

The situation is complicated by a few factors. 1.) Pine beetle infestation has left the wooded areas around C. Springs approximately 70% dead and dry - ideal kindling. 2.) Record breaking temperatures and lack of rain in the area, with thunderstorms sparking new fires via lightning. 3.) Colorado is apparently poorly prepared for firefighting after massive Republican budget cuts to public services.

I thought America had a lot of fire-fighting aircraft, but in the SA thread, there is talk of them not being able to afford enough fire-retardant airdrops. There are two Canadian firefighting planes down there, effectively volunteering.

[Mizhara]

Sounds like a bona fide emergency, definitely. Anyone know what kind of efforts are being made from the rest of the country/world, aidwise? You know, besides my marshmallow and cracker initiative, that is.

[Casiella]

I haven't heard whether it's been declared a federal disaster zone, but if it hasn't happened already, it will happen today or so. That means that they immediately have access to pre-allocated dollars, and we'll likely see additional funding from the Congress if that runs short (this happens in the case of medium-sized disasters like this).

Generally speaking, except in Katrina-scale cases, the US doesn't end up needing international aid any more than most developed nations do. There are many things about my country which do not inspire pride in me, but Americans historically have been offered the first and largest aid internationally, so we generally don't end up needing it in a systematic way from the global community.

[orange]

Have friends in C-Springs and it is where I went to college.

From what I have heard, the community itself is taking care of a lot of the immediate needs (housing and such).  Last night, 32,000 were evacuated from their homes.  C-Springs is the area with fire consuming significant portions of real estate in a metro.  So, the already hard to breath air (up at ~6,500-7,500 ft or ~2,000-2,300 m) is filled with smoke and the temperatures are close to 100 F or 40 C.

Summers in C-Springs can have really weird weather to start with (cold mornings, sunny midday, 1500 T-storm, windy evenings), a fire only adds to the weather chaos.

Other parts of Colorado also have fires, but are less populated.  This lets the fire fighters control it more easily, allowing them to do things like controlled burns away from inhabited areas to cut off the fire's fuel.

Some images from around the net.

- CNN

- Yahoo

Sounds like a bona fide emergency, definitely. Anyone know what kind of efforts are being made from the rest of the country/world, aidwise?

I don't think we will know until the fires stop and short of replacing "stuff," there hasn't been anything that aid can really help with from my understanding.  There will certainly be a lack of food in the devastated areas, but people are not going to be living in those areas immediately anyway.  In the unaffected areas, life will get back to "normal" eventually.

[Julianus Soter]

3.) Colorado is apparently poorly prepared for firefighting after massive Republican budget cuts to public services.

Not to detract at all from the tragedy of this situation, but a small clarification:

Governor    John Hickenlooper (D)
Lieutenant Governor    Joseph A. Garcia (D)
Legislature    General Assembly
 - Upper house    Senate
 - Lower house    House of Representatives
U.S. Senators    2 – Mark Udall (D)
3 – Michael Bennet (D)
U.S. House delegation    4 Republicans and 3 Democrats (list)

[orange]

Jules, I think they may have confused the state of Colorado with Colorado Springs, which has a heavy Republican majority.  But it also has a very large out of state population as well, which most people will likely miss.

[hellgremlin]

Yep, orange is right, the Republican thing referred specifically to C. Springs:

http://www.governing.com/topics/mgmt/Colorado-Springs-DIY-government.html

[Casiella]

Anybody who has ever been there is aware that it is one of the most conservative parts of the US. I've no idea if that actually had an effect, though.