Vent! What is wrong with people

[SounderChick]

Our air quality is off the charts hazardous.  People are mad that Dutch Bros, the Local u-pick farms and some other places have closed.  Seriously how dare you care about the health and safety of your employees.

[Liz CA]

There is a lot of tension due to the last few months of drastic changes in our lives - some people may overreact because it is now "one more thing taken from them." And they forget that it's common sense to take precautions. I wonder it it would be a different reaction if we had not had to deal with CV19 for months now. People seem more on edge these days.

[SounderChick]

You may be right we have trouble with smoke most years.  I don't remember people being mad about it before. I'm just happy we don't actually have any fire close. 

[gardenmom5]

I'm feeling it in my house - and our neighbors roofers are still working this morning.  And there's ash flying around.  My car is currently not in the garage . . so I need to hose it off again.

here's what it looks like here today vs normal.

that's all smoke.

 

[J-rap]

I picked the laughter symbol because things like this either make me cry or shout with anger or laugh because people's reactions can be so ludicrous....  

 

[Carrie12345]

I’ve found that U-Pick people are a special breed. We’re not on the west coast, but the farm my kids have worked at usually has U-Pick for certain fruits, but sometimes cancels various ones due to growing/picking conditions. Add COVID issues, and the farm has pretty much canceled all customer picking this year.  People are PISSED. And they try to bargain with the staff. And they don’t want to hear the legitimate reasons for canceling.
I’d bet a million dollars they’re the same ones who don’t follow the U-Pick rules and that they’d also complain if deadly fires kept them from buying some apples. @@  

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

8 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I'm feeling it in my house - and our neighbors roofers are still working this morning.  And there's ash flying around.  My car is currently not in the garage . . so I need to hose it off again.

here's what it looks like here today vs normal.

that's all smoke.

 

Our air (not too far from you as you know) is orange.

[SounderChick]

Ours is just dark we always get hit since we are in a basin it just collects.  It's only 472 today.  Monday we had fires closer plus a dust storm the highest number I saw 689 a friend said when she checked it was at 800.

[Jean in Newcastle]

15 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

Ours is just dark we always get hit since we are in a basin it just collects.  It's only 472 today.  Monday we had fires closer plus a dust storm the highest number I saw 689 a friend said when she checked it was at 800.

What are those numbers? 

 

[Corraleno]

36 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

Ours is just dark we always get hit since we are in a basin it just collects.  It's only 472 today.  Monday we had fires closer plus a dust storm the highest number I saw 689 a friend said when she checked it was at 800.

Yikes!!!  I think the highest that Portland hit was around 400, and that was really really bad — my eyes and throat were burning and that was indoors with all windows closed. 

[Corraleno]

22 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

What are those numbers? 

 

Air Quality Index

[SounderChick]

The air quality index.  It measures particles in the air.  https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Richland&state=WA&country=USA

[Jean in Newcastle]

We're in the 200's so not that high but I still cleaned our air cleaner well, replaced the filters and have it running on "turbo".  Outside is worse, of course but even inside there is a pall of smoke. 

[Liz CA]

@gardenmom5 This is pretty much exactly what it looks like here. Are there fires in WA? Seems like you get way more moisture and are not so brittle dry as we are in Sac Valley.

[gardenmom5]

5 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

@gardenmom5 This is pretty much exactly what it looks like here. Are there fires in WA? Seems like you get way more moisture and are not so brittle dry as we are in Sac Valley.

Yes there are fires.  A one year old died, and his parents were badly burned.   Someone set the vegetation in multiple places in the parking lot at the high school on fire.  Brand new building, only open for a couple years.  That sea of concrete protected the building (plus all the "fake" brick" on the outside.)  That person hasn't been caught yet.

They have arrested at least one person in WA for starting fires.  (Another two in OR, and one more in CA.)

ETA: and it has been fairly dry.  Western WA normally gets the rain, Easter WA is dry, it is dry grass, and burns easily.  The family that were caught in the fire were up in the Okanogan near Colesville Indian Reservation.  I saw something posted by someone who lives there asking for prayers as they have been hard hit.

The town of Malden - south of Spokane - was 80% burned to the ground.

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by gardenmom5

[SounderChick]

 

22 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

@gardenmom5 This is pretty much exactly what it looks like here. Are there fires in WA? Seems like you get way more moisture and are not so brittle dry as we are in Sac Valley.

Yes lots of fires. 500,000 acres have burned so far.  It's overshadowed by CA and Or but it's the same as the last. 5 fire seasons combined. 

21 minutes ago, kdsuomi said:

 

In CA, they would likely legally have to close. We have a law, that many don't seem to know about, regarding employee safety when around smoke. They would have to be provided with proper filtering devices in order to stay open if the hazard is at a certain level.

Hmm I don't think their is a law other coffee shops are open.

[Liz CA]

44 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

Yes there are fires.  A one year old died, and his parents were badly burned.   Someone set the vegetation in multiple places in the parking lot at the high school on fire.  Brand new building, only open for a couple years.  That sea of concrete protected the building (plus all the "fake" brick" on the outside.)  That person hasn't been caught yet.

They have arrested at least one person in WA for starting fires.  (Another two in OR, and one more in CA.)

ETA: and it has been fairly dry.  Western WA normally gets the rain, Easter WA is dry, it is dry grass, and burns easily.  The family that were caught in the fire were up in the Okanogan near Colesville Indian Reservation.  I saw something posted by someone who lives there asking for prayers as they have been hard hit.

The town of Malden - south of Spokane - was 80% burned to the ground.

 

 

How is your community / or the communities affected handling evacuees? Our area has been receiving many evacuees from the surrounding foothills and while they have been housed at the large fairground buildings in several counties in years past, this year due to CV19, there are so many more challenges. 

[gardenmom5]

8 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

 

How is your community / or the communities affected handling evacuees? Our area has been receiving many evacuees from the surrounding foothills and while they have been housed at the large fairground buildings in several counties in years past, this year due to CV19, there are so many more challenges. 

I'm mostly affected by smoke.  I don't know how evacuees are being handled.  I have a friend in OR that is on alert to be evac'd.

[ktgrok]

Wow, just checked my area for air quality to get context...it's 13. I can't imagine over 400!

[Ali in OR]

24 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

 

How is your community / or the communities affected handling evacuees? Our area has been receiving many evacuees from the surrounding foothills and while they have been housed at the large fairground buildings in several counties in years past, this year due to CV19, there are so many more challenges. 

In my part of Oregon, we have evacuees at a couple of different county fairgrounds. Some have RVs but some are tent or car camping. We have huge amounts of new food, clothing, and bedding supplies being donated to help out--I think we have a particularly caring and generous community.

[Liz CA]

1 hour ago, Ali in OR said:

In my part of Oregon, we have evacuees at a couple of different county fairgrounds. Some have RVs but some are tent or car camping. We have huge amounts of new food, clothing, and bedding supplies being donated to help out--I think we have a particularly caring and generous community.

 

In our area no items are accepted " due to CV19 infection risk." For several years, donation of items has been discouraged and people are being told to donate money. This has backfired somewhat in these counties. I imagine especially now with people being affected financially by CV19 but may have a few things they don't need, it's a conundrum.

[Ali in OR]

1 hour ago, Liz CA said:

 

In our area no items are accepted " due to CV19 infection risk." For several years, donation of items has been discouraged and people are being told to donate money. This has backfired somewhat in these counties. I imagine especially now with people being affected financially by CV19 but may have a few things they don't need, it's a conundrum.

Our Covid restriction is that the items must be new, not used. I'm sure they've collected more than they need right here, but in these times, I'm also sure they'll find a home for everything donated.

[SounderChick]

 

3 hours ago, Liz CA said:

 

How is your community / or the communities affected handling evacuees? Our area has been receiving many evacuees from the surrounding foothills and while they have been housed at the large fairground buildings in several counties in years past, this year due to CV19, there are so many more challenges. 

We don't have any big evacuations.  The whole town of Malden burned down but it was only 200 people I assume they went to Spokane but can't find any info.  Similar numbers were evacuated in the north.  So far we haven't hit any big population centers.  

[SounderChick]

Picture of here.  

[Starr]

They are asking the level 1 and 2 people not to leave and keep the roads open until the level 3 evacuate near the  greater Portland area. Friends of friends have their church open in Gresham for evacuees so I imagine others are as well as the fair grounds, convention centers etc. I can't imagine that this works well with covid. 😞