That's a bad fire map in the video. We know the west side of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington are coming online like never before. In recent years, we've blown some holes in that area and are doing so again this year. There's also more urban interface on the west side of Washington than all of California. Here's a snapshot from 2020. This year, we've got two fires going that are trying to fill in the gap east of Eugene. Just a matter of time before the Coast Range takes some big ones. As we heat up and dry out, the fires will move west and north.
I agree in principle, but the costs involved will likely limit this to larger or wealthier cities. I asked my new internet bff (Go***e dead to me) and it replied: This is close to LA's new ~$130M Scattergood line that replaced the one mentioned in the vid. https://www.ladwpnews.com/ladwp-com...transmission-line-in-the-city-of-los-angeles/ I'm not really disagreeing with you, more of a thought experiment on resource allocation in a more fiscally tight future. I guess we can send thoughts and prayers for cheap unlimited energy to save our bacon and solve problems of scale or scarcity...
I remember in my area, the power lines were all buried, but when they got to building my subdivision, the state government (?) said the city couldn't make the power company/distributor bury lines anymore unless they were willing to pay for it. So we have those crappy lines on towers nearby. The city eventually paid to bury huge transmission lines near the center of town, though. Buried lines sure as hell don't break, fall down, etc. during the crazy storms we get around here like above-ground lines. Of course if anything goes wrong, you'll probably be digging up everything around them to fix the issue. Can't wait to see the numbers at the end of summer comparing the summers of 1980, 2011, and 2023 for the DFW area.
In the meantime Hurricane Hilary could bring flooding to the SW US. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-hilary-2023-path-storm-california-forecast/
How do I put this delicately? Texas is screwed long-term. The trick for individuals will be to identify the tipping point for leaving, though many will stay regardless because of family ties or the financial inability to move to a more resilient place (those places will be in demand and thus expensive). For fires, 2011 was not a one-off but a harbinger. East Texas will burn more often and I fear the state is not prepared for it. Still, the greater danger for most people will be temps, both heat and wet bulb.
I've been worried about this thread turning into D&D but I just caught up on the Sengun thread in GARM and it appears my worries have been misplaced. I think we're good here.
