COMMENTARY & OPINION

From the desk of

Bill Ramey

11 20 18

COMMENTARY & OPINION

Ramey comments:

Is this the first giant wave of casualties in the civil war ongoing in America?  Brace yourselves because it gets much, much worse very quickly.

Prepare Yourself Emotionally, America: The nearly 1300 "Missing" in California Wildfires, "Are Likely All Dead"

U.S. National News

Category: U.S. National News

Monday, 19 November 2018 08:45

Written by News Desk Staff

The California wildfires have now killed 80 people, but officials fear the toll could climb much higher -- with nearly 1,300 still missing.

Rain is in the forecast for Northern California Tuesday and may last through the weekend, bringing a much needed reprieve for the 5,300 firefighters battling the Camp Fire in Butte County, north of San Francisco.

Volunteers in white coveralls went house-to-house Sunday looking for human remains in the charred houses in Chico. When no remains were found, they marked the locations with a spray-painted orange "O" and moved on. Authorities are asking the public to for notification if someone on the list is found alive.

The rains could be a mixed blessing, as they would help extinguish the Camp Fire that's burned since Nov. 8, but would also turn the ashen ground to a sloppy mess. The storms could bring stronger winds, too.

"As much as I wish that we could get through all of this before the rains come, I don't know if that's possible," Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said, adding that officials may never know the exact death toll.

The fire has burned more than 10,000 homes, 418 commercial buildings and 3,000 other buildings, Cal Fire said. It's about 65 percent contained.

President Donald Trump visited fire-ravaged Paradise over the weekend to view the aftermath first hand.

"We've never seen anything like this in California; we've never seen anything like this yet. It's total devastation," he said.

Last week, Trump criticized forest management practices in California and threatened to cut federal aid to the state. He's since backed off that stance.

"He's got our back," Gov. Jerry Brown told CBS' Face the Nation Sunday. "There have been some back and forth between California leaders and the president. But in the face of tragedy, people tend to rise above some of the lesser propensities. So I think we're on a good path."

Paradise is among the hardest hit cities.

"Our entire five-member council is homeless," Paradise town councilor Melissa Schuster told ABC News. "All of our houses have been destroyed. The entire community of Paradise is a toxic wasteland right now."

There's also been an outbreak of the norovirus at the shelter in Butte County, county health spokesman Lisa Almaguer said.

Trump also visited Malibu in Southern California, which was hit hard by the Woolsey Fire. It is 91 percent contained after burning 97,000 acres, Cal Fire said. It's responsible for three of the 80 deaths.

Two officials, who asked to remain anonymous because of the nature of what they revealed, say America needs to prepare itself mentally for the likely reality that the nearly 1,300 people who are "missing" are likely all dead.