“House saved …”
In the nearby hard-hit city of Poway, Don and Susan Buckley, both 49, sneaked into their exclusive Highlands Ranch neighborhood and trekked up a long hill past a locked gate to see whether their Mediterranean-style house had survived.
When she caught sight of its roof, Susan, a sales executive at an advertising firm, let out a deep sigh and exclaimed: “It’s there! Oh my God, we are so lucky.”
Walking hesitantly through their smashed-in wooden door, they saw that the flames had come within 10 yards of the house and had decimated four large homes up the hill.
On their kitchen counter were empty Gatorade bottles and energy-bar wrappers, and a note from the crew of San Diego Fire Engine 12, Lincoln Park.
“House saved,” it read. “Sorry about the door!”
I’m amazed there hasn’t been more looting.
After all, after 9/11, a few firefighters were arrested for looting a jewelry store in the Trade Center.
The main reason has been lack of access, I think.
These canyon communities have few roads in and out. Once evacuated, there is no way back in, not really. And every neighborhood is being patrolled by police on the ground and helicopters in the air. They’re looking for fires, but they’d spot the looters.
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One other interesting aspect of all this (and it’s been pointed out in the news) is that most of the evacuees come from affluent neighborhoods. It’s why there are so many services available to them. They arrived at the football stadium in San Diego in cars, with money and supplies. They’ve gone to hotels when possible. They have credit cards. They have RVs and SUVs.
It’s a different phenomenon than other disaster scenarios, where the poor get hit the hardest.