here's a pic for you
 

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11799
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Nat...MOA2003299.jpg

Blizzard, Flood AND Fire
 

Not to minimize what you CA folks are going through, but the rest of the country has had its share of trouble too. Check out this poor community.

http://people.aero.und.edu/~draper/firetruk.jpg

http://people.aero.und.edu/~draper/flood.html

That was 6 years ago and a "statistical anomaly". In the SW, fires happen all the time...

Just last year the Rodeo-Chedeski fire burned over 450,000 acres.

Yeah, but 450,000 acres of what?

13 dead
800+ homes gone
100,000+ evacuated
300,000+ acres burned

And it isn't over yet.

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/us/...es.1026/07.jpg

Much of the acreage is adjacent to populated areas, and will result in mudslides when it rains this winter.

Remember the Malibu fire all so well with the mud slides.This fire is only the begining of the problems about to be seen.

Rodeo-Chedeski fire:

450k acres of ponderosa forest
400 homes lost
$120 million insured losses ($15 million commercial)

A matter of fact...
 

Many of homes burned are in un-insurable areas (only state insurance) with lower limits... these homeowners are looking at a very difficult road ahead...Godspeed to those involved.

Scripps Ranch lost something like 300 homes. Your picture is one of them. These were on the south side of Pomerado - expensive area ~$800-900K minimum, most probably more. What gets me is the number of homes there that (had) the old shake wood shingle roofs. Not to pour salt on a large open wound...

The homeowners in the Scripps area have enjoyed a staggering rise in home property values in the last 6-8 years. Homes that cost $200K are now $600K and up. Instead of the granite countertops and new BMW you'd think they would pull money out to replace those kindling roofs. Watching the news footage yesterday I saw entire neighborhoods burned to the ground yet the trees around the homes were untouched. Direct result of flying embers landing on the wood roofs.

I imagine I would be in the minority here but if my home was the only one standing after a fire I would be pretty bummed (looking for that book of matches). What I saw in Santa Barbara was that the rebuilt homes were far nicer (enjoying increased values) vs. homes built in the 70's and 80's and suddenly you were left in a old tract home surrounded by custom homes. I know location is everything and you don't want the nicest home on the block and all - but from going to status quo to the Munsters house is not good either.

Here's another picture of one of the Scripps Ranch neighborhoods - note the surrounding vegatation.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1067356843.jpg

OMG....this is saddening.

I'm hearing 30k homes are in danger of being destroyed. This is incomprehensible.

Good luck to you guys.

My thoughts exactly.

If you want the look, there are plenty of ceramic "shakes"
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1067359715.jpg

Let me tell you all a story of three lil' pigs . . .

There were showing some neighborhoods with tile roofs and stucco walls that were surviving the fires pretty well. Who's idea was it to build a roof out of kindling. A lot of areas don't allow that type of roof.

I hope FEMA money doesn't get spent on new cedar shake roofs. That's like rebuilding in a flood zone.

A lot of CA tract homes built in the mid 60's had/have shake shingle roofs. I would imagine it had something to do with (shake = $.02/ft vs. clay/tile = $.04/ft (estimated amounts)) or something close to that effect.

most areas won't allow shake roofs, and insurance won't cover if you reroof with them. It is mostly older homes that haven't been updated.

YOUCH!! Good luck Cali!

Todd, is any of the mess getting very close to you?

not even close, although we were close to a small Malibu fire when coming back from the beach. I live in a very urban area of LA (you can see skyscrapers from our yard), so unless someone decides to blow up Century City, we aren't directly affected.

Island, is that your shack on the island? Don't they have covenant against homes that small? ;)