That’s it for now as far as fires in San Diego go… there WILL BE MORE (note that the Santa Ana Winds return this weekend.) I thought I’d leave everyone in San Diego with a few notes compiled from the hordes of info I’ve read (in 2003 when I did this, and in 2007) as well as the friends I know who have lost homes in both sets of fires. There’s plenty of info on how to prepare, evacuations plans, etc., so I’m going to focus on the information that’s harder to come by. Much of this comes from people who have lost their homes, been in the middle of the fires and have been spared, as well as other people in the ‘network’ of fire victims here in San Diego. (warning: this is a bit long!)
1. INSURANCE: Three big things here, in my opinion —
- a) Reputation: Make sure the insurance company you’re dealing with has the reputation of treating fire victims in San Diego fairly. You’ll find most don’t want to comment on ‘who’s good and who’s not’ on record, but one guy who will is Steve Poizner, the California Insurance Commissioner. Look at the Homeowners Complaint Overview, in particular, the year 2004 after the last set of fires, and the justified complaint ratios. This will give you a legal, accurate picture of how many justified complaints against various insurance companies have happened in California and is the best source of information that I’ve found (and it took a lot of digging to find it!)
- b) Proper Coverage: Most of the folks I know in the $500k-$1M home value range say it took ~$250/sq.ft. to rebuild. I upped my insurance as soon as I could after the last fires to make sure I was covered. I’m not an authority, so don’t trust this as fact – if you want to know for sure, pay a contractor to come out and do an estimate for you. i.e., “how much would it cost to rebuild this house that I have here today if it burned down?” and insure based on that.
- c) Personal Inventory: Personal contents have to be the hardest thing to replace. To start, video tape everything. NOW and update it at least once/year! It took me about 2 hours to make a quick run through the house opening every drawer, every cabinet, and videotaping everything while also commenting on what I was seeing. Something like this is invaluable if you have to prove that you had lots of things. As you’re doing this, think about the items you would take if you had 15 minutes to evacuate (as some of my friends did.) Make a list, tape it to the inside of a cabinet door in your kitchen, and update it as necessary. It’ll make getting out fast with the things that are most important to you much easier.
2. Preparedness: Everyone knows the standard stuff – clear the brush away, plant fire resistant plants, irrigate, get rid of that wood shingle roof, etc. But there are some other things you can look into. Most come with a price, but I can personally verify they also come with peace of mind. A good reference for some items is also available here (warning: PDF link)
- a) Whole House Protection: You can go nuts and join AIG’s Private Client Group (comes with fire-retardant-foam-packing emergency response vehicles if the fire comes within 3 miles of your home, etc.), or go with something more sensible like some of the products designed for brush-area close residences. These include Phos-Chek Fire Retardant systems and Barricade Fireproofing Gel (which I have as do several of the more outlying fire departments around here) to name a couple. Here’s a video NBC did locally on some homeowners that used it on their home and barn.
- b) Attic Vents: Yes, those little embers loved to fly in through attic vents. Make sure you have small-screen mesh over your vents. Only air needs to get in, remember. This BY FAR is how most folks I’ve heard of have lost their homes – glowing embers into the attic vents or under the eaves (see c, below)
- c) Wood structures: Anything made of wood on the exterior of your home is at risk. Common items are wooden eaves, patio covers and master bedroom balconies. Consider installing versions of patio covers made of composite materials (Alumawood is once such popular brand) which are much more resistant to embers. For eaves, consider applying some fireproof paint, called intumescent paint – obviously can be used on existing wood patio covers and the like as well.
Finally, here are a few items courtesy of the Union Tribune hear in San Diego. They’ve rounded out coverage this week with some really good stuff.
- An interactive perimeter map of the fires with evacuations, home prices, population density, and fire perimeters from both the 2003 and 2007 fires: link
- An interactive Google map complete with fire perimeters from 2003 and 2007 and all of the homes that recently burned: link
- How it feels to evacuate (in Rancho Bernardo): link
- The fire bearing down on Del Dios (southeast edge of San Marcos): link
That’s it for now. Let’s hope the Santa Ana winds stay tame this weekend. Thanks a ton for all the email, support, and ‘thank yous’ from everyone around the world. I’m glad I’ve been able to provide some useful information. For those in San Diego, please don’t forget a simple ‘thank you’ to any fire fighter, police officer, or military-related person you see – they deserve it much more than I. And finally, for those of you who have friends who lost their homes this time around, remember that rebuilding averages ~3 years. Be there to support them for the long haul… they’ll need you.
-Mike
