Fire Adapted Big Sur Newsletter #03

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve last year, a wildfire burned through Boulder County, CO.  This Marshall Fire Facilitated Learning Analysis StoryMap describes the weather, fuels, fire behavior, evacuation, animal rescue, personal stories, and other topics from the event. The interactive presentation is easy to navigate and is full of lessons. Fire spread in the Home Ignition Zone is of particular interest.

Fire Insurance - Part II.  More than 235,000 California homeowner insurance policies were non-renewed in 2019.  Kettle is a San Francisco-based startup that runs fire behavior prediction models for reinsurers.  Reinsurers provide insurance for insurance companies.  This CNBC article describes how computer models are helping reinsurers - a vital link in the insurance ecosystem - to insure insurers so insurers can continue to provide homeowner policies.

This holiday is a great time to consider safety and evacuation routes during times of emergency. Wildfires, floods, and landslides can close driveways, access roads, and Hwy 1.  The Big Sur StoryMap Infrastructure Map provides an interactive view of Big Sur neighborhoods, including roads, dwellings, fire stations, schools, and helicopter landing zones.