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Trying times bring us closer. Due to the ongoing Thomas Fire, all GranVida residents were temporarily evacuated to communities nearby. Our team members were there to provide the compassionate care and assistance—as well as a warm smile, a gentle embrace and a sparkle as in the eyes of Michelle, our Medication Technician. Despite the fires, the stories and memories shared, between residents and team members alike, will make a lasting impression on everyone.
For more wonderful stories like this, please visit GranVidaSeniorLiving.com.
DANGER ZONES: Huge swaths of Santa Barbara were placed on voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders after the Thomas breached the county line. As of press time, all evacuation orders remained in place.
Why a Good Map Was Hard to Find
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f you had a frustrating time finding a clear, up-to-date map of the Thomas Fire as it raced west, you were not alone. As the fire entered Santa Barbara County, South Coast residents, news agencies, and even firefighters had difficulty obtaining and broadcasting an authoritative survey that showed the blaze’s exact location and how far it stood from homes. It seemed like a simple request. But it wasn’t, and here’s why. When what may become the largest wildfire in California’s recorded history detonated in a populous area and then spread at an unprecedented rate, a dizzying number of local, state, and federal emergency response agencies created a bundle of maps. They detailed the fire’s perimeter, wind patterns, evacuation zones, road closures, school closures, power outages, air quality, and so on. Because the fire straddled two counties, Santa Barbara and Ventura each had their own sets, adding to the confusion.
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Private citizens created their own imagery, and social media, as always, made it easy to share bad or outdated information. There are only a few maps to be trusted for this fire — and the next. The first is a perimeter survey conducted every night by a Boise-based, infrared-equipped plane contracted by Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency. The resulting “Public Information Map,” which shows in topographical detail where contained and uncontained lines are located, is distributed to fire chiefs at their early morning briefing and posted on a government server. A few copies are posted in public spaces. The map is not, however, widely distributed or made easily available online for reasons unclear. News organizations can request copies, which Santa Barbara media regularly does, or internet users can visit the federally operated website inciweb.nwcg.gov and search themselves. The second reliable map is being posted by the County of Santa Barbara at countyofsb.org/thomasfire.sbc#update. It’s a
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PRETTY BUT SCARY: This Cal Fire map shows how far and wide the Thomas Fire has marched each day. It is based on infrared surveys.