Comments on: Evacuee Saw Home Burn On TV, Over And Over

Christie Williams' Kids Watched, Too; You Can Help Family

[susanhelit]

It''s a standard on online comments - if you are beaten on facts, go for the personal. If fires can occur anywhere, if nearly every person in the world is at risk of some natural disaster, if it''s shown that these houses were not built somewhere risky, but in good standard, safe locations - then turn the conversation somewhere else rather than admit your errors.

[susanhelit]

Anyone with a dictionary could look at all of the meanings of the word ''dumb'' - which go beyond the original meaning of someone who cannot speak. Although, to put a fine point on it - we are typing here, not speaking.


But if you prefer willful ignorance and a shocking lack of compassion, empathy, or humanity - I can go with that.

[good2go2day]

My heart does go out to ALL families who have been impacted by this. I do have one comment - this young lady was on the early show & on the cbs evening news. Couldn''t Katie Couric find someone else to interview? No offense meant to the individual - but to CBS shame on you! There are MANY MANY people who are in the same situation - or much worse - less connected, less fortunate money-wise, etc. Additionally, I would advise against letting young children watch their home being destroyed by fire on TV. Being a victim of fire (thankfully small) as a preschooler, I can still vividly remember nightmares 35 years later. There are some things little ones should be shielded from - yes, they lost their homes, but they didn''t have to sit in front of a tv and watch it happen!

[jt92202]

First of all I think most people are very sorry for the loss that the people of So CA is going through. I know I am, it''s very hard to watch the news and not be very sad knowing that these people are hoping for the best but unsure of the future.

I am not sure why anyone would be worried about how they would rebuild if they have homeowners insurance. This was a fire and will be covered by any and all insurance companies, Katrina was totally different water claims are covered differently then fire/wind and hail. If they didn''t have homeowners insurance FEMA will not rebuild their home for them they will get government loans that they will have to pay back. What FEMA will help pay for is the inital needs of these 1 Million people and so they should (FEMA being the US Government being WE THE PEOPLE!). I would rather help these people (OUR PEOPLE) than continue to give money to governments that starve and kill their people.

Some of you need to think about where you would be if this happened to you or your family, how will you be looking at your future! Make sure you insure your family and possessions properly and if your ever in this situation know that you did what you were suppose to do and everything will work out as is should. It will take time for these people to recover we need to help with that even if that is just support and a shoulder to cry on!!

[susanhelit]

Dumb PhD - you think that land above the Dam doesn''t have anything growing? Anywhere plants grow, a wildfire can and will start. Maybe not in that swamp you mention - but there you''ve got other problems. The very few patches of land that never have hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, fires, tornados, and so on and so forth are not only an incredibly small percentage of the land on earth, they''re also pretty much useless.

Nope. If you want to be safe, there is no spot. Fires burn anywhere - even in the middle of a city. If you don''t live in an earthquake zone, you probably have tornadoes or hurricanes or floods. The homes that are burning have been there for decades, safely. It''s not stupid development, it''s stupid people who need an excuse to lack compassion and try to feel smart about their lack of humanity.

[cmp271]

Anyone notice how many SUV''s these people drove away in??? I wish I had half of that! No one deserves to lose their life''s work to a fire, however, some of these people have had a really good life. It can be rebuilt. Maybe not recovered, the momentos, but you still have your lives and livelihoods. That is more than many of us have.

Get on with life. Let''s hope the insurance will cover much of this.

[scarletphd]

Dummies - there is no place that can''''t have fires. There''''s no safe patch of land on this planet. There''''s no reason not to build somewhere because someday it might have an earthquake, might have a fire, whatever.
Posted by SusanHelit

YOU are amazingly ignorant, what a childish rant! You are also shortsighted to the extreme. There a PLENTY of safe patches of land on this planet!!! If you don''t realize that the chances of fires in SOCAL, the chances of earth quakes in northern CA are so astoundingly and statistically more likely, then you need to log off and go get your ignorant butt educated - or at least get a reality check. People like you are so good at irrational agruments based on absolutely NO information that is accurate or relevant. To say that thois could happemn ANYWHERE on the planet is absolte evidense that you are adding WORTHLESS commentary. Uh yeah, people have choices but if you buy an acre of swamp land and cry because you sink, you''re not as entitled as the peron who bought land 1000 feet above and dams, valleys, rivers, or flood plains, and then sinks.

You are on permanent IGNORE for me on this site. Maybe you should go over to the entertainment section and comment on Britanny Spears antics, I''m sure you''re qualified to talk about that garbage.

[susanhelit]

To the geography challenged - even if the media loves showing mansions burning - San Diego is not Malibu. The areas that are burning range from little shacks owned by people who can barely afford that, to the mansions. Most of it is housing for ordinary working people. So don''t be so ignorant as to believe that it must be a mansion because that''s what Malibu has. There''s 1 million people displaced, and believe me, few of them are millionaires.

[briannorwood]

ScarletPhD:

EXACTLY my point! I''m sure these people really enjoyed that beautiful view they just had to have. Took that risk they very well KNEW was there.

Just don''t expect me to shed the tears over the loss of their photos and kid''s toys. They should just be glad they got out with their lives.

And when they say they want to rebuild in the same damned place? That''s just ignorant!

[susanhelit]

Dummies - there is no place that can''t have fires. There''s no safe patch of land on this planet. New Orleans - yeah, under sea level - bad idea. Other than that - there''s no reason not to build somewhere because someday it might have an earthquake, might have a fire, whatever. You''ve got your choice. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, droughts, landslides, whatever - there''s a natural disaster out there for all of us.


Some places are inherently dangerous - but not where these homes were built - normal land, with stuff growing on them. If there''s anything growing near your house, it too can catch on fire.

[rkb50]

Look how many "disasters" have happened since bush has been in office ... 9/11 ... Katrina ... droughts in AL GA and the Carolinas ... now these horrible fires ... i wouldn''t be surprised if they were started intentionally!!!

[kelrenz]

Christie is my sister-in-law. The entire family is pulling together to help, and I know all of us appreciate all of the positive comments and help everyone sends their way. Insurance or not, the people who have lost their homes have to start over, completely. I cannot imagine having to go through that.

briannorwood: Not that you deserve any response, or could even digest the enormity of the changes in the lives of the people effected by this, but I''ll try to break it down simple enough so even you can comprehend...I guess in your mind everyone in FL, LA, TX, GA, SC, and NC should somewhere else because of hurricanes? And, no one should live in CA? Where exactly should all these people go? Maybe your house? I''m sure nothing goes wrong, or could EVER go wrong, where you live. I truly and honestly hope that you never have to experience what the families like Christie''s are experiencing. I would never wish such devastation on someone, even with your low moral standards.

Again, to the positive people out there, please keep posting things. We tried to do the same for victims of Katrina with finances and positive thoughts. I know Christie, and anyone else going through this, appreciate it. We are so thankful they are safe, and hope that other people in this situation get the love and support they need.

[scarletphd]

As sad as this is for the victims, go to the site where Jamie Lee Curtis is making a GREAT point about why this happened. She was a speaker at the Women and Families Conference hosted by Maria Shriver. We built San Francisco on the most active earthquake fault line in the country. We built two of the most populated cities in the worst fire hazard zone in the country. New Orleans is one of the most important shipping ports, and located below sea level and protected by an inadequate (now destroyed) levee system and right in hurricane alley. This was no ACT OF GOD, this was MAN MADE. We make our cities exist in the spots most vulnerable to natural disaster.

So, cry us a river, but just don''t say you''re in shock that this could happen. No one should ever be that naive.

[briannorwood]

jwmcneal2:

Great! Rebuild the damned house in the exact same place it shouldn''t have been allowed to be built in the first place!

Better yet, with the extra FEMA money you''re likely to get, why not step it up and move out of the canyon and get a beachside lot. Then we can rebuild after the next pacific storm too!

[incog-nito]

Could it be because the networks keep showing the same footage, over and over?

[briannorwood]

She (Christie Williams) vows to go back to the home, which was nicknamed Shangrila.

Yeah, right! And she''ll get my federal tax dollars to rebuild her "shangrila" in a place prone to repeated natural fires to do it!

And it''ll probably burn again. And we''ll get the same boohoo again, too.

I repeat, give this poor girl a towel...just make sure it''s Gucci!

[nsenior08]

I am a senior at Chaparral High School in Temecula, CA, our school as well as Temecula Valley are shelters for those who had to evacuate from their homes in Fallbrook. Watching the news for hours and hours and not seeing anything being covered on their home is infuriating!!! People need to know what is happeneing and not everyone has access to the internet. We need to know what they are doing to the fire and not where the SD Chargers are practicing!!!! Get something about their homes on the news and help these people out.

[edgemont1]

Interesting comments. I wonder if people will learn anything from this. Maybe not rebuilding there would be a good idea. I assume the area is hilly so now there will be mud slides when it rains. Same thing with Katrina. The part of new orleans that is under sea level should be converted back to swamp. Even though most of the people in Malibu probably have million or more dollar homes it''s still a loss but most of them are probably insured to the maximum so I am sure they will be fine. But, let''s not forget those millions of katrina victims still living out of fema trailers that our federal government wants so badly to forget. I wonder if this women will be living in a FEMA trailer two years from now???

[annia1233]

ikeitis5050 , amen to that. lets no lose sight of the truth. you are right. Many of them may be looking at the fire from their yatch on the California coast. There may be few that just bought their houses there working 3 jobs every one in the family and are in debt to their eye balls but those are the least of them. I feel sorry because what ever you lose is terrible and I am sure they got their wealth working hard and making their business intelligently, but b=god bless them the hardship is not that hard. It will be horrible to lose every thing and not having money to pay for a hotel room. They, most at least can stay in a hotel until they can rent a house some where else. My heart to them any ways. It is a bad and horrible thing, traumatic and difficult to deal with. I would like also to say that That part of california is always in flames or wth land slides. The California housing development and government should finally make some laws prohibiting building on those places. The environment gets polluted, lives are lost, resources. Please do something.

[nascar8de]

My heart goes the elderly people that do not believe in homeowners insurance because the house is paid for and on top of that they can''t afford the costs. Alot of the house that are million dollar homes are not insured for that amount, its pennies on the dollar for the actual value of the home. Just because they paid a million or more doesn''t mean the insurance companies are going to insure it for that amount. Oh that is when the federal goverment steps in, but they are missing 1.2 billion for that Iraq police training. HA maybe they found it, boy we are going to hell in a hand basket.