Taking On Issues - Political Issues and Government Policies

A Hot Discussion Forum on Government Policies and Political Issues

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Election 2016
  • Big Government
  • Healthcare
  • The Other Side
  • What’s New
  • Your Freedom

California wildfires: Authorities release list of missing persons and a lawsuit is filed against PG&E

November 14, 2018 By Takingonissues

The death toll from two California wildfires has now reached 50 and authorities in northern California have released a list of missing persons, most of them elderly people who lived in Paradise, CA. From CNN:

Most of the 103 people listed missing by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office are from Paradise, a town of 27,000 north of Sacramento first ravaged by the fire Thursday morning.

At least 73 of the missing are 65 or older.

“In an effort to better inform the public, this list of reported missing persons is being provided,” a message on the sheriff’s website says. “If you see anyone on the list who is no longer missing please contact us so their name can be removed.”

The Camp Fire has killed at least 48 people since it began last week, and Butte County Sheriff and Coroner Kory L. Honea said he expects more bodies will be found.

Given the severity of the destruction in Paradise and the speed at which the fire overtook people, I’m not expecting all of these people on the list to be found alive somewhere, though hopefully, some will be. Yesterday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported the story of one 90-year-old man who was helped into a freezing lake by neighbors to survive the fire:

Among those saved was 90-year-old Bruno. Scott’s son, Michael, helped their older neighbor from his home and into the reservoir, though he wasn’t sure he could survive the dip.

“Bruno was saying, ‘Just leave me. I can’t do this,’” Scott recalled. “I said, ‘Bruno, we’re not going to leave you. And I’m not going to burn, so you better hurry.’”

As I’ve mentioned before, the exact cause of the fires in northern and southern California have not been determined, yet. But in both cases there is suspicion that downed electrical lines may have been the cause. Tuesday a group of survivors of the Camp Fire filed a lawsuit Pacific Gas and Electric claiming poor maintenance of the lines was responsible for the fire. From Reuters:

The lawsuit alleged that PG&E failed to properly maintain, repair and replace its equipment and that “its inexcusable behavior contributed to the cause of the ‘Camp Fire.’”

The lawsuit alleges that prior to the Camp Fire, PG&E began warning customers it might turn off power because of the high risk of wildfires.

“Despite its own recognition of these impending hazardous conditions, on the day of the Camp Fire’s ignition, PG&E ultimately made the decision not to proceed with its plans for a power shutoff,” the lawsuit stated.

PG&E has said a power line shorted in the area where the fire was believed to have started at about the time it is believed to have started but investigators have not had a chance to determine the exact cause yet. Another Paradise, CA resident who was not part of the first group to sue the utility company said she plans to do so. From the Sacramento Bee:

Zimmerman, a real estate appraiser, works for a California law firm that has repeatedly filed class action lawsuits against Pacific Gas & Electric and other utility companies, alleging their equipment failures caused many of California’s horrific string of recent wildfires.

“You betcha,” Zimmerman said while buying furniture for a rental home in Yuba City, where she and her husband will live with two daughters who also lost their homes when the Camp Fire stormed through. The blaze destroyed an estimated 90 percent of residences and has taken 42 lives as of the official count on Monday.

“If it was PG&E or whomever, I’m going to sue whoever was taking their stupid a– bonuses instead of taking care of what they were supposed to take care of,” she said.

In response to the first lawsuit, PG&E issues a statement saying, “There has been no determination of the cause of the fire. Right now, we are doing everything we can to support the communities and first responders.” That’s still accurate for now but what happens if a power line is found to be responsible? Could lawsuits bankrupt the utility? And if so, what does that mean for people who hope to return to Paradise and rebuild once the fires are out?

Finally, here’s one story of a woman who thought she was going to die in the fire but who is now searching for her missing father, hoping he somehow survived:

The post California wildfires: Authorities release list of missing persons and a lawsuit is filed against PG&E appeared first on Hot Air.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Email, RSS Follow

Related

Subscribe to Taking on Issues

Enter your email address to subscribe to our site and receive notifications of new posts by email.

RSS Political News

  • Dem 2020 hopefuls Harris, Warren say they embrace idea of reparations for black Americans: report February 22, 2019
  • Trump Calls NYT True Enemy of the People February 22, 2019
  • Lawsuit Brought Against Trump for Damaging El Paso County February 22, 2019
  • Smollett Won't Change How Anyone Feels About Hate Crimes February 22, 2019
  • Why Vote for Sanders When You Can Have Warren Instead? February 22, 2019
  • Americans Want a Less Aggressive Foreign Policy February 22, 2019
  • National Emergency Will Haunt Trump's Re-Election Bid February 22, 2019
  • A Very British Lesson for the American Left February 22, 2019
  • Epidemic Of Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes In Brooklyn Is No Hoax February 22, 2019

Archives

New Featured Articles

  • The people behind that Texas voter fraud ring have been identified
    November 5, 2018

    Last month we looked at the news out of Texas where prosecutors had uncovered an organized ring of people who were “harvesting” ballots and then “helping” voters (particularly senior citizens) fill them out. They were allegedly filling in ballots by the thousands in a clearly coordinated effort. It wasn’t definitive who was behind the scheme […]

    Email, RSS Follow
    […]
  • Can Elitists Make Good Leaders?
    February 1, 2011
    What makes a leader?    A leader takes responsibility […]
  • Bialik: “I am very sorry” for my statement about modesty and sexual harassment
    October 19, 2017
    This seems to be the latest in a series of reminders […]
  • SCOTUS to TV Eyes: C’mon, you can’t hijack Fox News’ output
    December 3, 2018
    Enviros weren’t the only ones disappointed by […]
  • Trump’s Boastful Incompetence
    May 15, 2017
    Last week, I talked about the Trump […]
  • CNN to Avenatti: You’re acting a bit like Michael Cohen, don’t you think?
    May 15, 2018
    Why? Just because he’s threatening journalists […]
  • Sam Francis & The Drama Of Trollhättan
    September 22, 2017
    David Brooks has a must-read column today on the […]
  • The WIRE: Your week in review
    January 12, 2018
    Personal Liberty Poll Exercise your right to vote. […]
  • Everyone met with the Russian ambassador, let’s all panic!
    March 2, 2017
    posted at 10:01 pm on March 2, 2017 by John Sexton The […]
  • Judge dismisses case against Fox News brought by Seth Rich’s parents
    August 2, 2018
    A judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit brought by […]
  • Globalists are building an army of millennials to destroy sovereignty
    May 29, 2017
    Back in October of 2016 I covered an issue which I […]
  • Thursday TEMS: Duane Patterson, Salena Zito
    October 6, 2016
    posted at 3:21 pm on October 6, 2016 by Ed Morrissey […]
  • Breaking: Trump announces Barr as AG … again
    December 7, 2018
    Donald Trump started the countdown on two high-profile […]
  • The Left Has the Stronger Case for Gun Ownership
    October 17, 2017
    Why is it that the left is so enamored with gun […]
  • Iranian Christians Seek Asylum, But Trump Won’t Let Them In
    February 22, 2018
    The Trump administration likes to pretend that it […]
Copyright © 2019 TakingOnIssues.com

Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertise | About Us