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In The
News
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1. 'A turning point'
May 3, 2006
Disaster News
Network
Seven years after a tornado crushed her Oklahoma town, Edna Arnold still
carries a marble in her change purse.
Days after the 1999 twister, the marble was a reminder that someone far
away was praying for her. Now, she said, the tiny talisman has helped her come
full circle to pray for others affected by disasters.
"I carry it all the time," said Arnold, who has lived in Stroud for 38
years. "And most every day, when I get out change for something, it reminds me
not only what we've gone through here, but also to think about tornadoes and
hurricanes everywhere, and how people are suffering."
[for full article click
HERE]
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2. Grand Prix Fire of 2003 focus of new
book
Author, firefighters will appear at bookstore for
signing
By Diana Shelley, Daily Bulletin Staff Writer
05/09/06
Countless people stood in their yards and watched in
horror. The bright red blaze careening across the San Gabriel Mountains was easy
to see.
Spurred by heavy Santa Ana winds, the flames that would become known as the
Grand Prix Fire slashed their way through hillsides, homes and lives.
"
Wall
of Flame: the heroic battle to save southern California" by Erich
Krauss
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3. Auto insurers vow attack campaign, Garamendi says Firms
demand delay of new price rules -- or else
John Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle Political Writer
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi accused a coalition of auto
insurance companies Monday of threatening to torpedo his campaign for lieutenant
governor, unless he backed off plans for new price rules for car insurance.
A message from an unidentified industry representative late last month put
the prospect bluntly, Garamendi said during appearances in San Francisco,
including a meeting with The Chronicle editorial board.
[for full article click
HERE]
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4. On the lookout
Angeles Forest seeks volunteers
to spot fires
By Marshall Allen Pasadena Star News Staff Writer
05/10/2006
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST - The Vetter Mountain Lookout station is a
welcome respite from the chaos of everyday life for Pam Morey.
Morey, who works in production control at a window manufacturing company,
loves the outdoors.
For more info on the program, go to:
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5. Pass Area residents learn disaster survival at expo
05/12/2006
Bob Otto, SB Sun Correspondent
If
disaster strikes the Pass area, Ruth Kade and Terry Dunn are prepared. Kade from
years of experience, Dunn through disaster survival education.
Kade, originally from New Orleans, survived both Hurricane Katrina and
Rita. Katrina's destruction drove her and her family out of New Orleans to
Beaumont, Texas, where Hurricane Rita struck, forcing the family to flee once
again, and finally relocate to Banning.
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6. Area fire services to be cut
05/17/2006
National forest losing crews as season nears
Guy McCarthy, SB Sun Staff Writer
Federal plans to reduce staffing on fire engines this summer in the San
Bernardino National Forest could cut firefighters' initial attack capability by
up to 50 percent, forest officials confirmed this week.
The cuts from 25 Forest Service engines to as few as 12 come when fire
season approaches in the nation's most urbanized mountain forest. From
Wrightwood to Idyllwild, the forest is home to roughly 100,000 residents and
more than $7 billion in assessed property values.
[for full article click
HERE]
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7. Jumbo Jets Transformed Into Firefighting Air
Tankers
May 18, 2006
LOS ANGELES -- As Southern California braces for another fire season,
officials keep looking for new ways to knock down wildfires before they spread
out of control.
According to NBC4's Chuck Henry, there's a colossal idea in development for
the U.S. Forestry Service that could transform the use of air tankers to fight
wildfires. As Henry reported, two companies are working on the use of jumbo jets
to deliver more water on a fire in a single drop than has ever been done
before.
[for full article click
HERE]
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8. Rescued frogs lose lives
Fast-working infection
kills endangered amphibians
Andrew Silva, SB Sun Staff Writer
05/18/2006
The handful of incredibly rare frogs
rescued after the Old Fire in 2003 have died in Escondido from an
infection.
The mountain yellow-legged frog is perhaps the most endangered
species in Southern California, with maybe 200 adult frogs scattered across six
to eight creeks in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange counties.
The Southern California population segment was listed as an endangered species
in 2002.
[for full article click
HERE]
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9. Market Night making comeback in SB
Event doused
by Old Fire returns to park on June 6
Kelly Rayburn, Staff Writer
05/19/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO - Following the
Old Fire of 2003, the organizers of the San Bernardino Farmers Fair and Market
Night at Perris Hill Park hoped market-goers would turn out and open up their
wallets to donate to the victims of the blaze.
But the crowds didn't come.
Week after week, organizers hoped they would return.
They never did.
The fire had deflated the community's spirits and sucked the festive
feeling out of a Market Night that, organizers say, was a hit when it started in
July 2003.
[for full article click
HERE]
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10. Hospitals struggle to comply with quake bill
By
Nikki Cobb, SB Sun Staff Writer
05/22/2006
An
earthquake readiness bill has local hospitals quaking as they scramble to comply
with a looming deadline that will cost them millions to meet – and already has
forced some hospitals to close.
The bill is geared toward making sure that in an earthquake, hospitals
remain open to treat the injured. But many hospitals say they can’t fulfill the
requirements of SB 1953, which requires them to rebuild or retrofit to withstand
an earthquake by 2008, or 2013 if granted an extension.
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11. Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi Discloses Apparent
"Excess Profits" by Homeowner and Auto Insurers
May 24, 2006
CDI Press Release
Department of Insurance study finds insurers are paying far less to
cover claims and making no effort to reduce rates; Commissioner Garamendi will
begin hearings in July to eliminate any excess profit through rate
reductions.
LOS ANGELES – Today, Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi released a new
report on the burgeoning profitability of Homeowners and Private Passenger
Automobile Insurance companies. The study discloses that for the past two years
insurance companies have enjoyed a scenario in which the amount they pay for
claims has dwindled, while the money they keep has soared. The Commissioner has
scheduled a hearing for July 20, at which he will examine this issue. The
following is his statement:
[for full article click
HERE]
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12. Cut in firefighting capabilities in forests is
unwise
05/25/2006
SB Sun Editorial
As Southern California temperatures rise to somewhere north of unbearable,
with the start of the region’s infamous fire season just around the corner, a
federal plan to reduce the state’s firefighting attack capabilities by up to 50
percent in some places is dumbfounding.
In San Bernardino County, home to one of the most urbanized – and most
dangerous – mountain forests in the nation, with approximately 100,000 residents
and $7 billion in assessed property values, it means a reduction from 25 staffed
engines last year to 15 engines this year. On weekends, there will be 20 engines
available, although fires don’t generally work on a schedule.
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13. State Farm penalized in suit over tornado
claims
Verdict could affect similar lawsuits involving
Katrina
By Kathleen Johnston - CNN
Friday, May 26, 2006; Posted: 10:03 p.m. EDT (02:03 GMT)
(CNN) -- State Farm acted "recklessly" and "with malice" in handling
insurance claims from dozens of families whose homes were damaged when a wave of
tornadoes, including the strongest in recorded history, swept through Oklahoma
in 1999, a jury has decided.
The verdict, announced late Thursday, delivered millions to the lead
plaintiffs and could have repercussions in the Gulf Coast states, where
residents allege State Farm acted in bad faith when using engineering firms to
assess damages after Hurricane Katrina destroyed thousands of homes and
businesses.
[for full article click
HERE]