crisis meets crisis

from

Pompeii on the American Riviera

One firefighter called the blaze a “three-headed monster”: it’s moving in three directions at once, and given the wind, its movement is unpredictable. As of yesterday, seventy-five homes were destroyed and thousands more were in danger. No deaths have been reported, though eleven firefighters have been injured. In spite of all this, Satya reports that “spirits are high. I think the whole town is just in awe of what could’ve been, if the emergency crews—all those involved, from city officials to police to firefighters—had not been as prepared and outfitted with resources as they have been.” Such preparedness is the slightly charred silver lining left behind by Santa Barbara’s last major fire, which was extinguished just six months ago.

It remains to be seen what will become of all those dismal cruise vacations, lately rerouted from Mexico through the “American Riviera” (i.e. Santa Barbara) due to swine-flu concerns. Crisis meets crisis.