Looking to move here in the future, but concerned about wildfires (Portland: renter, insurance)

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by potanta

The Midwest, unless you mean the states in the very middle of the country where it is arid on its western end? I just Googled that and it says that the Midwest summers are humid. I've actually learned in a Physics course in college that the Midwest climate is actually worse than the East Coast climate because the oceans are responsible for regulating temperatures. In coastal states, oceans keep the land cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, so the Midwest actually gets more extremes due to not having an ocean. The ocean also stops tornadoes, however, due to climate change, South Jersey has been tornadoes for the past few years.

Midwest climate is so miserable because there is nothing taller than a gopher mound between the Gulf and the Arctic Circle. They're always getting whacked by one or the other. One of the things I love about Oregon is that the climate here is so heavenly.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by simply1

What do you want people to be doing, sprawling out all over the countryside?

That is not a bad idea. If you don't want to live with space around you, you should probably just rent an apartment. What ever you do, you need to make sure your house is fireproof. It's seems that very few people bother to do that.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Cinema Cat

For anyone in fire prone areas, it's a good idea to replace you roof with a fireproof roof. Some houses have tin roofs. And some roof tiles are fireproof.

That would almost certainly reduce your chances of your home burning in a wildfire. It doesn't totally eliminate the danger, but it's a good first step.

[SusVelo]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

That is not a bad idea. If you don't want to live with space around you, you should probably just rent an apartment. What ever you do, you need to make sure your house is fireproof. It's seems that very few people bother to do that.

Just trying to rectify the massive car heavy infrastructure that would be required for your proposal, and total destruction of all natural areas and the ecosystems there.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Cinema Cat

For anyone in fire prone areas, it's a good idea to replace you roof with a fireproof roof. Some houses have tin roofs. And some roof tiles are fireproof.

Don't forget to install fireproof windows. Steel frames and pyroceram or neoceram are pretty fire resistant. In the old days, flint glass was popular.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by simply1

Just trying to rectify the massive car heavy infrastructure that would be required for your proposal, and total destruction of all natural areas and the ecosystems there.

Car infrastructure is generally more of a problem in densely populated areas.

[SusVelo]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Car infrastructure is generally more of a problem in densely populated areas.

You want everyone living on acreage, do you not understand that leads to massive sprawl and needing roads everywhere?

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by simply1

You want everyone living on acreage, do you not understand that leads to massive sprawl and needing roads everywhere?

People don't understand the danger of sprawl into rural areas, because Oregon has had land use planning since '83. If you want to see what sprinkling houses randomly in the country is like, look at the Camp fire in Paradise in 2018. 85 people dead.

[Veritas Vincit]

I think even if you live in the urbanized cores of the big cities where you might be mostly safe from wildfires directly affecting you, the smoke and resulting air quality issues are kind of concerning. So I think this fire issue really affects the general QOL in the West no matter where.

On the issues of housing. The way some of the fires have kind of haphazardly picked their way through communities indicates that it wasnt so much a fire front as much as embers being pushed long distances by the winds starting spotfires all over in a random fashion. Youd need to make your house legit fireproof (which is possible but expensive) to avoid that. And firefighting is basically a lost cause when fires are driven by wind. Nothing on this planet can stop a fire on a run.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Veritas Vincit

I think even if you live in the urbanized cores of the big cities where you might be mostly safe from wildfires directly affecting you, the smoke and resulting air quality issues are kind of concerning. So I think this fire issue really affects the general QOL in the West no matter where.

On the issues of housing. The way some of the fires have kind of haphazardly picked their way through communities indicates that it wasnt so much a fire front as much as embers being pushed long distances by the winds starting spotfires all over in a random fashion. Youd need to make your house legit fireproof (which is possible but expensive) to avoid that. And firefighting is basically a lost cause when fires are driven by wind. Nothing on this planet can stop a fire on a run.

I agree 100%. I think wild fires are a major health issue for all Americans regardless of where you live. And staying indoors is not a solution either. Last week I had all my windows and doors closed, and still had smoke pouring into my apartment. It was just about killing me. I was close to calling an ambulance to take me to the hospital. We must have good air quality. And no managing the forests as our anti-science leader proposes is not the answer either, other then to put out the fires.