San Diego Came Together, Spanish-Speakers Left Out

During the 2003 Cedar fire there was a sense of panic and chaos. This week, with the Witch Creek and Harris fires, there was quick and controlled response to the fires. Homeowners were notified.

Evacuations were timely and orderly. Emergency shelters were established and all the communities throughout San Diego jumped in together to volunteer, donate, and offer support in any way possible. The sense of panic we felt in 2003 was not visible and was supplanted by a community coming together.

All San Diegans should feel proud for the way they have responded to this emergency.

Some lessons from the 2003 Cedar fire have been learned. There is greater coordination between agencies. There is more air support. There is better communication. There is military support and the federal government responded in a timely fashion, probably a lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina.

Another lesson learned from the 2003 fires was homeowners have taken precautions to fire-proof their homes by clearing brush from their property and roofing their homes with fire-retardant materials. These improvements saved many homes.

While some lessons have been learned, it quickly became obvious that San Diego was still woefully under prepared for this disaster.

Read More