Shades of “Cerro Grande” in 2000
 |
| Las Conchas wildfire nears Los Alamos LA Medical Center in foreground (June 27, 2011) |
Related source » Fire destroys 30 structures as it nears Los Alamos nuke labI was there (in the flesh, so to speak) for the so-called "Cerro Grande" fire/evacuation in May of 2000. All of us living in Los Alamos and White Rock at that time became refugees in either Santa Fe or Albuquerque for about 10 days or so. My own home was spared any noticeable damage, but some people lost everything (if it wasn't insured). I, personally, don't know of anyone, however, who didn't carry insurance.
Mandatory evacuations for town; first atomic bomb was built at complex
[This related source is recommended in its entirety.]
“SANTA FE, N.M. — A raging wildfire spread to within one mile of the nation's preeminent nuclear weapons facility on Monday after destroying 30 structures, including some homes, overnight. Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory scrambled to make sure that radioactive and hazardous material were protected from the wind-driven fire that has forced the installation to close. By Monday afternoon, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for the town of Los Alamos, population 12,000, after residents had earlier been advised to leave. […] The fire was eerily similar to one of the most destructive fires in New Mexico history. That fire, the Cerro Grande, burned some 47,000 acres — 73 square miles — in May 2000 and caused more than $1 billion in property damage. About 400 homes and 100 buildings on lab property were destroyed in that fire. That blaze also raised concerns about toxic runoff and radioactive smoke, although Roark said no contaminants were released in the Cerro Grande fire.”
— Weather - msnbc.com
As I recall, the insurance companies responded admirably. I don't recall hearing any horror stories about dealing with them (but that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't occur). The Lab did not experience any critical damage (no pun intended), at least not to my knowledge.
The current fire sounds at least as bad as the one in May of 2000. I hope the Town, the Laboratory, and, most of all, the people make it through this potential calamity with minimal casualty.
UPDATE: July 1, 2011
 |
| Omega Bridge, Los Alamos (27 June 2011) Some rights reserved by LANL |
Related source » Los Alamos Officials Plan for Return of ResidentsUPDATE 2: July 21, 2011
[This related source is recommended in its entirety.]
“LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – As firefighters held their ground Friday on the flank of a massive wildfire that burned near the nation's premier nuclear weapons laboratory, officials at the lab and in the surrounding town began planning for the return of thousands of residents and employees who fled the area earlier this week.
Officials didn't give a timetable for when they would lift the five-day-old evacuation order for the northern New Mexico town of Los Alamos, normally home to 12,000 residents. But some county workers were back Friday to prepare for the eventual rush of utility service calls, as well as possible flooding from surrounding mountainsides denuded by the wildfire.
With the fire burning several miles upslope from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, officials were confident the blaze no longer posed an immediate threat to the lab, where experiments on two supercomputers and studies on extending the life of 1960s-era B61 nuclear bombs have been put on hold.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/01/crews-battle-nm-fire-which-pushes-into-canyon/#ixzz1Qy1PTyqA”
— Published July 01, 2011 | Associated Press (foxnews.com)
 |
| A house in Los Alamos burns during Cerro Grande fire Image via Wikimedia Commons |
Related source » The 25 Worst Mistakes In HistoryPost 1,665 Wildfire Nears Los Alamos
New Mexico loses control of a controlled burn in the Cerro Grande
[This related source is recommended in its entirety.]
“Loss in 2000: $1 billion in property damage
Inflation-adjusted: $1.3 billion
The Cerro Grande fire in New Mexico in 2000 started as a prescribed fire which spread due to high winds and drought conditions.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/worst-mistakes-in-history-2011-4?op=1#ixzz1Slq4xI3v”
— Leah Goldman and Gus Lubin | Apr. 26, 2011 (businessinsider.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment