I live in a southern California coastal community just north of Malibu, and the last few days has been terrible. A thick cloud of smoke has hung in the air like a thick marine layer, causing us to turn on the lights inside the house periodically in the middle of the afternoon. Tonight, we are getting our usual on-shore breeze and I can see stars in the sky … evidence that the Santa Ana winds have abated. They may be back, but any break is a good thing.

California handles disaster pretty well, in part because our citizens tend to pull together when these things happen. People volunteer to help others with their animals, they open their homes to strangers who need a place to stay, and businesses do what they can (David Geffen has directed his staff at his Malibu Inn to provide facilities and food to the fire fighters there at no charge).

There are comparisons to Katrina out there, including at Hot Air, but the comparison with a hurricane is probably not fair. The rest of the infrastructure, like the roads, businesses, services, etc., is still in tact just a mile away from any of the fire’s “fronts”. Evacuations are easier in that regard, even if you don’t have a full tank of gas … just a few miles away you’ll find every thing you need. That wasn’t the case for the Louisianians who fled from Katrina, who faced price gouging and already-closed services.

Not to mention the courage of our first responders in this state. They are simply the best out there, putting themselves literally between the fire and houses. Sometimes just feet from the wall of flame, they are often able to make a difference. And we plan for these things.