StormExchange's Blog

BOTTOM LINE WEATHER POINTS 
- Many victims of California wildfires looking to rebuild in same high-risk region.
- Cost of firefighting this year at $300 million, compared to $206 million in 2006-07. 
- Experts criticize California for lack of fire prevention in vulnerable northeast region.

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Despite the risks of rebuilding near the fire-prone foothills of Southern California, several victims of the latest firestorm are determined to stay in the region.

More than 1,000 Southern California homes were consumed by a wave of wind-swept fires since last Thursday. The communities damaged include the celebrity cove of Montecito, the northeastern Los Angeles suburbs of Sylmar and several neighborhoods in Orange County, according to Reuters.

But in spite of the devastation, some experts are unconvinced of California's commitment to protecting residents who decide to rebuild in the vulnerable northeast corner of the state.

"After every fire there is a big, blue-ribbon panel that has a bunch of recommendations, and then we go back and do the easiest thing and forget about it until it happens again," said Travis Longcore, a professor at the University of Southern California who specializes in sustainable cities.

Even after an outbreak of 30 wildfires that charred some 2,000 homes across Southern California last October -- forcing an unprecedented 500,000 evacuations in the state -- Longcore said government has shown no sign of tightening regulation or willingness to tax developers and home buyers in high-risk fire areas.

"We lack the political willpower to actually say 'No,' and until that changes we will continue to see things like this happen," Longcore said.

But while officials contend that safety measures are being enforced, including stricter building codes for mobile homes and numerous restrictions on hillside development, they concede that wildfires will always be a natural occurrence in California.

"It's a city built in the middle of a semi-desert on the one hand and in the wilderness on the other," said Zev Yaroslavsky, a member of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. "The issue here is not development versus no development. The issue is that development that takes place ought to be safe ... and we can do that."

The cost of fighting wildfires this season has already reached $300 million, up from $206 million for the entire 2006-07 fire season. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said California has a reserve to pay for the high firefighting bills despite the state's deepening budget deficit.