User talk:Thewellman/User 2017 wildfire

Response to proposed deletion

The recent northern California wildfire is more exceptional than might be inferred from the deletion proposal. It has been described as "the deadliest week of wildfires in California history." Comparison with the Oakland firestorm of 1991 is informative. Diablo wind conditions were a contributing factor to both fires, but heavy rainfall during the preceding winter produced greater volumes of desiccated vegetation as fuel for the 2017 fires. Twenty-five people died in the Oakland firestorm, while the incomplete death count for the 2017 wildfire has reached 40. The Oakland firestorm destroyed 2,843 single-family dwellings and 437 apartment and condominium units, while the 2017 wildfire destruction to date has been estimated as 5,700 structures. While Wikipedia was only a dream in 1991, the San Francisco Bay area of 2017 is home to many active Wikipedia editors, and there are editors among people who have traveled here to fight these fires or provide services to residents who have lost their homes. I attempted to contact the seven users who list Sonoma County as their home, and only one responded. We can hope the other six are merely distracted by surrounding events rather than displaced from their homes. People survive events like this with shared memories lasting a lifetime. I don't mean to suggest such experiences are any more significant than other unifying factors identified by userboxes; but early recognition of these editors' experience may enhance cooperation in this devisive era. Thewellman (talk) 02:32, 16 October 2017 (UTC)