(Letter to the Editor - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Trump and my nemesis blame the extreme environmentalists for the L.A. fires, citing spurious information and unchecked facts. Here is my interpretation of key issues.

Trump’s suggestion to bring water from northern California to L.A. was a waste of time and effort. City management failed to consider climate change issues associated with recent fires when scheduling reservoir maintenance and not having it ready for fire season. After the first day water rationing should have been implemented: flushing toilets only for #2, dish and clothes washing every other day, and etc. This might inconvenience Trumplicans and help only at the margins. It would show community solidarity.

There were water distribution problems. Firemen connecting to a hydrant might find insufficient water pressure. Moving to one three blocks away gave sufficient pressure for operation.

Trump with an intellectual level and common sense of a 6th grader cannot address these issues. I verified this to my satisfaction from his participation in a TV interview and corroborated it with another source. Only someone with an engineering background can do the necessary calculations to make this judgment.

Water pipes were sized in approximately 192X to maintain enough pressure to fight two house fires from one hydrant and knock down flames reaching for adjacent houses. The cost to size water pipes for adequate water pressure everywhere when the neighborhood is in flames for a once-in-a-millennia fire would be HUGE. Based on weather conditions then, the designers would not consider that scenario.

They mention having a small army — migrants? — to remove dead brush. They fail to mention the unprecedented drought that caused all this. When the rain comes after this and the hill sides and roads wash away there will be more rebuilding. Who will do all the replanting to prevent this?

They talk about fire breaks without considering the Santa Ana winds. During the fire the winds increased from approximately 40 mph to 70 gusting to 100. This can carry embers for approximately 1 mile and start new fires.

Firemen need to be less aggressive fighting these fires because they need to watch their back to keep a line of retreat open.

They talked about sending fire equipment to Ukraine. They DID NOT send any fire trucks, etc. there.

Various locals in California sent extra hose, and etc. None of this would have helped L.A. They needed more men.

Trump has a penchant for reservoirs and piping. His explanation for the Asheville, N.C. catastrophe might go like this. A reservoir in N.C. where a worker hired under Biden’s DEl criteria opened a flood gate and created the flood of the millennia for Asheville. My nemesis will support Trump 100%.

The only thread connecting the fire and flood is CLIMATE CHANGE. I guess it is too much to ask Trump, MiC, for some common sense.

Gregory Cigal

Parkersburg