Hi to all

[CharlesHarris]

Grey Ghost, you have chosen a worthy screen name which honours John Singleton Mosby of the Army of Northern Virginia during what the elder members of my family still call "the war of Northern Aggression."

Some of us here are in the USA, but are here to observe and learn from a different perspective, and to contribute when we feel that what we have to say is of general interest and applicable also in the UK.

Watching the terrible fires in California, and living in a forest in the mid-Atlantic Appalachians, we could potentially be affected by wildfires in a dry year, but fortunately not to the extent those poor souls do at the mercy of the el Diablo storms in NorCal.

The takeaway is to have a grad & go evac bag always packed and ready to go if you must in a moment's notice. I was generally OK, but have since rethought that prep, and my former business travel carry-on trolley is now kept under the bed, ready to roll, and not stashed in a closet with important items, such as passport and cash missing...

Welcome aboard and peruse the archives, a treasure trove of information. Being prepared is not paranoid.