Human Genetics Superimposed Upon Tragedy

I arrived in San Diego today, where I'll be attending the American Society of Human Genetics meeting. 

As I grew up in this town, the somewhat hairy airport approach cutting low over the buildings on the northern fringe of downtown always brings a smile to my face; it means that I'm almost back home.  However, this particular trip is a sad one too, as a quarter of a million people in San Diego County have been evacuated from their homes - victims of wildfires currently consuming Southern California.

Those of us who surfed while growing up here loved the "Santa Ana" winds.  The prevailing winds here are "onshore," from west to east.  However, periodically during Santa Ana's, the wind direction reverses with offshore winds bringing hot, dry air from deserts.  These winds hold up and shape the waves making the surfers very happy, but they can have a sinister side as we are seeing with the fires this week. 

After experiencing something similar a few years back, it seems like so far the city, county, and state governments have learned from their mistakes and are working fairly well together.  And this disaster seems to be bringing out the best in San Diegans, with many contributing food, shelter, and other resources to their displaced neighbors.

It's going to be a busy week at the meeting.  I'll do my best to keep up with the blogging and keep you posted on new and exciting developments.  I had intended for this post to be a rundown of exciting things to look forward to at the meeting.  However, for now, I'm hard pressed to do anything but watch the tragedy unfold for San Diego County and other areas of Southern California.