Letter: Drought conditions and wildfire

The unusual fall drought we're experiencing could trigger a potentially threatening wildfire ["Long Island experiencing moderate drought," News, Oct. 24]. Just yesterday, there was a brush fire at Bethpage State Park.

Many people don't understand how fires can travel from a nearby community to theirs. Though the April 2012 wildfire was several miles distant from their homes, the distance can close fast when a fire is traveling straight through open forest lands.

Wildfire can spread to drought stricken subsurface soils and roots, and up through drying shrubs and trees. The unique Long Island pine barrens, covering more than 100,000 acres, adds fuel to the potential for wildfire.

In April 2012, the wind whipped, and it was a dry day. I had to take a North Shore route home late that night to avoid the fire.

At that time, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency for Suffolk County. Long Island has no easy escape route for its inhabitants.

That fire caught many Long Islanders off guard. So on your next walk outside, see beyond the fall colors. See that plants are droopy, and that the evergreens are browning and or yellowing. Dig down into the earth and examine soil moisture. Watch the winds and lower afternoon humidity. Snap off a dead tree limb and feel for moisture.

We need to be intelligent, realize what to look for and be ready.

Mindy Block, Port Jefferson

Editor's note: The writer is the founder of Quality Parks, which runs naturalist education programs.

Social Security raise is meager

It is interesting to note that our government tells us there is no or little inflation ["Social Security to adjust up 1.5%, smallest in 38 years," Business, Oct. 30]. Perhaps government officials didn't see my school taxes go up 9.6 percent this year or 11.3 percent last year. Maybe they didn't see monthly Medicare premiums go up 5 percent last year or the myriad increases in other user fees and taxes.

But I'm not complaining. I'll take my $19 a month in January, because of course, everyone knows there's no inflation.

Eugene Guerin, New Hyde Park

More schools should go vegetarian

Schools this year have improved their lunch menus to include less junk food, according to a report from the Centers on Disease Control. However, I cannot wrap my head around the fact that our society and the world of academia as a whole have not hopped on the PS 244 bandwagon and converted to an all-vegetarian menu. In May, PS 244 in Queens became the first public school in New York City to adopt all-vegetarian lunches.

Our children's health and nutrition play a major role in their academic success. Fueling our bodies with whole grains, tofu and vegetables is like using higher octane gasoline in a car. We have so much more respect for fueling our cars with "the best" and think less about the fuel we supply our bodies.

PS 244 has made a mindful, respectful, responsible decision on behalf of children to supply lunches that will be the foundation for a productive day.

Eileen Scanlon Christofi, Bethpage

Flushing the waters of Great South Bay

I saw the excellent article on the problems of pollution in Long Island's waterways, "Trouble blooming on LI's waterways" [News, Oct. 23].

An outflow pipe with a control valve system could cleanse the bay, and also be reversed to abate bay flooding when the tides are different at the bay and the ocean levels. This could effectively drain the bay when the winds keep pushing the water levels west, raising the tides to flood levels.

This is a project that could be a good use of federal money.

John Brooks, Garden City

Experience works against jobless

Whenever I read the new unemployment numbers, I think back. More than four years ago, I was informed that my once complacent, conventional existence would be altered when I lost my job ["Weekly jobless claims drop," Business, Nov. 1]. It seems that once-notable attributes -- such as being educated in more than one area and demonstrating longevity before a layoff -- actually work against a potential candidate now.

Additionally, the unemployed, with our credentials and personal information now online, receive phone inquires from so-called employment recruiters who are really frauds.

In today's economy, the general consensus seems to be that I have been without work too long, I'm too expensive to hire or my experience negates my qualification for an entry-level position. I've experienced every emotion of being unemployed: anger, depression, despair, anxiety, panic, shock and the most damaging, stress. By grace, mercy and an extremely supportive family, I remain grounded and focused.

Kisha Lockhart, Baldwin