California wildfires

California Wildfires

Wildfires are increasingly becoming a common problem in California. The state currently tops in the list of American states that experience destructive and deadliest fires. The current paper discusses California wildfires. It uses the scientific methods to explore factors that cause wildfires in California, and the impact of the disasters. The paper also recommends what needs to be done in order to address the calamities.

Observation

In the year 2020, California set a new record of wildfires. It experienced 10,431 fires that burned up 4,092,151 acres of land (III, 2021). Just like in the past, California wildfires last for weeks and sometimes for months. Most of the fires break out in July and go up to November. During this period, the state experiences frequent hot and dry winds (Li & Banerjee, 2021). The recent wildfires in California can be attributed to climate change, and population increase. Climate change has led to an increase in temperatures, and prolonged droughts. About 2.7 million persons in California live in areas considered to be fire hazard zones (Li & Banerjee, 2021). Some of the major common sources of California wildfires include lightening, electric power lines, arsonists, and equipment such as grinders and chainsaws that generate sparks. The wildfires lead to loss of human lives, damage of property, displacement of people, destruction of infrastructure, and other negative effects (Struzik, 2017; Van Wagtendonk et al., 2018). This situation calls for emergency preparedness as one of the mitigation measures against the impact of the fires.

Problem Associated with the Phenomenon

One of the major problems associated with California wildfires is its negative economic impact (Struzik, 2017; Gagliardi, 2020; Hamilton, 2020). This is due to the fact that the wildfires cause a serious financial burden (Van Wagtendonk et al., 2018; Gagliardi, 2020). A lot of money is spent in suppressing the fire. The money is mainly used in the procurement of rescue equipment, and coordination of response teams. Apart from suppression, some amount is spent on preventing future occurrences of the calamity. For instance, county and local firefighting departments require money for emergency preparedness. It is also important to note that since wildfires cause damages on homes, property and infrastructure, reconstruction is necessary. Therefore, money is needed for repairs. Additionally, some residents of California have found it necessary to insure their properties against fire damage. This means that insurance companies have to compensate their clients if a wildfire breaks out.

Hypothesis

This study was based on the following hypotheses:

  • Climate change is the main cause of Wildfires in California.
  • California wildfires cause health problems.
  • The wildfires can be prevented through the use of sustainable response and recovery resources.

Empirical Evidence

Li et al (2019) explored various possible reasons for occurrence of wildfires. The researchers used surface temperature, precipitation trends, wind data, and other factors in making important observations. They found that high temperatures, low precipitation, and enhanced surface winds are some of the factors that have created a favorable environment for strong wildfires in the state of California.

Rosenthal et al (2021) sought to determine the social and health effects of 2017 and 2018 California wildfires. From the results of the study, it was established that unemployment inaccessibility, and lack of secure and safe housing were the major social problems experienced by the survivors. On the other hand, poor emotional and mental well-being, and lack of access to healthcare resources were found to be the main health concerns faced by the affected locals. The researchers proposed that response to wildfires must focus on the use of sustainable recovery resources.

On his part, Nagano (2019) examined how the catastrophic wildfires experienced in California could be mitigated. The researcher suggested that since the wildfires cause a financial burden, there is need to spread the cost across government agencies, private organizations, and local residents. This strategy can help to ensure that the financial problem that the wildfires cause in California is effectively dealt with by being shared.

Results

The results of the above research work show that climate change is one of the major sources of wildfires that occur in California. Climate change has led to increase in atmospheric temperature, and it has altered wind and precipitation patterns. Such changes serve as risk factors for wildfire outbreaks.

The above sources of information also reveal that California wildfires are associated with some health challenges. The calamity affects the survivors’ mental and emotional health. Apart from this, the wildfires as well make it difficult for the victims of the disaster to access healthcare services. This leads to poor health outcomes.

Lastly, the research information shows that California wildfires present a problem that is addressable and manageable. For instance, there is need to ensure that resources used during response or recovery are sustainable. In order to overcome the financial burden caused by the fires, it is necessary to embrace the aspect of sharing costs among the stakeholders.

Conclusion

From the above findings, it can be concluded that climate change is indeed one of the major drivers of wildfires in California. This change has led to dry conditions that favor fire outbreaks. It can also be concluded that California wildfires are associated with detrimental health effects. These include mental, emotional, and physical health problems. Moreover, it may be concluded that wildfires that are common in California can be prevented. Emergency preparedness can help to ensure that the state is not caught off guard.

All these conclusions support the hypotheses on which the study was based. This is due to the fact that the findings of the study associate California wildfires with climate change. It is also shown that the fires result in health challenges. The findings as well suggest that emergency preparedness that focuses on the sustainability of resources used in recovery and response can help to address the problem of wildfires in California.

References:

Gagliardi, S. (2020). California wildfires.  Lake Elmo, MN: Focus Readers.

Hamilton, S. L. (2020). Fleeing California wildfires. Minneapolis : Abdo Publishing.

Insurance Information Institute (III). (2021). Facts + Statistics: Wildfires. Retrieved from https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-wildfires

Li, A. X., Wang, Y., & Yung, Y. L. (2019). Inducing Factors and Impacts of the October 2017 California Wildfires. Earth and Space Science, 6 (8): 1480-1488. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000661

Li, S., & Banerjee, T. (2021). Spatial and temporal pattern of wildfires in California from 2000 to 2019. Sci Rep, 11 (8779). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88131-9

Nagano, S. M. (2019). The Price is Light: Socializing the Cost of Wildfires in California. Environmental Claims Journal, 32 (3): 179-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/10406026.2019.1706895

Rosenthal, A., Stover, E., & Haar, R. J. (2021). Health and social impacts of California wildfires and the deficiencies in current recovery resources: An exploratory qualitative study of systems-level issues. PLoS ONE, 16 (3): e0248617. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248617

Struzik, E. (2017). Firestorm: How wildfire will shape our future. Washington, DC: Island Press.

Van Wagtendonk, J. W., Sugihara, N. G Stephens, S. L., Thode, A. E., Shaffer, K. E., & Fites-Kaufman, J. A. (2018). Fire in California’s ecosystems. Oakland, California : University of California Press.

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