2020 was a bad year for the whole world.
In particular, it was a horrible year for California. Anyone plugged into the internet, whether it is through your Unifi package or AT&T packages, you most likely heard about the fires California had to deal with.
Wildland fires are a completely natural part of California. But last year proved it to be a difficult and destructive year for California. Fires in California have been growing monstrously in size and it is only predicted to get worse. Residents of California are normally fire prepared. But 2020 left them in an unprecedented blaze, covered in fiery stormy winds that resulted in over 10,000 incidents. Sources suggest that the fires in the year have burned over 2.2 million acres of land and destroyed livelihoods, in more than one way. Loss of vegetation to the destruction of homes are invaluable losses to people.
Not to mention the COVID 19, which only worsened the fear in beloved Californians. COVID-19 compromised the efforts of prevention against wildfires.
Many factors contribute to the condition. The most obvious being, climate change and maybe poor forest management and lack of awareness. According to research California’s fires are only going to double within the coming years and the acreages burned will also increase. Climate change that brought rising heat and hot summers is definitely a huge part of how 2020 fires played out. And of course, the ultimate gender reveals party, a man-made mistake that ignited a wildfire consuming 20,000 acres. Gender reveal parties that were popularized because of access to the internet, such as the unifi my, have been responsible for more than one fire across the world. The heat of September of 2020 certainly did not help control in extinguishing the fire.
The last life-threatening wildfire in California was over 2 years ago in 2018, which resulted in 86 deaths and one person missing. The cause of the fire ignition was a result of a faulty electrical transmission line of Pacific Gas and Electrical Company (PG&E). In the year before that California also saw a series of deadly fires that lead to 50 deaths around the region. People are still reeling from the impact of destruction and loss. Having an unifi broadband in the luxury of your home that is safe from much of the natural fire hazards is considered a blessing for countries like Malaysia.
What Contributes To The Wildfires?
We already know that fires are only inevitable in California. But there is no one clear-cut reason for the wildfires. Many factors at play in California.
Reason Number One: Climate Change
The science connects the dots on why Californians are suffering from savage fires that are burning at an alarming rate. Climate change brought about higher temperatures and drought which made the perfect bedding and setting for fire ignition in the grasslands of California. Summers are only getting hotter and hotter in California. The air is drier and so is the land. Precipitation has decreased and the vapor deficit is on a new level. The dry spell along with hot summers are the perfect feeders of fire.
Reason Number Two: Wind
When wind meets the seasonal fires of California, it spells impending disaster for the state. California has two types of Winds. Santa Ana like winds and Diablo winds. Santa ana winds occur in the south of the state while Diablo winds are reserved for north and central parts. When a spark meets these winds, it intensifies the blaze making it difficult to control. The winds are especially dangerous when combined with the precedented effects of climate change: the rising temperature.
Reason Number Three: Accidental Mishaps and Equipment Use
The more common reasons for wildfires in California are human-made mistakes and accidents. Research suggests that people are responsible for over 90% of fires in coastal California. Normally resulted because of equipment used such as lawnmowers. A big example of the accidental deadly fires caused by accidents and man-made are the campfire because of PG&E as well the fire that ignited as a result of the gender party reveal in 2020.
Reason Number Three: Lightning Strikes
Weather conditions are also largely responsible for wildfires in California. 2020 had its share of human’s igniting fires but the majority of wildfires ravaged the communities on the west coast as a result of lightning. A bizarre series of lightning strikes in Northern California has led to Californian wildfires that burned three million acres. It was recorded that there was 14,000 lightning struck in a 72 hour period. This caused 900 wildfires and that got worsened and intensified as a result of the intense climate change and dryness.
What Can You Do To Fight Against The Wildfires?
California is in desperate need of help. They are in great need of volunteers now more than ever. However, California also has seen a decline in the number of volunteer firefighters force in the past year. This may be a result of the COVID-19, which was another added burden to the state. Current volunteers are now aging out and they need active young volunteers.
Firefighter volunteers have a rather dangerous job scope, so it is quite a struggle for the state to find new people to recruit. However, firefighters are crucial to the prevention of wildfire disasters. In California, the volunteers are trained just as they would train a paid firefighter. Safety is not compromised even if you are a volunteer.
If you cannot become a volunteer firefighter, there are other ways you can reach out to help the community. Red cross teams pull up teams of mental health, disaster management, shelter response teams, and community outreach projects. Roles are assigned to teams based on the qualification of each individual and they must be willing to work one on-call shift each week and complete monthly volunteer meetings along with training.
If volunteering is not in your fort, contributions can be made to wildfire response funds as well.
