How did this happen? Will the LA wildfires become the new norm?
This was originally written as an exasperated Facebook post while the Palisades fire raged a short distance from us. The first night of the fire, our power went out, the winds were blowing at near hurricane strength and we could see flames rising 30-40 feet high off in the not-too-distance. We slept with a transistor radio broadcasting reports all night in case we got the word to evacuate, as our mobile phones were too low on power to use for regular updates. A scary night, but the next day, the power came back and we were able to keep up with news and updates. I have been photographing and writing about water and drought stories here in California, and Los Angeles in particular since 2008, the following is based on my observations and understanding of the situation. I hope it helps you understand things better
January 9, 10:38 AM
I am exhausted! This is the third day of what can only be described as an apocalyptic moment in the history of Los Angeles. That said, as I see more and more images of the devastation and hear stories about friends and friends of friends who’ve lost everything, I am profoundly grateful that my family is safe and that we have lost nothing but peace of mind and some sleep.
The fires rage on, astoundingly at 0% containment. If you have ever followed the course of a wildfire, it is mind-boggling to see that at this stage, it is still raging out of control at 0%. And not one, but at least three or four fires are currently burning in Los Angeles.
People ask, how did this happen?
The short answer is that no matter how prepared the city might have been, fighting four or five major wildfires in an area as spread out as Los Angeles taxed the resources of firefighters and first responders to a level never seen before. There may be some blame to go around, but honestly, this was a cataclysmic event that may only be an indication of things to come.
We got here because of the way climate change has affected the natural cycles in Southern California, and Los Angeles in particular. This gives us evidence that what might have been considered aberrant weather behavior in the past is an indication of what the normal cycles have become and will continue to be. Last winter, we had record-breaking rainfall, and as a result, record-breaking growth of foliage and plants, which, in wildfire jargon, is called fuel. This rainfall was then followed by nine months of drought—virtually no rainfall. The result is a tinderbox of uncleared growth ready to ignite.
That ignition comes in the form of Santa Ana winds, a natural weather cycle in Southern California, but now these winds are exacerbated to hurricane strength—80, 90, and even over 100-mile-an-hour wind gusts. These dry winds come from the desert and reduce humidity levels to single-digit percentages, and that is where we find ourselves today. It doesn’t take much—a spark of any sort can start a wildfire, which then grows at exponential rates and can go from 10 acres to 200 acres to 10,000 acres within 24 hours.
These cycles of heavy rainfall followed by years of drought, as I indicated, are becoming the natural cycle. And what we are seeing here in Los Angeles is probably the spearhead of what we will see in other places. So the lessons learned here should be taken very seriously if we are in any way willing or desiring to mitigate the effects of climate change and the disasters it causes.
That said, the incoming administration’s slogan is “drill, baby, drill,” a farcical and terrifying response to the reality that the planet is facing.
Do what you can, help others, and stay educated.