Los Angeles Wildfire
While Hurricane Harvey was hitting the east coast in Houston, a very different natural disaster was devastating the west coast in Los Angeles. Starting Friday afternoon in the midst of a heat wave, a huge wildfire has grown to almost 6,000 acres in the San Fernando Valley. The "La Tuna" fire, aided by turbulent winds, has quickly engulfed 3-4 houses and injured multiple firemen. Only 10% of the fire, which could be Los Angeles's largest fire in history, has been contained by the 1,000 firefighters dispatched. Governor Jerry Brown was forced to declare a state of emergency to receive state and federal assistance. More than 700 homes have been ordered to evacuate in Burbank, Los Angeles, and Glendale and more evacuations are to come.
Local Tracy Goldman, a resident in a neighborhood close to the fire, said, "Honestly, it's my worst fear. This is something I've talked about - we bought this house two and a half years ago, and spent so much time fixing it up and making it a dream home." It's scary how quickly one's life can be completely destroyed and how years of working for stability can be for nothing. Situations like this are important in making people more grateful for their belongings and help communities strengthen around this tragedy.
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/western-wildfires/los-angeles-wildfire-grows-governor-declares-state-emergency-n798491
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/residents-worry-keep-faith-los-angeles-brushfire-burns-near-homes-n798366
I agree with what you said about communities being strengthened, these natural disasters are awful, but are really good at bringing people together. In the past month we have seen some of the ugliest parts of humanity (the marches in Charlottesville) and we've seen how in the face of disaster we can band together to help out and save those that need it.
ReplyDeleteI found it quite interesting that I had not heard about the situation in Los Angeles until yesterday. The amount of coverage on what is now Los Angeles' largest wildfire in history seems to be quite limited. Of course, this is due to the destruction of Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, but I feel that this situation needs to be covered on much heavier by various news sources.
ReplyDeleteMost of Montana is also currently covered in smoke and flames. Things like this really do help people to be thankful for what they have. It is sad that tragedies usually bring out the best in communities. It's just like the shooting that happened here in Dallas, it brought all sorts of individuals who care about their community.
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