Devastating fires spread rapidly in Southern California; 5 dead – National & International News – WED 8Jan2025

Devastating fires spread rapidly in Southern California; 5 dead.

Over 3 months after Helene, many in North Carolina still without adequate shelter.

Devastating fires spread rapidly in Southern California; 5 dead

Since early Tuesday morning, multiple wildfires have so far burned over 20,000 acres in areas surrounding Los Angeles, CA. The Eaton fire has killed five people and burned over 10,000 acres around Pasadena. The Palisades fire in the wealthy enclave of Pacific Palisades has burned over 1,000 structures. The Palisades fire has blazed through over 16,000 acres, with about 11,000 of those acres still actively burning. The fires have forced over 100,000 Californians to evacuate. There are several other smaller fires in the area, including the Hurst and Woodley fires.

The fires are spreading rapidly, whipped up by powerful winds from the Pacific known as the Santa Ana winds. CalFire currently has all the fires listed as 0% contained. Not only have firefighting resources been brought from around California but from other states including Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington State. The governors of Florida and New York have also offered assistance.

The fires have also seriously affected utilities. Currently, more than 300,000 customers are without power in California. The demands of fighting the fire have also put a strain on the water supply of the drought prone area. In the Palisades fire alone, firefighters used over 3 million gallons of water in 15 hours.

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Over 3 months after Hurricane Helene, many in NC still without adequate shelter

Since Hurricane Helene wrought $60 billion worth of destruction and left thousands homeless in North Carolina alone, many residents displaced by the storm are still in temporary shelters. FEMA ceased paying for hotel rooms for the unhoused shortly after Thanksgiving, and FEMA trailers have also been slow to arrive. This has left many people, including families with young children, roughing it in vehicles, tents and  inadequately housed as winter storms bear down, often in cars or tents. North Carolina’s newly-sworn in Gov. Josh Stein is touting a new state program to purchase 1000 camper trailers to be installed on residents’ property to see them through the winter. However, over 12,000 were displaced by the storm.

With immediate needs still unmet, long-term rebuilding and recovery needs are still even further from being fulfilled. Western North Carolina has been approved for $1.6 billion in federal funds to address critical needs like infrastructure repairs and housing”. However, these funds won’t be available for several months and only after local councils approve an action plan to be submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. While it will certainly be a good start for recovery, Gov. Stein said that given the scale of destruction in his state, current funding is “nowhere near adequate”.

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