If you live on the west coast of the United States, chances are you’re familiar with wildfire season. Between August and November in particular, many parts of the western U.S. are at risk for excessive dryness and extreme heat that enable wildfires to grow rapidly. These fires can build upon a domino effect of sorts, creating patterns of violent wind that allow additional fires to spark and spread.
2020 has seen incredibly excessive amounts of damage from wildfires throughout different regions. Hundreds of thousands of people have had to evacuate their homes and millions of acres have burned this year in California alone. Additionally, these fires are taking place in the midst of a global pandemic, with air quality becoming increasingly toxic. The environmental, financial, physical, and emotional costs of these fires are enormous.
Fortunately, there are ways you can help combat this dangerous pattern and contribute to wildfire relief efforts from home.
Donate
Many organizations are currently hosting fundraisers in order to help distribute money throughout communities impacted by wildfires. This money can assist those who are displaced or harmed by fires, including firefighters themselves. This is done through the creation of recovery plans to sustain long-term disaster relief as well as through providing direct support and basic needs to affected community members, such as shelter, medical assistance, and nourishment. Some of the organizations you can donate to include Direct Relief, Red Cross, United Way, California Fire Foundation, and the California Community Foundation.
Volunteer
Not everyone has the means to contribute monetarily, but there are still other ways you can use your time and resources to assist wildfire relief efforts!
For instance, many animals are often displaced from homes during wildfire season, so fostering when you are able can ensure these pets have a safe haven before being reunited with their families or adopted. It’s also never a bad idea to donate non-perishable food to food banks or pantries and toiletries, clothing, and supplies to shelters.
Learn
Understanding how and why wildfire outbreaks occur is a crucial step towards fighting the patterns that enable them. While the daily temperature, lightning strikes, and droughts may seem entirely out of our control, each of these factors are part of the bigger picture in how we handle the ongoing effects of climate change.
This is why it’s vital for community leaders to take a turn towards renewable energy, understand prescriptive burning (the intentional burning of small, controlled fires that burn away excess fuel), replace beetle-infested trees with species native to the area, and so on.
If communities don’t put a plan into action now, these concerns will only grow over time, and things will quickly begin to snowball further.
Vote
Making your voice heard is an amazing way to let legislators and administrative forces know where you stand and what environmental policies you expect to be put in place. Voting for candidates who are eager to lean into research on climate change and work to protect the nation’s land and wildlife is a great step towards pushing for tangible change.
As our local communities continue to push past new hardships, it’s important that we stick together and show our support in whatever ways we can. Don’t forget to take care of yourself during this time as well!
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