CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

How wildfire smoke and ash impact your health and how to protect yourself

Polical Wire - Led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrats in California have “reached a $50 million agreement to shore up state and local legal defenses against the incoming Trump administration just a week ahead of the president-elect’s inauguration. Half the money would go to fending off any mass deportation plan the new president might enact early in his administration,” Politico reports.

“The move — the first of its kind in the nation that positions California to lead a second term resistance against Trump — comes as Republicans bash state Democratic leaders for focusing on the highly partisan issue even as the southern part of the state suffers from historically devastating fires.”

Mindshield -  Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) said federal relief should be withheld from California until officials in the state implement Republican policy proposals....

“The problem with California is forestry management,” Davidson told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo in a clip highlighted by Mediaite. “If they want the money, then there should be consequences where they have to change their policies.”

USA Facts -  By Monday, the wildfires raging in and around Los Angeles had burned over 40,000 acres, caused 19 deaths, and destroyed more than 12,000 structures,..

• From 2014 to 2023, an annual average of 62,277 wildfires burned 7.02 million acres each year.
  
  
• Despite a comparably small wildfire season in 2023, wildfires are burning more land now than in decades past. Preliminary data suggests above-average totals for both fires and acreage in 2024. 
  

Wildfires affected all states except for Delaware in 2023. California had the most acres burned at 332,722, followed by Alaska at 314,276 and New Mexico at 212,378.  

In 2023, 4,318 structures were reported to be damaged by wildfires nationwide, including 3,060 homes, 1,228 minor structures, and 51 mixed-use buildings. Most of the damage was from the Lahaina and Upcountry Fires in Maui, Hawaii

Axios - Research published last year found a link between wildfires and worsened mental health by analyzing psychotropic prescription data on 7 million people over an eight-year period following 25 large fires on the West Coast.  People exposed to California's deadliest wildfire, the 2018 Camp Fire, showed greater chronic symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression, according to research published in 2023. More here

NPR -  In recent years, insurance companies have begun using sophisticated computer modeling and artificial intelligence to calculate risk in fire-prone areas. That led several companies to stop writing new policies for homeowners and renters in places like Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Janet Ruiz, with the Insurance Information Institute, says, "They did have to restrict coverage so that when we have catastrophes such as the one in Los Angeles, they can pay claims."

Along with the destruction of lives and homes, the Los Angeles wildfires will also have a big impact on California's insurance market. Some estimates put insured losses from the fires at more than $20 billion.California law requires insurance companies to hold reserves adequate to pay out claims even in a catastrophe such as these fires. For that reason, Dave Jones, a former California Insurance Commissioner, doesn't expect this event will push any companies into insolvency 

NBC News -  A week after two major wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area, the National Weather Service is warning of a wave of heavy winds that pose an extreme fire risk. Gusts ranging from 45 to 70 mph were forecast to begin at 4 a.m. local time and stick around until noon tomorrow, affecting part of the Santa Monica Mountains, where the Palisades Fire is burning, as well as other parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The “particularly dangerous situation” designation given to the wind event is reserved for the most extreme situations, NWS said.