This past July, a haze could be seen on the New York skyline, the sun seemed like an orange orb to people in Massachusetts, and residents of New Jersey had to be aware of unhealthy air quality. Fires on the opposite coast of the United States were the cause of these events. The Bootleg Fire, started by lightning on July 6th, ended up scorching over 400,000 acres of Oregon and was not contained until October. It was so large it began creating its own weather; the extreme heat created pyrocumulus clouds and internal thunderstorms and shifted the wind itself.

While wildfires are a natural part of forest landscape, as it removes old timber and restores the forest’s flora, the fire season in the West Coast, especially in California, is expanding, starting earlier and ending later each year. Climate change is a potential cause of this trend. Warmer temperatures in the spring and summer months and reduced snowpack, along with earlier spring snowmelt, create longer and more intense dry seasons. This increases moisture stress on vegetation causing forests to be more susceptible to severe wildfire. 

Across the Sierras, the length of the fire season is estimated to have increased by an astounding 75 days and appears to correspond with an increase in the extent of forest fires across the state. Additionally, the impact of humans is quite significant. It is believed that 84% of wildfires are caused by intentional (arson) or unintentional (power line sparks, accidental brush fire or unattended campfires) triggers along with the expansion of human land development into natural forestation. The result of these wildfires is catastrophic. So far, 2021 wildfire incidents just in California have burned an estimated over 1.9 million acres including 3,050 structures. 

Knowing the causes of this ever worsening natural disaster is half the battle. The forest service, a federal department responsible for maintaining public lands, has been criticized for failing to aggressively fight these fires at their infancy, which would potentially prevent the spread and uncontrolled development of these big fires that destroy massive land areas and threaten towns and counties along the way. Also, poor forest management, including thinning the forests of old timber, has caused the intensity of the fire to increase, making it more difficult to extinguish. It is clear the role humans play in causing “natural” disasters and what role we must play in anticipating and controlling how to respond.

Other natural disasters in the Western Hemisphere are not linked to possible human causes. The morning of August 14, Haiti witnessed a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, similar to the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti in 2010. The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone was the site of both major recent earthquakes in the Caribbean where there is sliding between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. Due to a lack of resources, seismic-monitoring systems are limited. Still, new data is always being collected. 

The earthquake has left families without safe water, sanitation, and homes. The epicenter was 78 miles west from Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city. It has been hard to aid affected areas which are hours away from Port-au-Prince by car. This was an even more powerful earthquake than the 2010 earthquake that killed almost a quarter-million people. Currently, the death toll is over 2,000 with many missing, but those numbers are expected to rise. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) sent aid of more than 65,000 water purification tablets, 41 bladders, three water treatment units, and family hygiene kits within a week after the earthquake. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to get aid to places most in need due to gang violence and political instability. UNICEF is currently requesting a $73 million humanitarian appeal for children, of which 1 percent has been received. However, UNICEF and many other humanitarian organizations are working hard to aid those devastated by the earthquake. To support UNICEF and its mission, please visit https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/haiti-earthquake-over-half-million-children-risk-waterborne-diseases-unicef.

Sources

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7609/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/20/weather/wildfire-smoke-haze-visible-across-us/index.html

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-07-21/massive-wildfires-in-us-west-bring-haze-to-east-coast

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/20/weather/us-western-wildfires-tuesday/index.html

www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/haiti-earthquake-over-half-million-children-risk-waterborne-diseases-unicef

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02279-y