Devastation can strike at any place and if nothing
else the San Diego Fires should remind us of how interconnected we are with the
environment and with each other. When such events occur we need to rally
together to create a strong response to the natural or human created events
that impact our lives. Eight major fires blazed just last week and are now
simmering down due to a strong emergency response and cooling weather.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated while buildings
were reported destroyed in San Marcos, Escondido, and Carlsbad. The San Diego County
has experienced at least 47 homes destroyed to date (1).
Around 10,000 acres have been lost with a few fires continuing later into the week (2).
What makes these fires more heinous is the
possibility that not all the burns may have been weather related. Officials are wondering if some of these fires
were not started by the hot and dry conditions brought by Mother Nature but
were instead a direct result of arson. A suspect was found placing brush on one of the
fires but there has not yet been indication of more foul play. Officials are still investigating.
Damage has also not yet been fully assessed. There has
been some calculations made that range into the tens of millions of dollars (3).
A full assessment of the cost to wildlife, housing, equipment, responder costs,
business closures, or the direct impact on people’s pocketbooks has not been
made yet. The damage could put the figure into a much higher rate.
As with all disasters there is an impact on people’s
lives. Some paid for hotels, lost their homes, lost their personal belongs and
much more. Not everyone has the proper amount of insurance to cover those
losses. Personal and sentimental items can never be replaced. If you are
interested in donating there are some organizations below.
San
Diego Fire Rescue Foundation
http://www.sdfirerescue.org
http://www.sdfirerescue.org
The
Salvation Army
The
American Red Cross
