February 8 Digest: This Week in Wildfire Recovery News

This is a digest of selected news and media that emerged over the last week related to wildfire emergencies, recovery efforts, and resilience building efforts in the American West. 

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‘You Live Where You Love’: Wildfire Victims Face Decision of Whether or Not to Rebuild(opens in new tab)

From Fox 40, by Anisca Miles, Karma Dickerson | February 4, 2022

Survivors of Dixie and Caldor fires are planning to rebuild, but face a troubling decision of whether to rebuild on areas that are still fire-prone

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Many Home-Based Business Owners Struggling After Marshall Fire(opens in new tab)

From The Denver Channel, by Jaclyn Allen | January 24, 2022

Some survivors of the Marshall Fire struggle with not only the loss of their homes, but the loss of their businesses

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Smoke Damage Raises Questions About Safety for Homeowners After Marshall Fire(opens in new tab)

From 9news, by Kelly Reinke | February 2, 2022

Preliminary results from CU Boulder found indoor air contains higher concentrations of most chemicals including benzene

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2020 Wildfire Survivors Report Health Problems, Housing Woes(opens in new tab)

From U.S. News, by Associated Press | February 5, 2022

An Oregon State University study found that survivors of the 2020 Labor Day wildfires in Santiam Canyon still reported breathing problems, health problems and trouble finding housing a year after the fires.

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FEMA Approves Millions in Fire Relief, But City Leaders Demand More(opens in new tab)

From Fox 31 | February 4, 2022

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced that nearly $70 million in federal funding has been distributed to the victims of the Marshall Fire, but city leaders and groups working with victims say it is not nearly enough.

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The place that coal built and fire burned(opens in new tab)

From High Country News by Kate Schimel | February 7, 2022

Extractive industry laid the infrastructure for the suburban sprawl that fueled Colorado’s destructive Marshall Fire.

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To Save Western U.S. Forests, Cut Them Way Back, Study Suggests(opens in new tab)

From Bloomberg, by Laura Bliss | February 3, 2022

A new study proposes cutting back trees by as much as 80% in U.S. Western forests to better withstand wildfire, drought, and climate change

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Climate Change Enters the Therapy Room(opens in new tab)

From The New York Times, by Ellen Barry | February 6, 2022

Ten years ago, psychologists proposed that a wide range of people would suffer anxiety and grief over climate. Skepticism about that idea is gone.