April 26 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.
“A very chaotic situation’: Crews tackle growing wildfires(opens in new tab)
From AP News, by Felicia Fonseca and Susan Montoya Bryan | April 22, 2022
Destructive fires in the U.S. Southwest have burned dozens of homes in northern Arizona and put numerous small villages in New Mexico in the path of danger, as wind-fueled flames chewed up wide swaths of tinder dry forest and grassland and plumes of smoke filled the sky.
Wildfire smoke, April 22, 2022(opens in new tab)
From Wildfire Today, by Bill Gabbert | April 22, 2022
Graphics showing amount of smoke being put in the air from wildfires in Arizona, New Mexico, and the Southeast.
One dead and thousands forced to flee as wildfires sweep across US(opens in new tab)
From The Guardian, by Staff and Agencies | April 24, 2022
One person killed in Nebraska, while hundreds of structures damaged in New Mexico, where thousands forced to leave
Fires hit Southwest, New Mexico’s season ‘dangerously early'(opens in new tab)
From AP News, by Paul Davenport and Cedar Attanasio | April 23, 2022
New Mexico faces a long and potentially devastating wildfire season, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Saturday, as Southwestern wildfires cause destruction and force people from their homes.
A megafire raged for 3 months. No one’s on the hook for its emissions.(opens in new tab)
From The Washington Post, by Amanda Coletta, Chris Mooney, Brady Dennis, Naema Ahmed and John Muyskens | April 20, 2022
Scientific approach to determine whether Canada is managing forests in ways that soak up carbon over time leaves question of who is responsible for massive greenhouse gas pollutions form megafires
After wildfires, scorched trees could disrupt water supplies(opens in new tab)
From AP News, by Brittany Peterson | April 20, 2022
Researcher Ann Nolin studies a possible factor of scorched trees that may have helped snow to vanish faster in central Sierra Nevada
US air quality report finds a sharp uptick in pollution, with the hardest-hit cities in California(opens in new tab)
From CNN, by Jen Christensen | April 21, 2022
The US saw the highest number of "very unhealthy" and "hazardous" air quality days between 2018 and 2020 than it ever had before, according to a report released Thursday by the American Lung Association.
How recent rains affected California’s drought and wildfire season(opens in new tab)
From The Mercury News, by Paul Rogers | April 23, 2022
Some good news on fire risk, but reservoirs didn’t see much new water
NWS: April showers welcomed, but West needs more to overcome drought(opens in new tab)
From Siskiyou Daily News, by Skip Descant | April 20, 2022
Spring showers and snowfall in Northern California and Southern Oregon are welcomed, but will not be enough to stop drought, with water supplies still being critical during dry period
Get Fired Up About Safety at Wildfire Preparedness Exposition(opens in new tab)
From Noozhawk | April 22, 2022
Aligning with California Wildfire Preparedness Week, the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council will present Wildfire Preparedness Exposition, a community event, that will educate the public about wildfire and wildfire preparedness, along with providing residents the tools they need to be prepared for the next wildfire.
From sawmills to seedlings, California's victims of wildfires fight to rebuild(opens in new tab)
From ABC News, by Kayna Whitworth | April 19, 2022
ABC News' Kayna Whitworth reports on how Californians are rebuilding and working to restore nature after wildfires nearly wiped their historic town off the map, and the challenges they still face.
More active wildfire seasons put more strain on California firefighters(opens in new tab)
From KCRA, by Heather Waldman | April 23, 2022
Climate change has been connected to longer, more intense wildfire seasons throughout the Western U.S. No one feels the heat of that trend more than a career firefighter.
Tracking wildfire smoke will be crucial for everyone as the planet warms. Here's why(opens in new tab)
From CBC, by Christy Climenhaga | April 25, 2022
Smoke forecasting may seem like a shot in the dark, but models are actually able to track its movement