I was thinking of California and Angela Merkel today.
Los Angeles County is being hammered by wildfires, causing damage on an epic scale. The destruction is heartbreaking and it will only get worse in the coming days. There are stories of bulldozers being deployed to push aside cars abandoned by fleeing residents so that emergency crews can be deployed.
For California, like much of the West, fire and water are a fact of life. However, California has a very poor track record when it comes to wildfire mitigation tactics, allowing fuel loads to build on forest floors and in canyons.
Then there is the issue of water. In a state where five years of precipitation can fall within a single year, dams and water systems are essential to capture that bounty before it flows into the Pacific. Yet it will take nearly 20 years, if ever, to build water systems that are already funded. A dam may be made of of concrete but it is constructed through red tape.
All of this lack of preparation is combined with a dearth of first responders, fire hydrants running dry, and a lack of crisis leadership. Watch the following clip of the LA Mayor, trying to respond to a reporter’s questions.