Our hearts are with the Californians, firefighters, and first responders who are currently facing the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles County history.

The Eaton, Hurst, Palisades, Kenneth, and Lidia Fires, all of which have yet to be contained, have destroyed more than 12,300 homes and other structures and burned through more than 40,000 acres of land. Ten casualties, countless more injuries, and over 180,000 evacuations have resulted from the blaze so far. Those are just the largest wildfires, but several smaller ones have continued to pop up throughout the week throughout the region.

To call it a tragedy is an understatement.

A perfect storm of conditions made this possible: the naturally occurring Santa Ana Winds, which bring powerful gusts that can peak at 100 miles per hour, and extremely dry conditions exacerbated by rising temperatures and little to no rainfall. The dry vegetation fuels the flames, and the high wind speeds encourage spread, making containment nearly impossible.

It’s exactly what climate activists and environmental groups have been shouting at the top of their lungs for decades: the climate crisis isn’t a problem that will only affect future generations. It’s already happening. And everyone, regardless of where they live, is at risk of experiencing a severe weather event.

So what can we do about it?

• Be prepared. Whether that means having “go bag” essentials on hand or having enough resources to hunker down at home for a while, it’s important to be as ready as possible when disasters do strike.
  
• Encourage utilities to embrace cost-effective, easy-to-implement prevention measures. California utilities have really stepped up their efforts following the disasters they’ve caused, but often at their customers’ expense. Finding strategies that balance cost and efficacy is the best way forward.
  
• Recognize that climate change is a pocket-book issue for an increasing number of people. Home insurance is becoming prohibitively expensive, and even home insurance renewals are being denied as many companies refuse to issue new policies in disaster-prone areas. Just last year, State Farm denied 30,000 Californians home insurance policy renewals, many of which would have covered homes in the affected areas.
  
• Ask lawmakers to pass legislation to bolster disaster preparedness. This can include setting higher standards for utility safety and prevention plans, removing some of the bureaucratic barriers to action, or increasing funding for prevention efforts.

The incoming administration is unlikely to acknowledge the role of climate change in exacerbating these mounting disasters, but that doesn’t mean our hands are tied. Let’s contact utilities, insurance companies, and state lawmakers and let them know that there’s plenty more to be done!

Last but not least, a timely interview from Climate Action Now President, volunteer firefighter, and actor Tim Guinee. Read it here.