Letter from Mark Langabeer, Hastings and Rye Labour member.
Channel 4 recently had a report on the wildfires that have caused devastation around Los Angeles in Southern California. They report that some surburbs in LA have been completely destroyed. Many of the residents described it as like a war zone.
Even areas that were regarded as affluent have been affected. Palisades and Malibu have some of the most expensive real estate in the US. Film Star, Jamie Lee Curtis, said on a chat show that it was horrendous as she witnessed friends homes being burnt to the ground and the school where her children attended was destroyed.
It has been suggested that the reasons for the worst wildfire in LA history stem from the high level of rainfall in the autumn of 2023, which meant more than the usual vegetation. This was followed by the autumn of 2024 which witnessed a drought, leaving the ground, covered by more than the usual vegetation, particularly dry. This was then compounded with winds of up to 100 mph, so the fires spread at lightning speed.
To cap it all, firefighters were hampered by a shortage of water, and the number of fires resulted in a reduction in water pressure and in some cases, no water at all. They had to resort to using water from homes that had swimming pools.
One commentator stated that it would have a big impact economically. Analysts at JP Morgan thought the cost would be around £50bn, £20bn of which would be borne by Insurance companies. Unfortunately, it was reported, between 2020 and 2022, nearly three million Southern California residents had their fire insurance renewals stopped because of wildfires and having no insurance means that they are unable to have mortgages and businesses were unable to secure loans.
The political fall out has already begun. The Fire Service recently had their budget cut by an estimated £14mn and there are questions about low levels of water supply. Donald Trump is pitching in, blaming the California authorities.
There may well be some element of mismanagement, but the principal causes of these devastating fires is man-made global warming. The continued use of fossil fuels is the main driver in climate change, but one of Trump’s mantras is “drill baby drill”. He is a climate change denier and he intends to protect the big oil and gas companies who make mega profits from their extraction.
It is the likes of Trump and the companies he protects who are the real culprits here. As the climate warms and ‘normal’ weather patterns are disrupted, there will unfortunately be a lot more disasters like this.
The Channel 4 documentary, Inferno: Los Angeles on fire, can be viewed on line here. [feature picture from programme]
