Maui fires timeline, a visual reconstruction of the events

Using a combination of weather reports, videos, and 911 calls, The New York Times uses mixed media to show the events leading up to the wildfire in Lahaina, Maui.

Firefighters had rescued dozens of people from the seawall by 2 a.m. The fire continued spreading into the next morning. To the north, more residents, unsure of the risk to them, were roused from their homes when flames suddenly reached their streets. The fire also spread to the town’s southern edge, where the police worked to evacuate residents.

The inferno ultimately consumed thousands of buildings, stretching across more than three miles of Lahaina’s waterfront.

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Realistic rendering of Canada’s wildfires

Peter Atwood used NASA data to depict the wildfires in Canada this year. The realistic rendering of the fires as burning embers and smoke activity is something.

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Map of Lahaina buildings destroyed in wildfire

Most of the Maui town Lahaina was destroyed by wildfire. The Wall Street Journal reports. The map shows the buildings that were destroyed in red.

Terrible. Here is a list of reputable sources to donate to help people affected.

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Smoke from Canada wildfires over the U.S.

Wildfires in one area means smoke and pollution travels to surrounding areas, even thousands of miles away. For NYT’s The Upshot, Aatish Bhatia, Josh Katz, and Margot Sanger-Katz have the maps and charts that show how smoke traveled from the wildfires in Quebec, Canada.

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#PrepYourHealth for Power Outages

A young woman and boy make hand shadow puppets using a flashlight against a white wall.

October is Energy Awareness Month

Power outages (i.e., when the electrical power goes out unexpectedly) and precautionary power shutoffs are happening more often because of and to prevent emergencies. These emergencies include disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says, on average, U.S. electricity customers experienced just over 8 hours of electric power interruptions in 2020. That was the most since EIA began collecting electricity reliability data in 2013.(1)

The EIA further reported that customers in Alabama, Iowa, Connecticut, Oklahoma, and Louisiana experienced the most time with interrupted power in 2020. Severe weather was a factor in all these states.

  • Alabama experienced several hurricanes, including a direct hit from Hurricane Sally.
  • Tropical Storm Isaias left about 750,000 electricity customers in Connecticut without power. Some didn’t have power for over a week.
  • A derecho affected Iowa and other parts of the Midwest. It caused widespread power outages, damaged grid infrastructure, and forced the early retirement of Iowa’s only nuclear power plant.
  • An ice storm in October was to blame for widespread power outages across Oklahoma.
  • Louisiana experienced three hurricanes and two tropical storms.(1)

The impacts of power outages and power shutoffs are felt by everyone. Here are some ways you can prepare your health for a power outage.

Be Power Prepared

Be prepared to be without electricity during an emergency and, possibly, for several days after.

A power outage can affect people’s ability to use devices and the availability of refrigeration. This makes it especially important that people who rely on durable medical equipment and refrigerated medicines like insulin take steps to prepare. For example:

  • Identify emergency lighting, safe heating alternatives, and backup power sources for your mobile devices, appliances, and medical equipment.
  • Create an emergency power plan that includes model and serial numbers for your medical devices.
  • Read the user manual or contact the manufacturer to find out if your medical device is compatible with batteries or a generator.
  • Fully charge your cellphone, battery-powered medical devices, and backup power sources if you know a disaster, such as a hurricane, is coming.
  • If possible, buy manual alternatives for your electric devices that are portable, dependable, and durable. For example, a manual wheelchair, walker, or cane as a backup for an electric scooter.

Power outages can also put people at increased risk for post-disaster hazards, such as food and carbon monoxide poisoning.

The effects of emergencies, such as power outages, are experienced differently by different populations.

The places of our lives, including our neighborhoods and built environment, can influence our experience with emergencies.(2)

People who live in rural areas and places with an aging infrastructure may experience more frequent and longer-lasting power outages and face greater adversity because of it. They may also have limited access to the supplies they need to prepare for power outages.

Planning for Power Outages

People who use electricity- and battery-dependent assistive technology and medical devices must have an emergency power plan in case of a power outage.

Checklists are a way to break large jobs down into smaller chores. They can help you pack for a trip, grocery shop, and even prepare for emergencies.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network’s emergency power planning checklist is for people who use electricity and battery-dependent assistive technology and medical devices. These include:

  • Breathing machines (e.g., respirators and ventilators).
  • Power wheelchairs and scooters.
  • Oxygen, suction, or home dialysis equipment.

The Food and Drug Administration’s “How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages” guide for home medical device users is another useful planning resource. Use it to organize your medical device information, identify the supplies for the operation of your device, and know where to go or what to do during a power outage.

Health Care Preparedness

A power outage or shutoff can limit the operations of hospitals, outpatient clinics, pharmacies, and other patient-care facilities.

Healthcare facilities need electricity to care for patients, provide services, and “keep the lights on.” Since many facilities have resident populations, hygiene and feeding are also part of the electrical demand.

Resilience to power outages begins with the leadership at the facility. Here are some resources to help healthcare facilities plan for and respond to public health emergencies.

Additional resources to help healthcare systems and hospitals plan for public health emergencies are available on the CDC website.

Resources

References

  1. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=50316
  2. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/howdoesPlaceaffectHealth.html

Thanks in advance for your questions and comments on this Public Health Matters post. Please note that CDC does not give personal medical advice. If you are concerned you have a disease or condition, talk to your doctor.

Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.

Maps of wildfire smoke pollution

Wildfire obviously damages the areas it comes in direct contact with, but wildfire smoke can stretch much farther. Based on research by Childs et al., Mira Rojanasakul, for The New York Times, shows how pollution from smoke spread between 2006 and 2020.

My kids’ rooms still have air filters from a few years ago, when a fire many miles away made the sky orange and our indoor environment smokey.

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Emissions from fires in the Arctic

Reuters reported on the fires in the Arctic and the relatively high levels of carbon emissions they release in the atmosphere. The map above shows carbon emissions from wildfire in 2021, and the chart on the right shows totals by latitude, which emphasizes the geography in the north.

The illustrations, which I appreciate and have become more of a norm in Reuters pieces, round out the maps and charts with more context:

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Sequoia tree wildfire protection

For Reuters, Travis Hartman, Ally J. Levine, and Anurag Rao describe the measures taken to protect giant sequoia trees from wildfire. The trees have their own protections with thick bark and dropped branches. Firefighters help by watering the ground underneath and directing giant flames to other areas.

I’m into the vintage-y illustration. It starts you at the top of the tree and guides you down the trunk to the ground, with highlights along the way.

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Prep Your Health to Evacuate

A line of vehicles parked along the side of a road at night. A wildfire burns in the distance.

June is a busy time of year for emergency preparedness and response.

June marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. It’s also wildfire season.

Hurricanes and wildfires are common causes of evacuations. Both are happening more often and with greater intensity.(1) Annual increases in the number of strong hurricanes and large wildfires likely mean more people will face these threats.

In 2017, more than 8 million people across the country were affected by evacuation orders because of flooding, wildfires, and hurricanes. That includes an estimated 6.8 million residents of Florida who were under evacuation orders in response to Hurricane Irma. It was one of the largest mass evacuations in U.S. history.

Don’t get caught unprepared for an evacuation order. Learn what you can do now to prepare for evacuations and mitigate some of the stress of having to relocate.

Know Your Zone

Different communities plan for evacuations in different ways. It’s important to know the plans and procedures where you live.

Emergency planners in many states and localities subdivide their jurisdictions into numbered or lettered evacuation zones. The City of Ashland, Oregon, for example, is divided into 10 zones. City officials use numbered zones to manage evacuations.(2)

Residents of Ashland are encouraged to know their zone before an evacuation. The city set up an interactive evacuation map where residents can learn their zone by searching their addresses.

Contact your local public safety or emergency management agency to learn how decisions about evacuations are made where you live.

Find the emergency management agency for your state or territory using the free search tool on USA.gov.

Learn the Alerts

It’s as important that you know what to do when you are notified to take protective action, such as evacuating. Ensure you have multiple ways to receive emergency alerts. They might include watching local television, listening to local radio, following trusted sources on social media, and signing up to receive emergency alerts by phone call or text.

Many local governments across the country—primarily in areas at high risk for wildfire—have adopted the Ready. Set. Go! (RSG) program. RSG was developed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs as a way to educate about wildland fire risk, promote wildfire preparedness, and communicate in plain language what to do in the event of a fire.

As the name suggests, there are three steps to RSG.

  • Ready means be prepared. People are asked to gather emergency supplies, make an emergency action plan, sign up for emergency notifications, and stay informed of local hazards.
  • Set is a warning to get organized because of significant danger in the area. People under “set” status should prepare to evacuate. They should pack “go kits” and consider relocating—voluntarily—to a safer location.
  • Go! is the signal to evacuate immediately to a designated shelter or someplace in a safer area. Find out how you can protect yourself and others from COVID-19 when evacuating to a public shelter or the home of friends or family.

How ever your local officials communicate an evacuation, don’t hesitate to leave if given the order. Follow instructions on where to go and how to get there. Your normal route out of your neighborhood may not be the safest during an emergency.

Make An Evacuation Plan

Your emergency care plan is more than a list of names and phone numbers. It’s more accurate to think of it as a user guide for how to stay healthy, informed, and connected during an emergency.

An emergency action plan should include:

  • phone numbers for your physician, pediatrician, pharmacist, counselor, and veterinarian.
  • copies of current personal care plans (e.g., an asthma action plan, a food allergy and anaphylaxis care plan, and an emergency care plan for children and youth with special healthcare needs).
  • a copy of the family reunification plans for your child’s school or daycare.(3)

To help you plan for an evacuation, your emergency action plan might also include a MyEvacuation Plan checklist. This evacuation planning tool guides you through actions you can take to prepare for an evacuation, such as:

  • creating “go bags” for each member of your household.
  • getting an emergency refill on your prescription medicines (if eligible and where available).
  • finding a place where you and your pet can safely stay in an evacuation.
  • having multiple ways to receive evacuation orders and instructions. You will likely get the order to evacuate from local police, fire, or other local officials on the radio, television, social media, and/or by text alert.

Visit the Prep Your Health website for more tips on how you can plan ahead for emergencies.

Emergency Response Planning

People experience disasters differently. Some are at higher risk of impacts because of their economic status, geography, disability status, etc.

The COVID-19 pandemic and other recent emergencies have brought inequities to the forefront of public health. State and local emergency planners must engage with their communities if they are to understand the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play and their effects on emergency preparedness and response.

  • People with lower incomes often live in places that lack the space to shelter in place or financial resources to evacuate.
  • People with disabilities may be unable to evacuate on their own. The percentage of people living with disabilities is highest in the South.(5) This includes the hurricane-prone states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
  • Some people may be unable to evacuate without help and less prepared to stay in their homes in the aftermath of a major disaster.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has planning guides to help emergency planners involve the whole community in preparedness.

Resources

References

  1. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/06/27/wildfires-all-seasons
  2. https://www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=13512
  3. https://www.cdc.gov/prepyourhealth/planahead/
  4. https://training.fema.gov/hiedu/docs/ballen%20-%20vulnerable%20populations.pdf
  5. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html

Thanks in advance for your questions and comments on this Public Health Matters post. Please note that CDC does not give personal medical advice. If you are concerned you have a disease or condition, talk to your doctor.

Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.

Wildfires and floods, a geographic before and after

In 2021, a large portion of North America was stuck in a heat dome with record temperatures and wildfires. Gordon Logie for Sparkgeo mapped the before-and-after of major wildfires during the year in British Columbia, with a combination of satellite imagery, photos, and scrolling. Logie then shows major floods, which are not necessarily caused by the fires, but are highly correlated.

The transitions for the before-and-after show the wildfire damage clearly. Instead of using the slider format, which kind of uncovers an after image, you can see the already boundaried regions change right away.

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