“Wildfire” is, as we’ve been reminded this week, one of the most terrifying and devastating of disasters. In just a matter of days millions of lives have been upended across the Los Angeles region, thousands of homes have been destroyed, and at least 24 people are confirmed dead. It is already the 4th costliest disaster in recent history, and the fire is largely uncontained, meaning all this devastation will doubtlessly be an under count. When the fires eventually burn out, the scars left on both the environment and the psyche will be felt for years to come. So many people’s homes, and lives eaten by the insatiable fire.
The exact initiating cause of the blaze remains a mystery, but the elements which led to such cataclysmic events do not: A near record drought, strong, sometimes hurricane force winds, and dense housing development all combined into a catastrophe. In other words, it the climate crisis, and our unwillingness to adapt to it societally, a theme which will surely reappear frequently throughout the next several years at least.
Dealing with such a disaster would be bad enough, but Trump and the Republican party have already made it clear that when they take control in just a week’s time their aid will be contingent upon political concessions. The Republicans are already admitting that they will be playing politics with people's lives, and rather than banding together in the face of crisis, they'll be exploiting the suffering and vulnerability of those who most need our government’s aid just to rebuild their lives.
(We haven't even mentioned the prisoners who are used as firefighters in this deadly blaze. Truly the horrors are endless.)
It's hard to imagine a worse and more damaging response than this. Instead, what we need in these moments of crisis is people coming together in mutual aid to build community and foster networks of support, and then rebuild for a future that takes into account the new realities being faced in this world of Climate Crisis.
We must also remember that these wildfires aren’t occurring in a vacuum. In just the last year multiple parts of the country have faced massive natural disasters, with many residents and communities still struggling to recover. Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, both wrought devastating damages in their own rights, and we cannot afford to forget and leave behind those who are still struggling to recover from the last disaster as the next one occurs.
The Trump Administration has made it clear they cannot be counted on for aid, and any aid that is given will be conditional upon them feeling like they have the better end of the deal. This is a parasitic form of government and it is tragic that it’s what we’ll be subjected to during this time of deepening crisis.
In response we have to pull together. We have to bring together people working on the same issues across the country. We have to bring together people working on different issues but towards similar causes. And we need to bring together people’s economic, political and social might to build movements of mutual-aid and of community. We will not wait for the government to come save us, we will work together with groups on the ground, working to help people (and environments) in need. Groups like redneck housing relief and support groups that are giving aid to the fire department. We will find ways to help each other even when our government lets us down. Until we, the people, can take back the apparatuses of power and make sure that in times of crisis, our government looks out for those in deepest need, not with the deepest pockets. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity and
Don't shop on Tuesday.
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