Are we ready?
Perhaps more important is the question are you ready?
An article in the Herald-Standard this past week discussed the troubling results from a recent climate risk assessment that Europe, like much of the world, is ill prepared to handle the risks coming from our changing climate.
We have all seen the pictures of the devastating fires, floods, droughts and storms that are ravaging our planet with increasing severity and regularity. Many still deny what is happening and still others know but deny because to do so would require action they are not willing to take.
My first encounter with one of these events was on a summer afternoon at old Forbes Field during a Pittsburgh Pirates ballgame when the sky overhead grew from a hazy sunshine to a menacing dark brown.
In those days there were no weather satellites to let us know that Chinchaga Fire of 1950 was spreading a plume of smoke from Alberta, Canada across the border into the United States much like the fires last summer in Canada caused very unhealthy air to invade once again prompting warnings for cities like Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh including Southwestern Pennsylvania, to stay indoors and avoid going out in the unhealthy air.
The smoke from Canada last year eventually crossed the Atlantic and covered much of Europe. You may remember the smoke here was so bad it appeared like a cloudy day and evenings had that red glow at sunset which is always an indication of smoke and pollutants in the air.
A total of 6,551 fires were reported in Canada in 2023 of which most were started by lightning.
Next up for me were two fires close to home when neighbors burning leaves forgot that even a small wind can fan the flames and a small backyard fire can be on the move. The more recent had to be extinguished by the fire department when the fire spread close to their home.
The current fires in Texas have destroyed an area the size of two of our smaller states. This includes many of the homes that were a part of this landscape. A few years back the Paradise fire in California destroyed the entire town and killed 85 people. Imagine the heartbreak of returning and trying to make sense out of what happened.
Fire is alive and like any creature or organism it wants to continue to live and grow. It feeds on high temperatures, low humidity, dry fuel and wind. Like every living thing a forest fire has a daily rhythm.
Wildfires tend to lie low at night and wake up in the morning lifting their head as the sun rises and gaining their strength. As the day heats up wind is formed and the fire is off again.
As spring arrives with its warmer weather we need to be aware when these warmer days dry out our woods and create the dry fuel needed for a fire.
As I write this there are 485 active fires across the country including one in Northwest Pennsylvania.
Fortunately the rains we had over the last few weeks have dampened the spirit of fire in our area at least for now.
Take a few minutes and give thought to your own plan in the event fire comes roaring out of the woods towards your home.