Visiting Ground Zero in the Eaton Fire Area

This weekend on January 11th, CPI member Dan “Nowman” Niswander recorded a morning message showing the drive up to the restricted Eaton Canyon area in Altadena, California, which was recently ravaged by the terrible wildfires in the Los Angeles area. While he was unable to pass the barrier, he sees how the fire has cleared out swathes of vegetation and left the mountainside barren. On his way, he passes a number of small pop-up relief efforts — crowds of people standing outside the job center, free food and water, and other supplies available.

The increasing wildfires in the California area in recent decades are a serious issue, and are unlikely to stop anytime soon. Mitigating their effects will require more than just firefighting — it requires a government willing to take serious action to analyze the issue and create long-term solutions. Stay tuned for our coverage later this week on how the government of China has worked to solve similarly large-scale problems through their “Great Green Wall” agroforestry and anti-desertification programs. In the meantime, we hope those who are able will support relief efforts for affected residents in the fire areas. Let’s work towards a future where problems like these can be solved before they happen.