Causes.com
| 6.19.24
New Mexico Declares Emergency as Wildfires Spread
Are you concerned about wildfires this year?
What’s the story?
- New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency as wildfires spread throughout the state.
- Thousands of residents of southern New Mexico are fleeing their homes as the fire whips through their towns. Grisham said two independent fires, both listed as human-caused by the Southwest Coordination Center, have scorched more than 31 square miles of land so far.
- One resident has died, but no one has been seriously injured, according to Grisham. Over 500 structures have been destroyed so far, but it’s unclear how many were homes.
Safety concerns
- The New Mexico Department of Health is urging New Mexicans to protect themselves from the poor air quality caused by the wildfires—particularly in Lincoln and Otero Counties, including the Village of Ruidoso and the lands of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
- Heidi Krapfl, Acting Director of the Center for Health Protections, said:
“Breathing in smoke can aggravate conditions such as asthma and other chronic lung diseases, as well as cardiovascular disease. Poor air quality can also create unsafe driving conditions in areas directly impacted by the fires.”
- To protect yourself, the department recommends staying indoors, keeping your air clean by closing doors and windows, and paying attention to local air quality alerts.
2024 wildfire concern
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is predicting elevated fire risk conditions this summer, especially in the mid-Atlantic region. According to meteorologists and wildfire analysts, above-normal temperatures, in part due to this year’s El Niño, and below-normal snowpack are increasing risky fire conditions.
- Eastern Area predictive services meteorologist Stephan Marien noted:
“Fire potential is expected to be near normal across upper Midwest states, called the Western tier…However, fire potential will be elevated across the Southeastern Tier.”
- Eastern Region wildfire analyst Allan Hepworth and his team are working to keep wildfire agencies and the public more informed about fires to increase prevention, mitigation, and education efforts throughout the wildfire season.
Are you concerned about wildfires this year?
-Jamie Epstein
(Photo credit: Flickr/Kat)
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The corporate denial of climate science must be stopped! This is not free speech. It's getting people killed and must be made a punishable crime!
Every one should be concerned!!!!!
As predicted, it will be an "explosive" summer. https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/08/us-fire-season-wildfires
How many more massive wildfires, out of season EF4-EF5 tornadoes, mud slides, triple digit temperatures lasting days, and devastating hurricanes do we need to have, before some in Congress believe in climate change & do something about it?
A few months ago, I saw ads run by a Congressman in DE for a town hall meeting to "save" their beaches. The ad had a washed up whale next to a windmill on the beach. I had to read further. This was indeed a meeting to prevent windmills from being constructed. No evidence required apparently. Just the gruesome picture of a whale. As far as I know, windmills are safe, reliable, green energy. Unlike oil that kills marine life.
I'm exhausted by the constant stream of misinformation and hyperbole from the right! Americans want clean water, air, food & energy sources. We want a future for our children & grandchildren. Yet, many of us are losing our property to these natural disasters or paying more for basic necessities and insurance (if you can get it in some areas)!
Here is the plan:
1. Reduce carbon emissions 55% by 2030
2. Invest in wind, solar & electric power sources
3. Make the shift to electric vehicles & build infrastructure to support iit
4. Reduce beef consumption ( yes, DeSantis, you moron, that means alternatives)
Other countries, like Norway, are well on their way. And, here some of you are holding meetings like Don Quixote. Wake up! The world is on fire & you're fiddling away like Nero. Too many metaphors for some of you? Too much for the mind to ponder?
Okay, here you go: DO SOMETHING!!!
We need to do all we can to get ahead of climate change. EVs, solar, wind, eliminating useage and pumping of oil, eliminating burning of coal, whtever we can. Continuing to ignore it, or actively making it worse, is going to devastate the country and the world! It does not matter what it COSTS, because doing nothing will cost MORE!
Yes, but half the nation cares more about the sex lives of other people than staying alive.
Where I live, we had an entire summer that barely saw daylight from smoke. You had to turn lamps on during the day, get special filters for your hvac systems, and wear N95 or high masks to walk outside. This was before the pandemic.
How many tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, heatwaves, snow apocalypse, and wildfires will it take to get you to stop caring more about what books you can checkout at the library than about death and destruction coming at you at full speed?
Get fired up about the big things. Like staying alive. Do that. Vote for that.
Not only am I concerned about wildfires, but all manner of natural disaster that we have brought about because of our refusal to take actions to curve climate change. We will all be feeling the destructive forces of climate change from more severe storms, heat, snow, rain, tornadoes, etc. We only have ourselves to blame for this and our law makers who have continued to refuse to take action to diminish the impact of climate change. All primarily so oil, gas, coal companies can make rake in billions of dollars while the planet is put in peril.
I live in New Mexico so naturally this is huge concern. I have already heard from Martin Heinrich and I know he is actively engaged in mitigating the disaster of these fires. It is not new. It is just a continuance of what we can expect with climate change. I beg of everyone with a heart, please VOTE FOR JOE BIDEN NEXT NOVEMBER. A vote for anyone else is a vote for Trump, and if Trump becomes president, all gains in battling climate change are forever lost. This needs to be the #1 issue we can all come together on. Humanity and the planet are at stake. This is not exaggeration. It is REAL.
This is the hand writing on the wall. We need to step up and start to really mitigate climate change or this is just a preview of what lies ahead.
As long as mega gop continue to ignore climate change it will continue to get worse. Suggested community service for convicted felon trump is raking forests.
Wildfires are above historical averages in the U.S. (10 year average) and EU (2023 had 2x as many as 2022) both caused by drought (lower water levels in bodies of water) brought on by climate change especially in New Mexico which has had several devastating wildfires in 2022 resulting in people being evacuated with nothing but the clothes in their back. CA has even more wildfires (10).
The governor declared an emergency and used state police and national guard to evacuate people to 5 centers and animals, as well as direct traffic.
Besides burning hundreds of structures (1500), power has been shut off to those that remain, highways closed, hospitals and assisted living evacuated and shifting winds endanger even more people and structures with new fires and flash floods.
In 2022 NM experienced 2 large wildfires started by lightening burning 70,000 acres/day with 40-50 mph winds, extremely dry due to draught but made worse by human actions of using fire to try to control the fire when there were high winds.
1) Baldy Fire (5-9-22) started in a rugged, inaccessible area of the wilderness which crews could not access due to unsafe conditions and steep terrain.
2) Whitewater Fire (5-16-22) several miles west of the Baldy Fire. The extreme fire activity, rugged terrain and large boulders falling down the steep canyons forced fire crews to pull out of the area after the first day of fighting the fire.
" Nationwide, wildfires have scorched more than 3,280 square miles (8,495 square kilometers) this year — a figure higher than the 10-year averages, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. About 20 wildfires currently burning are considered large and uncontained, including blazes in Californiaand Washington state."
" twice as many resources when compared to the 2022 rescEU fleet."
" California is facing the largest number of big blazes — 10 including the Post Fire, which was burning across nearly 15,700 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and was 31% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to state and national officials."
" New Mexico has grappled in recent years with a devastating series of wildfires, including a 2022 blaze caused by a pair of prescribed fires set by the U.S. Forest Service that merged during drought conditions to become the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. That year, a separate fire consumed 200 homes in Ruidoso and resulted in two deaths."
"Fire officials say 1,400 structures are estimated to have been lost to the fire as of Tuesday, June 18. Presbyterian Healthcare Services announced on Tuesday night that they are evacuating staff at the Lincoln County Medical Center."
"Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to part of the village due to wildfire"
"Amid highway closures, many evacuees had little choice but to flee eastward and into the city of Roswell, 75 miles (121 kilometers) away, where hotels and shelters were set up. A rural gas station along the evacuation route was overrun with people and cars."
" Seven patients were evacuated from the town hospital, and 17 more residents were brought to safety from an assisted living facility, Grisham said."
" New Mexico governor declares state of emergency – Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation are under a state of emergency following an executing order by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham due to the South Fork and Salt Fires."
" The New Mexico National Guard sent more than 40 Army and Air National Guardsmen to assist state police with traffic checkpoints."
" The wind shift is a little concerning," New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy said. "There is potential with this wind … to have additional homes impacted until this backdoor front moves through and shifts to moving back in the other direction."
" while the front may bring some badly needed rain, it may be too much rain too fast for some areas. Flash Flood Watches are now in effect for the areas recently burned by the fires."
" NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has placed the region in a Level 1 out of 5 severe weather risk for storms that could also bring isolated gusts to 60 mph or higher and large hail."
https://www.causes.com/comments/24217
https://www.causes.com/comments/22263
https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/wildfires_en
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2024/06/18/new-mexico-wildfire-map-tracker-ruidoso-nm-evacuation-south-fork-fire-salt-containment/74133694007/
https://www.krqe.com/news/newsfeed/krqe-newsfeed-ruidoso-wildfires-emergency-declaration-isolated-storms-proposed-changes-juneteenth-closures/amp/
https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/south-fork-fire-evacuation-ruidoso-new-mexico.amp
https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-wildfire-ruidoso-evacuation-86ee7230cc09ed7922a8f3a3815c7e7c
every year, along with hurricanes and tornados.
We can add another state to the growing list of those under threat from wildfires.
How will this affect in insurance costs and air quality in New Mexico?
When will Congress wake up and realize that if we don't stop climate change and plan for more prevention we will have to keep bailing people out of these disasters?
I am very concerned about the wildfires every year as they are getting worse. This is a primary example of climate change in motion. We have got to get away from fossil fuels and go to renewable energy!!
Climate change is no joke, it is also science. Anyone who doesn't believe this is living in the Stone Age. We as people should work to fix our planet. We only have the one.
You guys need to tackle climate change since our county and planet is in big trouble for my generation millennials
Climate change!