California on the Road to Recovery After Most Active Wildfire Season in State History
Release Date: 02/24/2021
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Recent disasters this summer including the devastating condominium collapse in north Miami, the Haiti Earthquake, deadly floods in central Tennessee and Hurricane Ida’s impact in the Gulf Coast and Northeast have demonstrated the crucial role of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams. In this episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable, we discuss the origins of Miami-Dade’s USAR program and how it led to the national program we have today.
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The Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams
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An interview with The Weather Channel's Stephanie Abrams. Stephanie Abrams grew up in Florida and the first time she considered a career in meteorology was after witnessing the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew’s impact to south Miami Dade County in 1992.
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A Look Back at the 2021 Hurricane Season and Kickoff to the 2021 Season with Dr. Phil Klotzbach
Disaster Recovery Roundtable
The Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University has been releasing a seasonal hurricane forecast every year since 1984 under Dr. William Gray. Dr. Phil Klotzbach currently leads the research program and is well known among the emergency management community for his annual forecasts. Dr. Klotzbach will share the latest update for the 2021 season and indications on how the forecast might be changing on the eve of an updated forecast, which will be released by Colorado State on June 3, 2021.
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Disaster Recovery Roundtable
A California campaign is helping to engage the most vulnerable in that state as they promote five steps for safety and survival from disasters. In this episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable, we hear from Justin Knighten, the previous co-chair of the Listos California Preparedness Campaign, about how it is reaching targeted audiences to support personal preparedness.
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California on the Road to Recovery After Most Active Wildfire Season in State History
Disaster Recovery Roundtable
The state of California continues recovery efforts from a historic wildfire season which included some of the largest fires (in acreage burned) in state. The August Complex Fire has been classified as the first “gigafire”- burning over 1 million acres across seven counties. It was one of several large-scale fires and ranked as the Top 5 of the 6 largest fires in California’s recorded wildfire history.
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Challenges for States Managing the COVID-19 Vaccination Process
Disaster Recovery Roundtable
As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses.
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Challenges for States Managing the COVID-19 Vaccination Process
Disaster Recovery Roundtable
As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses.
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Challenges for States Managing the COVID-19 Vaccination Process
Disaster Recovery Roundtable
As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses.
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How Local United Ways Disaster Services Program is Supporting Communities After Hurricanes, Wildfires, Pandemics, and Other Events
Disaster Recovery Roundtable
The United Way has a dedicated Disaster Services division to support local chapters and the communities they serve in preparing and recovering from disasters. This support includes preparing the chapters and their staff to be prepared for events in their community, in addition to positioning their resources to support the recovery of the entire community from events.
info_outlineThe state of California continues recovery efforts from a historic wildfire season which included some of the largest fires (in acreage burned) in state —second only to the COVID-19 pandemic for worst disasters of the year. By the end of December, over 9,000 fires burned nearly 4.4 million acres, or about 4% of the state’s approximate 100 million acres of land. The August Complex Fire has been classified as the first “gigafire”- burning over 1 million acres across seven counties. It was one of several large-scale fires and ranked as the Top 5 of the 6 largest fires in California’s recorded wildfire history.
Topics Covered:
- The August Complex Fire has been classified as the first “gigafire”- burning over 1 million acres across seven counties. It was one of several large-scale fires and ranked as the Top 5 of the 6 largest fires in California’s recorded wildfire history.
- Since August of last year, California has received 19 fire management assistance grants approved for 25 counties.
- The year’s season was forecasted early in 2020 to be severe after an extremely dry January and February, which set the stage for a catastrophic season when extreme heat and high winds fueled hundreds of fires across the state in August and September.
- Due to the nature of ongoing events that California has faced over the last several years, the state continues to evolve around the phases of emergency from Recovery to Preparedness to Mitigation back to Response and Recovery
- The wildfires may be over, but now California is looking ahead to the next threats. The large burn scars could produce dangerous mud slides if heavy rains come through the rainy season. The state has been working closely with cities and counties throughout our Watershed Task Force to map out the possible threats and areas of risk where mudflows could be likely.
Additional Information:
- To learn more on preparing for wildfires and how the state responds to these events, visit the Cal Fire website.
- California Governor’s Office of Emergency Service
- Blog - "California on the Road to Recovery After Most Active Wildfire Season in State History"