PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — On the day Paradise burned, Gwen Nordgren stopped her car just long enough to rescue a young woman escaping by foot.

By that time on Nov. 8, 2018, the sky was black even though the sun had been up for hours. Both sides of the street were on fire as Nordgren grabbed the woman’s hand.

“Have you lived a good life?” she asked. The woman said she had.

“So have I,” said Nordgren, the president of the Paradise Lutheran Church council. “We’re going to say the Our Father and we’re going to drive like hell.”

Nordgren has told that story countless times in the five years since the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history nearly erased a quiet community in the Sierra Nevada foothills. There are thousands more stories like it, each one providing a frame for one of the worst wildfires in U.S. history.

Five years later, some — like Nordgren — are sharing their stories freely and managing their post-traumatic stress enough to return to Paradise to help make something new. Others, like Shari Bernacette, are still haunted by their memories — including witnessing the flames consume a fleeing couple, one pushing the other in a wheelchair.

“We still can’t sleep well. We toss and turn all night,” said Bernacette, who moved with her husband to Yuma, Arizona, to escape the risk of future wildfires. The couple lives in a used RV purchased with their insurance money. “We are in the desert surrounded by cactus and rocks. There is nothing that can light up. We will never live amongst the trees again.”

For people who returned to Paradise, life is about adjusting. It’s the same place, but doesn’t feel the same. Paradise was once so thick with trees it was hard to tell the town was perched on a ridge. Now, the shadows are gone as sunlight bathes the town on clear days, offering impressive views of the canyons.

Today’s population of just under 10,000 is less than half the 26,000 who lived there before the blaze.

The Camp Fire destroyed about 11,000 homes, which amounted to about 90% of the town’s structures. So far 2,500 homes have been rebuilt. About 700 are under construction at any one time, many on original lots. But just six of the town’s 36 mobile home parks that served mostly low-income and older residents have reopened.

Donna Hooton and her husband lived in one of the mobile home parks destroyed by the fire. The Hootons live off of Social Security and said they can’t afford to move to Paradise. They now live an hour away, in a small, decades-old mobile home.

“We wish we could go home but home is not there anymore,” Hooton said.

Paradise Mayor Greg Bolin says that by 2025 all of the town’s overhead power lines will be buried underground. By 2026, he says all public roads will be repaved.

“I can see what it’s going to look like. I know how nice it is going to be when it’s done,” said Bolin, who also owns Trilogy Construction Inc., one of the town’s main construction companies.

For the most part, Bolin said it is “amazing, in five years, how well people are doing.” But then a whiff of smoke will linger in the air, and it instantly brings residents back to that terrible day. It happened just last month, when Derrick Harlan — a 34-year-old Paradise resident whose business reduces fire hazards — got a permit to burn some debris piles in Paradise.

When neighbors saw smoke from the debris fire though, they called the police. The next day, the fire department showed up.

“That’s where the trauma and the PTSD comes in,” Harlan said.

Wildfires have always been a part of life in California, but they are getting more severe as climate change has caused hotter, drier summers. Seven of the state’s top 10 most destructive fires happened in the past decade. Before the Camp Fire killed 85 people, the state’s deadliest was a 1933 blaze that killed 29. More recently, a 2017 fire shocked the state as it ripped through suburban neighborhoods in California wine country, killing 22.

But the Camp Fire, the official name of the Paradise fire, marked a turning point.

Now, utility companies routinely shut off power for millions of people during wind storms in an effort to prevent fires from starting. Major property insurance companies have raised homeowners’ rates to exponential highs or dropped coverage for many in wildfire-prone areas. Other providers have simply stopped writing new policies altogether. PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter, filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to bury 10,000 miles of power lines. The town has installed warning sirens and is working to create more evacuation routes.

But just when it seemed safe to think that what happened in Paradise was a once-in-a-lifetime fire, it happened again — this time thousands of miles away in Maui, Hawaii. It meant April Kelly, who grew up in Paradise and lived in Maui for 16 years, lost both of her hometowns.

“I can’t believe I’m going through this a second time,” she said.

Finding ways to cope with that grief has become a shared part of life in Paradise. The local theater saved Judy Clemens, giving her a space to channel her passion for live performance after the blaze. The Theatre on the Ridge opened to host its first show on Valentine’s Day in 2019.

“If the theater had gone, too, I really would have been lost,” Clemens said.

For Samuel Walker, making peace with the fire meant making peace with God. The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Paradise was wracked with guilt over the death of Bob Quinn, a church member who Walker likened to a second father. On the day of the fire, Walker drove by the street where Quinn lived and for a moment, thought about checking on him. Instead, he rescued his parents, who would not have been able to escape the fire on their own.

Walker learned of Quinn’s death three days after the fire, while he was in Fresno with his family. Thieves had just broken into Walker’s car and stolen the only things his wife and daughter had saved from their house — including photos, an iPad and a knitting machine.

He was angry about his situation, everything that had happened and all of the people who had died or been hurt. For a pastor, being mad at God is a bigger problem than most.

“How am I going to minister to a congregation with all of these people with all of their issues, if I’m still trying to get through mine?” Walker asked.

He finally found peace after a trip to the hospital, of all places. Walker injured his arm after a fall while taking out the trash. In the hospital, he immediately thought of a Bible verse from the New Testament that says: “The Lord disciplines everyone he loves.”

“It was almost kind of a healing point … to say, ‘OK Lord, I’m going to let this go. I’m going to stop being angry and get back to what you have me here to do,’” Walker said.

Businesses are returning to Paradise, with recent openings of a Big Lots and Ross Dress for Less sending ripples of excitement through town. Town leaders plan to begin installing a sewer system next summer for the business district, which would allow more restaurants to operate.

That will help Nicki Jones’ restaurant, a deli and wine bar called Nic’s. Jones first came to Paradise 25 years ago. She called it a “fluke,” a place to retire with her husband. The town quickly became much more than that. She opened two businesses: a candle shop and a women’s clothing store. Both burned in the fire, along with her home.

After the fire, there was no time for rest or reflection. She had a community to rebuild. With a background in accounting she knew what to do. She started by calling her insurance companies. Within 30 days of the fire, she was able to buy a building. Within a year, she opened a restaurant called Nic’s, what she said is the first new business to open in Paradise after the fire.

“Everybody reacts to whatever tragedy there is — and we all have them — but my way has always been to jump in. How can I fix it?” she said. “I wanted a place where everybody could come and feel comfortable and feel normal.”

The best time to go to Nic’s is for “Wine room Wednesdays,” when lots of locals stop by for a drink and a hug. That sometimes includes Adam Thompson, who is not from Paradise. After the pandemic, Thompson and his family were looking for a quiet community in the foothills to raise their family. In 2021, they moved to Magalia, just outside of Paradise.

If the town is to grow, it needs new people. But newcomers face a daunting question: How do you assimilate into a community defined by a shared tragedy?

Thompson said his family was quickly accepted. His kids are enrolled in a local school. They play Little League baseball and perform in the local theater.

“There’s a humility and a resilience here that I don’t think would be in a town like this had they not gone through the fire,” he said. “I’ve never once felt excluded up here. I’ve never felt judged. I’ve only felt love and welcome from literally every single person I’ve met.”

April Kelly, who hails from Paradise and Maui, is now the general manager at Nic’s. She is on the board of directors for a parent support group called Mom’s on the Ridge. Samuel Walker is still the pastor of Paradise Baptist Church, now living with his family in nearby Magalia.

Before the fire, Paradise was viewed as a retirement community with mostly older residents. But that’s changing. The Paradise Little League has had so much interest it’s warned parents that kids may be turned away next year.

The town’s rebirth has amazed Don Criswell, a Paradise native who moved back to the area in 1998. Wildfires burned his property in 2008 and again in 2018. Both times he stayed to fight the fires himself.

The Paradise of his memory has been erased. Personal landmarks — the house he grew up in, his elementary school — are gone. Most of his childhood friends and neighbors have since moved away.

But he hasn’t gone anywhere. Instead, he has planted trees and a garden. He donates vegetables to a free community lunch put on by his church. He even plays the piano for people who come to eat.

“I’m so sorry that (the fire) happened. There’s nothing I can do about that,” he said. “I can try to make it a good, fun and beautiful place to live again. I think we’re doing that.”

___

Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.

Follow @ktar923

The post 5 years after California’s deadliest wildfire, survivors forge completely different paths towards restoration appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Reversing tradition, Hawaii’s most powerful trade union is backing the idea to allow modular homes in Hawaii.

Houses made of pre-cut lumber that can be shipped to Hawaii and built quickly. Permanent modular homes that can be literally plugged into utility infrastructure on prepared sites. Cafes, shops and food courts created out of modified shipping containers.

These are the sort of things that could help rebuild Lahaina after the Aug. 8 wildfire that destroyed approximately 2,200 buildings.

In a departure from a long-standing tradition driven by Hawaii’s powerful construction industry, Gov. Josh Green said modular and prefabricated housing will play a role in creating homes quickly to serve displaced residents.

And the state’s most influential construction trade union has bought in.

Prefabricated homes like this accessory dwelling unit built by Plant Prefab have long been kept out of Hawaii, in part because of objections from local building trade unions. The Lahaina fire may be changing that. (Courtesy: Plant Prefab)

“The answer’s yes,” Green said in an interview with Civil Beat, when asked whether homes or panels built off-site and even off-island could be part of the mix to rebuild Lahaina. 

“I don’t think it’s the answer for all things,” he added. “I don’t think it’s what everybody wants all the time. But I’m sure there are individuals out there now who are suffering terrible loss who would love to have a small house that could be put up quickly.”

Andrew Pereira, director of public affairs for the Pacific Resource Partnership, confirmed the organization is on board. Pereira said it is vital to build new homes quickly so island residents aren’t forced to leave — and possibly never return — for lack of housing.

PRP’s buy-in is important. The nonprofit, which represents the 6,000-member Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters and 240 general contractors, also has been one of Green’s major political supporters. 

PRP has long opposed pre-made construction because of concerns developers using the products would undercut Hawaii’s construction industry – one of the few sectors that provides a consistent living wage in an economy dominated by tourism. 

“We don’t want to see Lahaina residents flee to the mainland.”

Andrew Pereira, Pacific Resources Partnership

But Pereira said Maui’s tragedy has changed everything.

“We need to get medium-term and longer-term housing for people impacted by the tragedy,” Pereira said.

“We don’t want to see Lahaina residents flee to the mainland,” he added. “That’s the last thing we want to see.”

Green also said the Maui fires could mark a new era.

“I think it’s safe and fair to say that because of the crisis in Maui everyone wants whatever solution is available to, as quickly as possible, build housing that is going to provide dignity to people who live in it, even if it’s just for a couple of years,” he said.  

“Whatever way we can do to do that we should,” he said. “I think this is probably the beginning of an era where we spend some of our energy on modular housing.”

UrbanBloc turns shipping containers into cafes and retail spaces at a factory in the San Francisco Bay Area. Whether Lahaina will embrace such structures as temporary fixes remains to be seen. (Courtesy of Urban Bloc)

Tom Hardiman is executive director of the Modular Home Builders Association and Modular Building Institute. For a long time, homes built off construction sites involved mostly mobile homes, often used as temporary housing, which can be moved from place.

Now, the broad category of “off-site construction” includes tiny homes, shipping-container homes and modular houses, which are similar to mobile homes but built to higher standards and designed to be permanent structures. All of these can be built elsewhere and moved to a prepared site, Hardiman said.

There are also pre-cut houses that can be made in a factory elsewhere, sent to Hawaii by shipping container and constructed on site.

A common aspect, Hardiman said, is that there’s a systemic process for constructing buildings and components off site, he said.

Pereira says PRP is looking at the pre-cut home model. A key will be finding partners that can provide enough pre-cut homes to serve Lahaina’s needs.

“It really comes down to a question of scalability,” he said.

Pereira said PRP is still talking to purveyors and prefabricated homes to determine which will work best for the industry.

Costs Are Not Always Lower

One of the biggest advantages is the speed in which prefabricated and modular homes can be built, said Steve Glenn, founder and director of Plant Prefab in Los Angeles. Such houses can be built faster because some construction can be going on off site at the same time as site work. The result can cut construction time by half, which can mean a lot more homes built in less time.

Cost is another consideration. Construction costs in Hawaii are substantial. Construction costs for a union-built single-family home can be above $500 per square foot, said R.J. Martin an Oahu developer who has developed single-family homes in Nanakuli. 

Vamsi Kumar Kotla, chief executive of ReMo Homes in Sherman Oaks, California, said the company can build a 1,200-square-foot modular home for $300,000, or $250 a square foot. The homes include plumbing and electrical wiring and can simply be delivered and installed on prepared sites. Kotla acknowledged that the price does not include shipping from California, which could drive up the cost significantly. 

But with approximately 2,200 structures destroyed or damage, 85% of them homes, the costs of labor and material on Maui also could soar, said Ryan Blowers, ReMo Homes’ co-founder and head of manufacturing.

“People are going to be paying 200 bucks for a two by four,” he said.

Plant Prefab’s Glenn said, “Cost can be lower, but not always.”

The wildfire destroyed some 2,200 structures in Lahaina, some 85% of them homes. Will construction crews be able to rebuild fast enough to keep residents from fleeing the islands became of a lack of housing? (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

It’s not just homes that could be replaced using modular methods. 

UrbanBloc of San Leandro, California, converts standard shipping containers into small commercial buildings to use for restaurants, coffee shops and retail spaces, said Martha Trela, the company’s chief executive. 

A standard 40-foot shipping container could be converted into a space for a coffee shop for $150,000 for a finished building, she said. A small restaurant complete with kitchen equipment would be around $250,000, she said.

Even if the container buildings aren’t permanent fixtures in Lahaina, she said, they could be stood up quickly to serve the construction workers and others who are rebuilding Lahaina and later transported somewhere else.

And the buildings can be constructed quickly, she said.

“Our turn-around time is about three months,” she said.

Construction Workers Also Will Need Housing

Which of these solutions makes its way to Hawaii in end might depend on PRP. Union carpenter jobs pay a rare living wage in Hawaii, which amounts to $52 per hour, plus $27 an hour in benefits. He said it’s important that modular home developers, who essentially lower costs by building houses in factories elsewhere, not create an unfair playing field for the local workers.

He said it will be important to see what people are proposing.

Regardless, Pereira said, Maui will need hundreds or thousands of new homes, not just for residents but also for an army of construction workers. And many of them will come from PRP, he said.

“We’re going to be there to provide the expert labor that’s needed to rebuild Lahaina,” he said.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.

Sign up for our FREE morning newsletter and face each day more informed.

Sign Up

Sorry. That’s an invalid e-mail.

Thanks! We’ll send you a confirmation e-mail shortly.

The post Maui Wildfire Burns Down Obstacles To Prefab Dwelling Constructing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Maui residents whose homes burned in a wildfire that incinerated a historic town and killed more than 100 people are steadily filling Hawaii hotels that are prepared to house them and provide services until at least next spring, officials said Thursday.

Authorities hope to empty crowded, uncomfortable group shelters by early next week and move displaced people into hotel rooms, said Brad Kieserman, vice president for disaster operations with the American Red Cross. Hotels are also available for eligible evacuees who have spent the last eight days sleeping in cars or camping in parking lots, he said.

“We will be able to keep folks in hotels for as long as it takes to find housing for them,” Kieserman said at a media briefing. “I am confident we’ll have plenty of rooms.”

Contracts with the hotels will last for at least seven months but could easily be extended, he said. The properties will be staffed by service providers who will offer meals, counseling, financial assistance and other aid.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has said at least 1,000 hotel rooms will be set aside for those who lost their homes. In addition, AirBnB’s nonprofit wing will provide properties for 1,000 people, the company said.

The governor has also vowed to protect local landowners from being “victimized” by opportunistic buyers when Maui rebuilds. Green said Wednesday that he instructed the state attorney general to work toward a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina, even as he acknowledged the move would likely face legal challenges.

“My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab,” Green said at a news conference. “Do not approach their families saying they’ll be much better off if they make a deal. Because we’re not going to allow it.”

Since flames consumed much of Lahaina just over a week ago, locals have feared that a rebuilt town could become even more oriented toward wealthy visitors, according to Lahaina native Richy Palalay.

Hotels and condos “that we can’t afford to live in — that’s what we’re afraid of,” he said Saturday at a shelter for evacuees.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said Thursday that an outside organization will conduct “an impartial, independent” review into the government’s response to the fires.

Drone footage shows the aftermath of the devastating wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, after it swept through the city, leaving scores of people dead and thousands homeless.

“We intend to look at this critical incident to facilitate any necessary corrective action and to advance future emergency preparedness,” Lopez said in a statement. She said the investigation will likely take months.

As the death toll rose to 111 on Wednesday, the head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency defended not sounding sirens as flames raged. Hawaii has what it touts as the largest system of outdoor alert sirens in the world.

“We were afraid that people would have gone mauka,” said agency administrator Herman Andaya, using a navigational term that can mean toward the mountains or inland in Hawaiian. “If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire.”

The system was created after a 1946 tsunami that killed more than 150 on the Big Island, and its website says they may be used to alert for fires.

Avery Dagupion, whose family’s home was destroyed, said he’s angry that residents weren’t given earlier warning to get out.

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The iconic Banyan tree stands among the rubble of burned buildings on Aug. 11, 2023, days after a catastrophic wildfire swept through the city.

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The iconic Banyan tree stands among the rubble of burned buildings on Aug. 11, 2023, days after a catastrophic wildfire swept through the city.

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Davilynn Severson holds a page of a yearbook as she looks for belongings through the ashes of their family’s home in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 11, 2023.

ustin Sullivan/Getty Images

Volunteers load water onto a boat to be transported to West Maui from the Kihei boat landing on Aug. 13, 2023, in Kihei, Hawaii. At least 93 people were confirmed dead over the weekend, and thousands were displaced after a wind driven wildfire devastated the towns of Lahaina and Kula this past week. Crews are continuing to search for nearly 1,000 missing people.

Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Fire damage is seen on Aug. 12, 2023, in Lahaina, HI. The death toll is expected to rise after devastating wildfires swept Maui early in the month.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Cars are backed up for miles on the Honoapiilani highway as residents are allowed back into areas affected by the recent wildfire, Aug. 11, 2023, in Wailuku, Hawaii. Dozens of people were killed and thousands were displaced after a wind-driven wildfire devastated the town of Lahaina on Tuesday. Crews are continuing to search for missing people.

Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images

Burned houses and buildings are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire, is seen in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 12, 2023.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

An aerial image taken on Aug. 10, 2023, shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

An aerial view of Lahaina after wildfires burned through the town on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Aug. 10, 2023. Dozens of people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Homes and buildings were burned to the ground around the harbor and Front Street in the historic Lahaina Town in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 10, 2023.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

A charred boat sits in Lahaina Harbor in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

An aerial image taken on Aug. 10, 2023, shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

An aerial view of Lahaina after wildfires burned through the town on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Aug. 10, 2023. Dozens of people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes.

Clint Hansen / Maui Real Estate Radio

Wildfires blaze through North Kihei overnight on Hawaii’s Maui island, Aug. 10, 2023. Residents were cleared to return to Kihei by Thursday afternoon, according to the town’s updates.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Passengers try to rest and sleep after canceled and delayed flights while others wait to board flights off the island as thousands of passengers were stranded at the Kahului Airport in the aftermath of wildfires in Maui in Kahului, Hawaii, Aug. 9, 2023.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Passengers try to rest and sleep after canceled and delayed flights while others wait to board flights off the island as thousands of passengers were stranded at the Kahului Airport in the aftermath of wildfires in Maui in Kahului, Hawaii, Aug. 9, 2023.

Courtesy Chris Sendrey

Smoke billows over Kula in Hawaii’s Maui island, Aug. 3, 2023.

Courtesy Chris Sendrey

Smoke billows over Kula in Hawaii’s Maui island, Aug. 3, 2023.

Courtesy Chris Sendrey

Smoke billows over Kula in Hawaii’s Maui island, Aug. 3, 2023.

Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson / Department of Defense

Hawaii Army National Guard helicopters fight wildfires with bucket drops, Aug. 9, 2023, in Maui, Hawaii. The National Guard said they dropped more than 100,000 gallons of water on the fires.

Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson / Department of Defense

Hawaii Army National Guard helicopters fight wildfires with bucket drops, Aug. 9, 2023, in Maui, Hawaii. The National Guard said they dropped more than 100,000 gallons of water on the fires.

Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson / Department of Defense

Hawaii Army National Guard helicopters fight wildfires with bucket drops, Aug. 9, 2023, in Maui, Hawaii. The National Guard said they dropped more than 100,000 gallons of water on the fires.

County of Maui

Smoke billows over Lahaina in this undated photo released by the County of Maui on Aug. 10, 2023. The historic town of Lahaina was reduced to ashes by Thursday, aerial photos show.

He pointed to an announcement by Maui Mayor Richard Bissen on Aug. 8 saying the fire had been contained. That lulled people into a sense of safety and left him distrusting officials, he said.

At the news conference, Green and Bissen bristled when asked about such criticism.

“I can’t answer why people don’t trust people,” Bissen said. “The people who were trying to put out these fires lived in those homes — 25 of our firefighters lost their homes. You think they were doing a halfway job?”

The cause of the wildfires, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century, is under investigation. But Hawaii is increasingly at risk from disasters, with wildfires rising fastest, according to an Associated Press analysis of FEMA records.

The local power utility faced criticism for leaving power on as strong winds from a passing hurricane buffeted a parched area last week, and one video shows a cable dangling in a charred patch of grass, surrounded by flames, in the early moments of the wildfire.

The famous banyan tree in Lahaina was charred in the blaze that devastated the Hawaii town, Maui officials said.

“Facts about this event will continue to evolve,” Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura wrote in an email to utility customers Thursday. “And while we may not have answers for some time, we are committed, working with many others, to find out what happened as we continue to urgently focus on Maui’s restoration and rebuilding efforts.”

Meanwhile, signs of recovery emerged as public schools across Maui reopened, welcoming displaced students from Lahaina, and traffic resumed on a major road.

The search for the missing moved beyond Lahaina to other oceanside communities that were destroyed. Searchers had covered about 45% of the burned territory by Thursday, the governor said.

Corrine Hussey Nobrigam, whose home was spared, watched crews sifting through ash and debris looking for human remains. While some of her neighbors raised questions about the absence of sirens and inadequate evacuation routes, Nobriga said it was hard to lay blame for a tragedy that took everyone by surprise.

“One minute we saw the fire over there,” she said, pointing toward far away hills, “and the next minute it’s consuming all these houses.”

The ongoing search was marred by intermittent cellphone service and misleading information on social media. There were also challenges finding people who may be in hospitals, hunkered down at friends’ houses or in unofficial shelters that have popped up. Many people made fliers and were going door to door in search of loved ones.

Judy Riley, who has been working with families seeking relatives, said false leads and a sense that “no one is in charge of the missing” have contributed to a sense of despair.

“If you are looking for the missing, it’s easy for people to slip through the cracks,” she said.

___

Kelleher reported from Honolulu and Weber from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Haven Daley in Kalapua, Hawaii; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Seth Borenstein in Washington, D.C.; and Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed.

__

The post Hawaii wildfire evacuees shifting out of shelters and into lodges – NBC Bay Space appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

With the unprecedented wildfires in Canada and the increased likelihood of future wildfires across North America, experts at Buro Happold offer advice on minimizing indoor pollutants and effective HVAC system strategies for AECO professionals.

To protect against smoke ingress and reduce the impact of particulate matter (PM2.5), Justin Schultz from Buro Happold’s San Francisco office and John Rozeluk from the Los Angeles office present building owners with solutions aimed at reducing health risks for building occupants. Both engineers have extensive experience in building decarbonization and sustainability, as well as planning for the impact of wildfires and smoke throughout the United States

Forest fire season considerations

The current recommendation for wildfire season is to use high levels of agitation for ventilation. This is now taken into account in new buildings and renovations in order to offer energy-efficient and cost-effective solutions. Obstacles to maintaining a healthy indoor environment include (i) clogged filters in air handling units (AHUs) and (ii) fresh air intakes polluted by smoke.

Possible interventions and sample scenarios by Buro Happold’s experts include:

Unavoidable central air recirculation

When air recirculation cannot be avoided or sufficiently reduced, building owners should consider exhaust air scrubbers and high-quality filters called high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters with a MERV 15 rating. The Minimum Efficiency Report Value (MERV) indicates the effectiveness of an air filter in reducing particles and pollutants in the air.

Mixed mode ventilation

A mixed-mode ventilation system is suitable for natural ventilation in most cases. In the event of poor air quality due to forest fires, a local mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR) can be used to supply fresh air.

Local changes to central systems

If only local changes are possible on a centralized HVAC system, building owners can consider changes in the space, e.g. B. the formation of discrete partitions to allow horizontal air supply.

Displacement ventilation / UFAD

Displacement ventilation or underfloor air distribution (UFAD) introduces air at low levels with a unidirectional airpath to exhaust vents higher in the interior. This flushes clean air over the occupants and extracts pollutants from the ceiling.

“We need to build resilience and responsiveness into our designs and constructions to be able to respond appropriately to anything that might happen.” During the pandemic, we’ve tried to increase the volume of outside air and reduce circulation, which is the opposite of what we need to shut out wildfire smoke and filter out particulates. Also, keep in mind that the energy required to push the air through HEPA or MERV 15 filters is very high, although most days a MERV 13 filter will suffice. Architects and engineers need to think about how to design ventilation systems that can be switched from a normal usage mode to settings better suited to specific crisis conditions. This balances healthy air quality with overall energy use and operating costs,” says Rozeluk, responding to a query from The Construction Specifier about the role architects and engineers can play in mitigating the impact of wildfires on indoor air quality. He added: “We should also look at ways to control the air pressure inside a building so that in the event of a wildfire you can prevent air from entering through the typical openings and passageways in the envelope, thereby reducing the ingress of smoke-borne particles.”

The post Optimizing HVAC for wildfire challenges: Knowledgeable recommendation appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

With the unprecedented wildfires in Canada and the increased likelihood of future wildfires across North America, experts at Buro Happold offer advice on minimizing indoor pollutants and effective HVAC system strategies for AECO professionals.

To protect against smoke ingress and reduce the impact of particulate matter (PM2.5), Justin Schultz from Buro Happold’s San Francisco office and John Rozeluk from the Los Angeles office present solutions for building owners aimed at reducing building health risks reduce occupants. Both engineers have extensive experience in building decarbonization and sustainability, as well as planning for the impact of wildfires and smoke throughout the United States

Forest fire season considerations

Diagram showing the intervention considerations for displacement ventilation strategies given the impact of wildfire activity on indoor air quality (IAQ).

The current recommendation for wildfire season is to use high levels of agitation for ventilation. This is now taken into account in new buildings and renovations in order to offer energy-efficient and cost-effective solutions. Obstacles to maintaining a healthy indoor environment include (i) clogged filters in air handling units (AHUs) and (ii) fresh air intakes polluted by smoke.

Possible interventions and sample scenarios by Buro Happold’s experts include:

Unavoidable central air recirculation

When air recirculation cannot be avoided or sufficiently reduced, building owners should consider exhaust air scrubbers and high-quality filters called high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters with a MERV 15 rating. The Minimum Efficiency Report Value (MERV) indicates the effectiveness of the air filter in reducing particles and pollutants in the air.

Mixed mode ventilation

In most cases, a mixed-mode ventilation system is suitable for natural ventilation. In the event of poor air quality due to forest fires, a local mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR) can be used to supply fresh air.

The facade of the tower at PNC Plaza in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Buro Happold provided structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering and civil works for the fully automated double skin facade to contribute to natural passive ventilation.

Local changes to central systems

If only local changes are possible on a centralized HVAC system, building owners can consider changes in the space, e.g. B. the formation of discrete partitions to allow horizontal air supply.

Displacement ventilation / UFAD

Displacement ventilation or underfloor air distribution (UFAD) introduces air at low levels with a unidirectional airpath to exhaust vents higher in the interior. This flushes clean air over the occupants and extracts pollutants from the ceiling.

An interior photo of the tower at PNC Plaza in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“We need to build resilience and responsiveness into our designs and constructions to be able to respond appropriately to anything that might happen.” During the pandemic, we have attempted to increase outdoor air volume and reduce recirculation, which is the opposite of that is what we need to shut out wildfire smoke and filter out particulates. Also, keep in mind that the energy required to push the air through HEPA or MERV 15 filters is very high, although most days a MERV 13 filter will suffice. Architects and engineers need to think about how to design ventilation systems that can be switched from a normal use mode to settings better suited to specific crisis conditions. This balances healthy air quality with overall energy use and operating costs,” says Rozeluk, responding to a query from The Construction Specifier about the role architects and engineers can play in mitigating the impact of wildfires on indoor air quality. He added: “We should also look at ways to control the air pressure inside a building so that in the event of a wildfire you can prevent air from entering through the typical openings and passageways in the envelope, thus reducing the ingress of smoke-borne particles becomes.” .”

The post Learn how to reduce wildfire influence on indoor air high quality (IAQ) appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is unsettling communities in the Midwest and Northeast United States, prompting changes in activities for children and warnings for adults.

New York City recorded its highest level of air pollution ever. Officials in both countries are urging affected residents to stay indoors and wear N95 masks outdoors.

Why we wrote this

A story that focuses on that

The severity of Canada’s wildfire smoke has startled the United States and could prompt eastern communities to learn safety lessons from the fire-prone west.

Wildfires can regenerate natural landscapes and are common in Canada. But it’s been a tough start to the fire season. Although it’s difficult to directly attribute individual fires to climate change, much of Canada had a warm and dry spring — a combination made more likely by rising global temperatures.

Exposure to massive wildfires “used to be something of a one-time thing,” says Keith Bein, an air quality researcher at the University of California, Davis. “Now it happens more often and almost every season.”

Veteran firefighters in the west may be able to share their lessons with their friends on the east coast. Preparation and public awareness are key, they say.

Wildfire Smoke Ready Week is held in Missoula, Montana every year. And in California, there’s a pilot program for public “clean air centers” for people at risk of smoking — similar to “cooling centers” that provide shelter from extreme heat.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has shrouded the New York City skyline in a Halloween haze. The bitter air has reached the Great Lakes region of the United States and the mid-Atlantic, prompting public health warnings.

New York City recorded its highest-ever air pollution levels, surpassing levels experienced by San Francisco during the 2018 California wildfires. And the air in the country’s capital was rated “very unhealthy” on Thursday.

The severity of the smoke has startled communities far from fire-prone western North America, raising questions about local preparedness and safety. Here’s a look at the scope of the fires and warnings.

Why we wrote this

A story that focuses on that

The severity of Canada’s wildfire smoke has startled the United States and could prompt eastern communities to learn safety lessons from the fire-prone west.

How unusual are the fires in Canada and what to expect for the upcoming fire season?

Wildfires can regenerate natural landscapes and are common in Canada. But a tough start to the fire season has burned 9.4 million hectares in recent weeks — about 15 times the 10-year average, Reuters reports. The sparks are due to a mixture of lightning and possible human causes.

The scale of coast-to-coast fires — and the speed at which they spread — has been something unusual since at least the 1980s, says Daniel Perrakis, a fire researcher with the Department of Natural Resources of Canada. “There’s no way we can get enough firefighters to fight all these fires,” he adds. “It could rain next week, but possibly months from now.”

Ontario Department of Natural Resources and Forestry/The Canadian Press/AP

Show caption
Hide caption

Canada’s wildfire season got off to a rough start — with fires blazing across the country — partly due to a warm and dry spring. Here, on June 4, 2023, the Chapleau 3 forest fire burns in the province of Ontario.

“We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Wednesday. Although its complexity makes it difficult to directly attribute individual fires to climate change, a 2022 United Nations report lists it as one of several factors increasing the risk of wildfires around the world. And much of Canada has had a warm and dry spring – a combination made more likely by rising global temperatures.

In contrast, through July, the U.S. “expects normal to below average fire potential in much of the Southwest, California and Colorado due to snow cover and a wet spring,” says Nick Nauslar, predictive services meteorologist at the National Interagency Fire Center. The Northwest, he adds in an email, “probably has above-average potential.”

How do communities deal with smoke?

Thousands of Canadians were evacuated. The wildfires are also worrying Americans throughout the Midwest and Northeast, causing school closures and early layoffs in New Jersey and delays in city flights from Washington to Boston. Officials in both countries are urging affected residents to stay indoors and wear N95 masks outdoors.

Andres Kudacki/AP

Show caption
Hide caption

On June 7, 2023, people wearing masks walk in New York. Health officials urged people to stay indoors or wear masks to protect themselves in cities hit by wildfire smoke.

As air quality in New York City reached “dangerous” levels on Wednesday, Commissioner for Emergency Management Zach Iscol called for solidarity.

“If you are young and healthy, please stop by your neighbors,” he said at a news conference. “Make sure they have the information they need to keep them safe.”

In Toronto, Samantha Green says that when you step outside, “it smells like we’re standing next to a campfire.” The family doctor calls the wildfire smoke a “complex soup of air pollutants.”

Regarding high-efficiency particulate air filters, she says: “People should stay indoors and make sure the indoor air is clean by closing the windows and using a HEPA filter if you have one – or at least making sure they have a good quality filter.” have.” says Dr. Green, President-elect of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

Experts recommend citizens check local air quality alerts for help determining their daily activities, such as whether they should go jogging outside. Canadians can see their city’s status using the Federal Air Quality Health Index, while Americans can enter their zip code into AirNow.gov.

Even with US firefighting help, it could take weeks or longer to put out the fires in Quebec and beyond. Meanwhile, changes in wind patterns will be a factor determining air quality.

Julio Cortez/AP

Show caption
Hide caption

Joggers trot along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 8, 2023 in Washington as the sun rises over the Washington Monument and a thick layer of smoke from wildfires rises.

What are the possible solutions to contain the smoke from wildfires?

Exposure to massive wildfires “used to be something of a one-time thing,” says Keith Bein, an air quality researcher at the University of California, Davis. “Now it happens more often and almost every season.”

and region. He’s been answering questions from friends on the east coast about fire. This informal exchange of knowledge suggests the rest of the country could learn from fire veterans in the West.

Preparation and public awareness are key, western wildfire experts say.

“The worst time to respond to a smoke event is when you’re in it,” says Sarah Coefield, air quality specialist with the Missoula City-County Health Department in Montana. Her community hosts an annual Wildfire Smoke Ready Week inspired by one in Washington state.

“We’re trying to kind of flood the airwaves in early summer,” adds Ms. Coefield. Then, “locals start thinking more about the upcoming fire season — but it’s not here yet, so they have time to prepare.” She also directs people to MontanaWildfireSmoke.org for more tips on how to prepare, including how to assemble a do-it-yourself fan and filter combo.

Another idea under development – public “clean air centers” for people at risk of smoking – is similar to the way “cooling centers” provide protection from extreme heat. California has begun investing in these centers as part of a pilot program, upgrading ventilation systems and buying portable air purifiers for buildings like libraries.

The post Wildfire smoke: Canadian fires present want for US security readiness appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Smoke fills the air in Lake George, NY on Tuesday. The material in the air came from active wildfires in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.

LAKE GEORGE, NY (NEWS10) — Skies in the North Country were soupy and gray on Tuesday — from reasons far to the west. Wildfires that first broke out in Alberta, Canada, have now spread to Quebec — and prompted air quality warnings for many parts of New York.

Get the latest news, weather, sports and community events straight to your inbox!

In the North Country, residual smoke from these fires obscures views of the Adirondack Mountains — and bodies of water like Lake George. With Memorial Day in the past, the first few weeks of summer are here. As you keep your eyes on the smoky skies, you might be wondering: is it safe to leave the hotel and go to the beach?

“There’s an increase in wildfires, but there’s not a lot of research on the effects on skin,” said New York-based dermatologist Dr. Fayne Frey, who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. “While we know that smoke from wildfires can have respiratory and cardiovascular effects, the risk of exposure to smoke on the skin is a relatively new problem.”

The shortage of cancer drugs is now affecting many in the capital region

Some of the latest data on this topic comes from the 2018 Camp Fire wildfire in Northern California. Started by a faulty transmission line, the bonfire eventually spread across 153,336 acres, destroying nearly 19,000 buildings and killing 85 people. It also left an impact on thousands more lives.

A 2021 study from the University of California, San Francisco compared the incidence of patients visiting health clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area after the fire with those in 2015 and 2016. They found a significant increase in patients with itching and other dermatological conditions raised concerns about post-Camp Fire data.

Some of these patients had pre-existing skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. The study found an increase in eczema flare-ups of up to 50% in children. Meanwhile, the number of adults with itching and no history of such a skin condition after the burn increased by up to 90%.

The data in the study was not all from near the scene of the fire in Butte County, California. Changes were seen up to a distance of 175 miles from where the fire was actively burning. For comparison, Lake George is over 450 miles from parts of Quebec that were actively burning north of Montreal on Tuesday.

Lake George considering DRI application

Unless authorities recommend otherwise, those looking to enjoy a day at the beach in places like Lake George can still make it — but there are ways to be smart about it. dr Frey recommends using moisturizer for anyone suffering from eczema, a condition that leads to dry skin and reduces the effectiveness of its natural barrier against fungi and bacteria. The better the barrier is maintained, the safer beachgoers will be.

“When you go on a long drive, you want to make sure your tires are serviced for the journey. If you have eczema. The same goes for your skin,” said Dr. Frey.

Ultimately, the same is true even if you don’t have an existing skin condition. Humid air means that humidification is not always necessary in summer. dr Frey recommends using a waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, even when the sun isn’t directly visible — for example, when it’s being obscured by a cloud of smoke. It can also help to avoid the midday sun at its brightest and highest point and opt for outdoor picnics and afternoon swims. Long-sleeved clothing protects the skin and UPF options are designed to keep sunburn at bay while swimming.

Lake George is the eighth bluest water in the United States

The effects of smoke exposure now go beyond the skin to include respiratory hazards, particularly for immunocompromised individuals and the elderly. The DEC announced an air quality health warning to go into effect beginning Wednesday in various parts of New York, including New York City, central and western New York. Nordland was not included in the recommendation,

Frey is the author of The Skincare Haox, a book about skin care products like lotions and wrinkle creams. On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. she will visit the Caldwell-Lake George Library for a talk about the book and her career.

The post What wildfire smoke means on your journey to the seaside appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Colossal wildfire plumes that can be spotted from space have erupted on several California wildfires in the past months.

The Mosquito Fire burning in Placer and El Dorado counties produced torrents of smoke that soared tens of thousands of feet into the air. The cloud of soot and debris could be seen 60 miles away. Smoke from the blaze blanketed large swaths of Northern California and western Nevada, resulting in hazardous-level air quality.

Wildfire plumes in the western US are reaching greater heights than ever, a recent study reports — especially in California’s Sierra Nevada.

“The higher the plume reaches, the more likely it is to be transported rapidly over large distances,” said David Peterson, a meteorologist with the US Naval Research Laboratory-Monterey who was not part of the new study.

That means smoke, carrying a hodgepodge of chemical compounds, wafts farther distances and impacts more people. Wildfire smoke can irritate lungs and even cause wider health issues, especially for vulnerable populations like older adults, children and those with underlying health conditions.

A pyrocumulonimbus cloud from mosquito fire as seen from the air of a commercial airline flight over Sacramento, September 8, 2022. Video: Courtesy Gregory Van Acker

“Once these particles enter our bloodstream they can pretty much affect our entire bodies,” said Rosana Aguilera Becker, an environmental health scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

The study, out of the University of Utah, used mathematical models to simulate plume heights for about 4.6 million wildfires. The analyzes examined burned areas detected by satellite in the western US and Canada from 2003 through 2020, during August and September. The researchers found that over those years, plume top heights increased hundreds of feet across much of the mountainous western US

But not all areas saw the same amount of growth.

“Sierra Nevada definitely stands out,” said study author John Lin, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah. In the Sierra, the researchers found that plumes grew about an additional 750 feet per year. On wildfires like the Mosquito, that’s meant intense plumes have soared to some 40,000 feet.

Firefighters watch a smoke column from a distance during the Mosquito Fire in unincorporated Placer County.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Other regions, like the Southern Rockies and Eastern Cascades, increased by over 300 feet per year.

This upward trend increased even more after 2015, although the results weren’t statistically significant.

This uptick in plume top height was accompanied by increases in wildfire emissions that cause poor air quality, especially in the Sierra Nevada region. As the plumes explode in height, smoke can surge above the planetary boundary layer, the layer of the atmosphere closest to the ground.

You’ve encountered this boundary any time you’ve been on a plane descending to land.

“If you’re going into SFO, you probably are familiar with the times when it suddenly gets really rocky,” Lin said, “That’s a pretty good indication of where the (planetary boundary layer) starts.”

Smoke that makes it to these altitudes — about 3,000 feet above the ground — disperses more readily due to strong winds.

The researchers propose that the increase in wildfire plume height is due in part to climate change: Drier conditions and warmer temperatures enable fires at higher elevations. This vertical shift gives wildfire plumes a head start toward sending smoke particles higher into the atmosphere, above the planetary boundary layer.

Some plumes make it even farther, past the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere. These are pyrocumulonimbus clouds, also known as pyroCbs.

“A pyroCb generally reaches the typical cruising altitudes of jet aircraft and beyond,” Peterson said. “So we’re talking 30,000 feet or higher.”

PyroCbs are similar in appearance to thunderstorm-producing cumulonimbus clouds: puffy and towering. A recent example is the immense plume produced by the Mosquito Fire, which soared to heights observed from airspace.

These clouds act like chimneys, funneling smoke up into the stratosphere.

“It’s a thunderstorm that’s ingesting smoke at the cloud base,” Peterson said. “And then it gets accelerated through that thunderstorm cloud and ejected through the top of it.”

The researchers identified increasing pyroCb activity within the Colorado Plateau over the study period. They also found a slight uptick in pyroCbs in the Sierra Nevada in recent years. Additional research is needed to get a clear picture of what’s happening with these extreme plumes, which are still a developing research area.

What is known, however, is that smoke that makes it to these altitudes can linger for months and spread over vast distances, potentially causing health issues for many.

“There is a great concern that wildfires will be — and are already — a major source of air pollution,” Aguilera Becker said.

Jack Lee (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jack.lee@sfchronicle.com

The post California wildfire smoke rising increased, makes air high quality worse appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Community Development Research Briefs

Author(s): Brooke Lappe, Emory University and Jason Vargo, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

Download the full report (pdf, 1.35 mb)

Executive Summary

Wildfires, which are increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity, are measurably affecting vulnerable populations, labor, housing, and education. This report describes how wildfire smoke disrupts various sectors of the economy across the United States. Wildfire smoke is a growing problem for groups that face greater economic barriers than the general population, such as low-income families, housing-vulnerable communities, and frontline workers.

Key Takeaways

• In the past decade, most Americans have experienced statistically significant increases in days of light, medium, and heavy wildfire smoke and decreases in smoke-free days.
• Increases in the number of days of smoke were greatest for the most dense, dangerous, and disruptive category of smoke.
• Avoiding wildfire smoke exposures is likely worth hundreds of billions of dollars per year to Americans.
• Increases in wildfire smoke are occurring in the nation’s most vulnerable communities, with disproportionate increases for minority populations and those with limited English proficiency.
• Frontline workers (here referring to those workers in outdoor occupations and often without indoor air filtration) are increasingly experiencing exposure to wildfire smoke. Smoke will continue to increase the risk of occupational hazards, decrease productivity, and cause worker disruptions in industries that depend on these workers. Adapting to these changing conditions will result in additional costs for businesses, consumers, and governments.
• Wildfires have increased heavy smoke exposures for young children and students in poverty. This could have impacts on early childhood and K‒12 education, such as disruptions in learning, poor academic outcomes, and increased food insecurity.
• Housing-vulnerable communities are experiencing an increase in heavy smoke days, especially in the high-cost regions of the West (The Federal Reserve’s Twelfth District). Wildfires are likely to pressure the housing sector by increasing housing costs and disproportionately impacting housing for vulnerable communities who live in housing types (older units, rental units, etc.) that are less likely to access protective adaptations.
• Dramatic increases in disruptive smoke overlap with eligibility for existing financing programs that could help build resilience to smoke-related damages. Programs that target low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color may have outsized importance in building broad economic resilience to climate risks.

Research Motivations and Methodology

Wildfire Smoke Health Effects

The health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure are not uniformly distributed across regions and populations. Certain populations, such as lower-income, children or older adults, medically compromised individuals or those who cannot avoid exposure, are especially vulnerable to smoke-induced health effects. Wildfire smoke exposure is associated with asthma exacerbations, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory infections, myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, dysrhythmia, pulmonary embolism, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, and all-cause mortality (Reid et al. 2016; Heaney et al. 2022; Wettstein et al. 2018). Such health outcomes as cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular emergency department visits have been linked specifically to heavy-density smoke exposure, which has increased the most in the past decade (Wettstein et al. 2018). Previous research has shown that the negative health effects of prescribed fire smoke are more pronounced in children born to black and Hispanic mothers, as well as children of low-income mothers (Jones and Berrens 2021). Our findings suggest that individuals who are experiencing increased exposures might also live in communities with limited resources to reduce the impacts of the exposures.

Descriptive analyses were conducted on the presence of wildfire smoke plumes and their overlap with population centers to describe the magnitude of and trends in wildfire smoke affecting communities across the United States in 2011–2021. These data on census tract–level wildfire smoke exposures were combined with information on specific populations to characterize wildfire smoke exposures across different socioeconomic groups.

To describe recent trends in wildfire smoke, a comparison of estimates in the earliest five years (2011–2015) to those of the latest five years (2017–2021) of the 11-year study period was conducted. Using census tract aggregations of the daily smoke data, the mean annual days of smoke were calculated and then used to statistically test changes in frequency of wildfire smoke plumes across the study period. In each analysis, census tract estimates of person-days or number of smoke-days are used as the basis for central tendency estimates within the county or SVI (Social Vulnerability Index) tertile. All analyses were performed using R Statistical Software (R Core Team 2021).

Wildfire Smoke Exposures

To obtain community-level exposure to wildfire smoke, data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke dataset were combined with population data from the 2010 U.S. Census. HMS data use satellite-detected fires with multiple daily satellite images and a combination of analyst examination and automated processing to record smoke plumes of categorical densities across North America. Satellite imagery that detects smoke plumes can reliably identify periods of wildland fire influence on ground-level measurements of air quality from validated monitors. Plume densities reported in HMS data correlate with PM2.5 concentrations, with concentrations <10 µg/m3 categorized as light, 10–21 µg/m3 as medium, and >21 µg/m3 as heavy.i

To estimate the sizes of populations potentially impacted by light, medium, and heavy wildfire smoke plumes between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2021, smoke plume data and 2010 census block group centers of population were linked. Daily smoke density categories were assigned to populations in each block group if a smoke plume from any time in the day contained the block group population center. The spatial intersection of HMS plumes and population centers is detailed in Vargo 2020. Block group populations were held constant at 2010 levels to quantify the impact of changes in wildfire smoke regimes and disentangle them from population shifts over the course of the decade. Populations under each smoke category were considered for each day. The resulting quantity, person-days, is the product of the number of people in a census block group or tract and the number of days that block group experiences smoke. Person-days by smoke density and smoke-free person-days were then aggregated across geographies and time periods for our analyses.

After quantifying and describing general trends in wildfire smoke since 2011, the same data are combined with information on specific populations of interest to better understand who is most affected by wildfire exposures and how those communities might be prioritized for climate-resilient community development.

What is a person-day?

Throughout the report, person-days are used to capture, together, the number of people and the amount of time spent under smoke plumes. When a smoke plume is observed over a population center, each person who lives there is considered to have experienced one smoke day. Suppose 500 people live in a population center; each time a plume is over it, 500 person-days of smoke would be tallied. This measure can be adapted to consider communities of concern—for example, to count frontline worker—days, student-days, or household-days of smoke.

A person-day is a useful metric specifically because it incorporates people into descriptions of air quality. It helps to give an accounting of the potential impact of smoke by capturing the number of people and the amount of time people may have been exposed. Person-days assign exposures at fine scale but allow for versatile aggregation and comparison of exposures for different geographies and time periods.

Populations of Concern

There are several community dimensions of interest relevant to understanding wildfire smoke exposure and the resulting economic impacts. The characteristics of people or a community (e.g., age, race, health status, income, occupation), social inequalities (e.g., social capital, political power, lack of access to information), place-based inequalities (e.g., rural versus urban, elevation), and adaptation inequalities all impact a population’s susceptibility to disaster events and their resulting exposures (Cutter, Boruff. and Shirley 2003). Although wildfire smoke events affect entire populations together, their impacts are shaped by the population’s susceptibility and its adaptive capacity. This report’s findings suggest that increases in smoke are occurring in communities with high vulnerability in the labor, housing, and education sectors. Communities with fewer economic resources may face more barriers in avoiding exposures during a wildfire smoke event (Murphy et al. 2015). However, this overlap of vulnerability and growing exposure suggests that interventions that target at-risk communities may more efficiently reduce smoke exposure, potential health impacts, and social and economic losses associated with wildfires. This report is not exhaustive in its description of populations of concern. Considering other marginalized populations, such as indigenous communities, is important for improving understanding of the impacts of wildfire smoke.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s SVI data were used to investigate populations of concern for wildfire smoke and evaluate characteristics that might affect the health risks of wildfire smoke exposures. All analyses were performed using the 2018 versionii of the SVI data at the census tract scale. Daily person-days of wildfire smoke at the block group level were aggregated to annual census tract aggregates and linked with 2018 SVI percentile rankings of four themes: (1) socioeconomic status, (2) race/ethnicity/language, (3) household composition and disability, and (4) housing/transportation. Estimates of person-days and number of smoke-days for each smoke density were calculated using national tertiles of the overall SVI theme and the four component themes. The tertile with the lowest SVI scores is referred to as having the greatest health/social “advantage,” and the tertile with the highest SVI scores is referred to as having the greatest health/social “disadvantage.” The assignment of tertiles using the census tract file (rather than other aggregations of SVI data) ensures that each tertile has roughly the same number of people. Additionally, specific components of the SVI (e.g., the number of persons without a high school diploma) were considered to examine changes in wildfire smoke among specific populations over the study period.

Frontline Workers

Wildfires have uneven impacts across the labor force and especially affect those who work outdoors or in indoor situations lacking adequate air conditioning or ventilation. Wildfire smoke impacts among these workers, referred to here as frontline workers, are expected to be greater than for other workers. Frontline workers are often paid lower wages, especially workers involved in food production and preparation or the movement and distribution of goods. These workers are also disproportionately racial and ethnic minorities. Migrant workers are also overrepresented in many of these frontline occupations, especially farmworkers and construction workers (Thomason and Bernhardt 2020). As a result of structural inequities, frontline workers have underlying health risks, low socioeconomic status, and reduced health-care access, which increases their overall vulnerability to wildfire smoke (Schenker et al. 2015). Frontline workers face increased occupational hazards, such as smoke-related health effects and exacerbated health vulnerabilities (Zhou et al. 2021), decreased productivity, and a greater likelihood of work disruptions and instability. As wildfire smoke increases hazards for these workers and disrupts productivity, the national economy suffers.

The contribution of industries to state labor forces and GDPs (gross domestic product), the percentage of workers considered frontline, and how frontline workers’ exposure to smoke changed from 2011–2015 to 2017–2021 were used to quantify smoke exposures in the labor force. The American Community Survey (ACS) five-year data from 2019 were used to enumerate frontline workers or those more likely to work outdoors and less likely to be able to mitigate their smoke exposures. Using estimates for variables included within the group C24050: Industry by Occupation for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over, the contribution of frontline industries to local labor forces and exposures among frontline workers were assessed. Among the 13 industries captured within the ACS group, frontline workers included in two occupations (“Natural resources, construction, and maintenance” and “Production, transportation, and material moving”) were counted as frontline workers and used with smoke days to arrive at frontline worker-days of smoke exposure. Four industries in the ACS variable with a majority of workers in frontline occupations were given special consideration: “Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining”, “Construction”, “Manufacturing”, and “Transportation and warehousing, and utilities”. State-specific GDP information was collected from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Table (SAGDP2N Gross domestic product by state) for year 2020.iii

School-Aged Children

The negative impacts on air quality make children a population of concern for wildfire smoke exposures. The development of the brain and organs throughout childhood and adolescence makes pollution potentially more damaging to children’s health, with much more long-lasting permanent effects, compared to adults (WHO 2005). Air pollution can decrease cognition and lead to poorer educational outcomes in the long term (Shier et al. 2019; Miller and Hui 2022). The economic impacts of childhood air pollution exposures can also impact near- and long-term school facilities and district budgets (Li and Jimenez 2022). A study of California schools from 2002–2003 through 2018–2019 found that wildfires related to nearly two-thirds of the school closure days and more than 70% of missed student-days over the 17 years (Miller and Hui 2022). Moreover, the study found significant negative impacts on academic performance among younger students. Another recent study found that the presence of wildfire smoke decreased students’ test scores, particularly for younger grades and disadvantaged districts. The impacts of one year, 2016, were projected to result in lost future earnings of more than $1.5 billion (Wen and Burke 2022).

Outside the classroom, school closures disrupt resources and services, such as meals and child care, and, as a result, students face increased risk of food insecurity and poor academic outcomes. Child-care providers and school districts with smaller budgets that serve disadvantaged communities could be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of wildfires because they often have greater needs and fewer resources available to address such issues. Parents are more likely to miss work to meet unexpected child-care needs, and households in low- and middle-income communities and communities of color are less likely to have reliable and affordable child-care options available to them (Harknett, Schneider, and Luhr 2022; Shrimali 2020). Additionally, child care disproportionately falls on low- and middle-income women and women of color, widening existing inequities (Shrimali 2020).

To estimate the impact of wildfire smoke on economically disadvantaged students, we used the ACS 2019 five-year estimates for the number of K–4 students enrolled in school and below the poverty line (variable group B14006) to calculate student-days of heavy smoke.

Housing-Vulnerable People and People Experiencing Homelessness

Affordable and safe housing is an important factor in dealing with many climate risks, as well as a commodity that is also threatened by climate risks. Homes are places of refuge from outdoor elements, such as wildfire smoke, and at the same time, fires pressure housing markets through loss of housing stock, limiting where new housing should be built, requiring retrofits, and increasing risks to existing properties. Lower-income residents will face disproportionate impacts due to the legacy of such practices as redlining, which segregated communities of color to neighborhoods that experience hotter temperatures and greater flood risks (Hoffman, Shandas, and Pendleton 2020; Katz 2021). Guidance for coping with wildfire smoke advises individuals to keep indoor air as clean as possible, often by closing windows and doors and running an air conditioner with a clean filter (CDC 2022). Lower-income households are more likely than higher-income households to live in housing that needs repair (Divringi et al. 2019), less likely to buy air filters, less likely to live in homes with air conditioning, and more likely to avoid running air conditioning due to the cost of energy (Hansen et al. 2011; English et al. 2007). Similarly, renters are more likely to be low‑income and thus more likely to rely on landlords to modify their homes to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Housing tenure is particularly important as a proxy for improvements and retrofits being installed, such as HVAC or window/door upgrades to control indoor climate. Few renters are in the position to invest in such improvements, and landlords are reluctant to pursue such investments (Melvin 2018). To consider the smoke exposures among housing-vulnerable households, estimates of renter-occupied households—along with cost-burdened (spending more than 30% of the household’s income on housing), owner-occupied households built prior to 1980—were counted for all U.S. census tracts.

The Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) were used to describe the overlap of smoke exposures with housing conditions that make it more difficult for residents to protect themselves (CHAS Database 2019). CHAS data are generated by HUD from custom tabulations of ACS data and provide estimates at the census tract scale within the range of the smoke record, specifically 2014‒2018. CHAS Table 12 was used to obtain detailed estimates of housing tenure (renter vs. owner-occupied), cost burden, year the structure was built, and household income. The estimates were combined with tract information about wildfire smoke exposure to describe household-days of smoke and changes across the study period.

People experiencing homelessness face a lack of regular shelter, as well as access to information and resources to prepare for and respond to wildfires, which amplify their wildfire smoke and health risk (Every et al. 2014; Gin et al. 2021; Gin et al. 2022). Additionally, many people experiencing homelessness are also working in low-wage, frontline jobs and thus represent a portion of the labor force especially vulnerable to disruptions from smoke exposures.  A 2020 survey of people experiencing homelessness in Portland, Oregon, found that 75% did not receive any information during wildfires and 69% received no type of help during wildfire and smoke events (Hines, Petteni, and Knowlton 2021).  Information on unhoused populations was obtained from HUD’s inventory of Point-in-Time (PiT) Counts assembled as part of the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (HUD 2021). Information about boundaries of Continuum of Care (CoC) were overlaid with census tracts to calculate the average number of days of smoke experienced by a CoC each year and to arrive at homeless-days of exposure. Although limited in their coverage, the PiT numbers give an idea of where the confluence of people experiencing homelessness and dangerous smoke resides. 

Community Investment Opportunities

Several programs exist to direct investment to the communities where there are concentrations of disadvantaged populations discussed in this report. Given the intersectional nature of many of the factorsiv used to describe those disadvantages, programs targeting low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color can be important for fostering resilience to many climate risks and other social determinants of economic, physical, and mental health. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is one example of legislation intended to ensure regulated banks help meet the credit needs of the local communities in which they operate. Specifically, banks are assessed on their record of meeting the credit needs of the entire community they serve, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also identifies tracts for its Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and those that are in Difficult Development Areas (DDAs) (CHAS Database 2019)—areas with high land, construction, and utility costs relative to the area median income and based on Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and income limits.

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) identifies tracts for the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). To be considered CRA-eligible, metropolitan tracts must be identified as low (tract median family income less than 50% of area median family income) or moderate (tract median family income greater than or equal to 50% and less than 80% of area median family income) income, or be identified as nonmetropolitan, middle (tract median family income greater than or equal to 80% and less than 120% of area family median income) income tracts designated by the FFIEC as distressed or underserved.  Using CRA-eligible tract designations from 2020, changes in smoke exposures in qualified tracts were assessed.

Select Figures

The following figures are interactive versions of figures found in the full report.

Please review the related sections of the PDF (linked in each figure caption) for more discussion of the data.

National Trends in Wildfire Smoke, 2011–2021

Annual person-days of smoke exposure, 2011-2021 (billions)

Wildfire smoke exposures of all smoke densities have increased in recent years, with the largest increases in the most dangerous and disruptive category of smoke.

Source: Hazard Mapping System Smoke Product from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For more details and analysis see pages 11-13 in the full report (pdf, 1.33 mb).

Wildfire Smoke Impacts on the Labor Force

Each industry’s share of the state labor force, the percentage of workers considered frontline, and how frontline workers’ exposure to smoke changed from 2011–2015 to 2017–2021.

Table 1. The total labor force, frontline workers, industry-specific workers, and frontline workers for each state are shown below.

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 2019, Industry by Occupation for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over; Bureau of Economic Analysis (SAGDP2N); Hazard Mapping System Smoke Product from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For more details and analysis see pages 15-19 in the full report (pdf, 1.33 mb).

Wildfire Smoke Impacts on Children and Schools

Nationally, there were 569 million heavy smoke student-days (grades K–4), with 100 million among students below the poverty line (Figure 5). Between 2011–2015 and 2017–2021, heavy smoke student-days increased 300%.

Figure 5. Student-days of heavy smoke for all K-4 students (light) from 2011 to 2021; student-days for those in poverty (dark)v

Heavy smoke exposures among vulnerable students have increased dramatically in recent years. Younger students (grades K‒4), particularly those in poverty, are most affected academically by school closures.

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates 2019; Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by School Enrollment by Level of School for the Population Three Years and Over (B14006); Hazard Mapping System Smoke Product from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For more details and analysis see pages 19-20 in the full report (pdf, 1.33 mb).

Download figures (zip file, 14 mb)

Download data (zip file, 29 mb)

The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco or the Federal Reserve System.

Brooke Lappe

is a doctoral student in the Environmental Health Sciences program at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Her research focuses on understanding the links between climate and health. Prior to joining the doctoral program, Brooke received her Master of Public Health from Emory University, completed a Pathways Internship at the US Environmental Protection Agency, and worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemiology Research and Innovations Branch.

Jason Vargo, PhD

is a senior researcher in Community Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, where he focuses on understanding the role of climate risk and equity in ensuring an inclusive and prosperous economy for all. He holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from Georgia Institute of Technology and dual master’s degrees in urban planning and public health from Emory University and Georgia Tech.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to all the colleagues at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from community development, the web team, and communications who helped with this report. Additional thanks to Dr. Katie Conlon and Dr. Maria Mirabelli for their partnership in this work, and to the Climate Change and Health Equity Section at the California Department of Public Health.

End Notes

i. Particulate matter (PM) is a measure of air pollution that refers to inhalable particles made up of various chemicals. PM2.5 refers to particles that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller (Source: EPA Particulate Matter [PM] Basics).

ii. The 2018 version of the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index is the most recent release at the time of the analysis. It is the case that neighborhood/population characteristics shift over time, such that a neighborhood’s SVI score in 2010 may be different than in 2018. By using the 2018 designations, the analysis highlights where smoke exposure changes over the last decade in neighborhoods that recently rank among the nation’s most vulnerable.

iii. Industry codes “11, 21”, “31-33”, and “22, 48-49” from the SAGDP2N data are used to capture industries with majority frontline workers.

iv. For examples of some of these “social determinants of health,” see the individual indicators of the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index.

v. Reflects only changes in smoke over the study period and not changes to the number of students or students in poverty.

Download PDF (pdf, 1.35 mb)

Article Citation

Lappe, Brooke, and Jason Vargo. 2022. “Disruptions from Wildfire Smoke: Vulnerabilities in Local Economies and Disadvantaged Communities in the U.S.” Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Research Brief 2022-06. doi: 10.24148/cdrb2022-06.

The post Disruptions from Wildfire Smoke | San Francisco Fed appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

CARMEL (CBS SF) — Winds topping 65 mph roared through Northern California early Saturday fueling a wildfire racing through the hills in the Palo Colorado Canyon near Big Sur, forcing evacuations and a blaze near Geysers Peak in Sonoma County.

Cal Fire said as of Saturday evening, the fire had burned 1,050 acres, down from the original estimate due to better mapping. They said containment had grown to 20%.

UPDATE: Air Attack, Calming Winds Aid Firefighters Battling Wildfire Near Big Sur; Containment Grows To 25 Percent

“The fire lined up with the wind and the terrain and that gave the fire a lot of energy to make a big run,” said Cecile Juliette, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The National Weather Service issued high wind warnings and advisories throughout Northern California. A warning for the North Bay mountains was extended to 4 pm Saturday. Winds topping 70 mph howled over Mount Diablo and a gust in the Healdsburg Hills was clocked at 96 mph and 94 mph at the nearby Pine Flat Road weather station.

It was unclear what caused the fire.

Fire officials said it’s uncommon to have a fire of this size burning in the winter. They said this is another reminder California’s fire season is year-round.

“The winds absolutely played a huge part in what happened last night. We had wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour,” said Juliette. “Everything is just so dry that it just really allowed this fire to spread very rapidly in the middle of winter.”

The National Weather Service said while Monterey County had a good amount of rain from late October to December, there was no measurable rain in January. They added the area burning had little or no fire history.

“The timing is quite unique because in January, we generally don’t have a lot of fires,” said Dr. Craig Clements, Director of the Wildfire Research Center at San Jose State.

“Given the fact that we haven’t had rain at all in January and we had a big off-shore wind event, these are the conditions that lead to wildfires typically in the Fall, not in January. So it’s just something that’s quite surprising,” said Dr. Clements.

Even thought there was a lot of rain late last year, Dr. Clements said several years of extreme drought mean there’s still a lot of dry fuel out there.

“If we pick up our precipitation, our snowpack in the Sierra in February and March, then we might get back to normal,” said Dr. Clements.

“It no longer makes sense to refer to fire season as something that just happens three months out of the year. It’s a year-round thing in California now and we anticipate that it could get worse,” said Juliette.

Cal Fire said because of the constant threat, people who live in fire-prone areas should stay vigilant and be ready to evacuate at all times.

The blustery conditions quickly spread the two wildfires. Cal Fire officials reported that crews were responding to a wildfire in the Palo Colorado Canyon north of Big Sur at around 7:30 pm Friday.

The flames spread on the hillsides still tinder-dry from months of drought conditions. Rains in late December had eased through conditions but January has been extremely dry again.

“Fire has remained stubbornly active overnight,” National Weather Service forecasters said. “Pictures on social media suggest some pretty surreal fire behavior given the wet Oct and Dec that was observed across the region with multiple atmospheric river events. Looking at historical fire data it appears the fire is burning south of Palo Colorado and towards Bixby Creek along Long Ridge in an area with little or no fire history.”

“Anecdotally, it seems as though the long-term drought is acting like a chronic illness where even recent rains and cold winter weather isn’t helping to keep fires from developing.”

Wildfires this time of year have been a rarity.

“It’s unusual to have fire this size here on the coast at the end of January,” Juliette said. “The fact that we had a fire this size is of great concern.”

By 11 pm mandatory evacuation orders had been issued with an American Red Cross shelter being set up at Carmel Middle School. Residents quickly fled on roadways covered by clouds of blowing embers. The flames jumped Highway 1, burned below the famed Bixby Bridge and were visible from as far away as the famed Pebble Beach golf links.

The concrete bridge spans the deep and wild canyon along the highway and has been the backdrop of many car commercials, movies and TV shows, most recently the HBO drama “Big Little Lies.”

Authorities made contact with about 500 residents, urging them to evacuate the sparsely populated area between Carmel and Big Sur. More than 250 firefighters from multiple agencies and volunteer groups, aided by water-dropping aircraft, contained about 20% of the blaze by Saturday evening.

“The winds have died down and that has worked in our favor,” Juliette said Saturday evening.

The California Highway Patrol closed Highway 1 at Rio Road just outside of Carmel-by-the-Sea due to the fire. From south of the fire, Highway 1 was closed at Andrew Molera State Park, just north of Big Sur.

The area affected by the evacuations was for residents living along Palo Colorado Road from Highway 1 east to the Rocky Creek Bridge and Bixby Creek Road. It was not immediately known how many homes were being threatened in the rural area.

Lake Evacuation Zone Map

“Looking back at last evening the fire appeared to start during the peak offshore winds and very low humidity,” the weather service said. “The strongest offshore winds have now ended in the vicinity of the Colorado Fire. As of 3 am, the current weather is showing relative humidity values ​​42-52% with southerly winds around 5 mph. These light south winds will represent a potential change that residents and firefighters should monitor today.”

Video showed a wall of flames roaring across the picturesque hillsides while Cal Fire deployed assets from as far away as the Bay Area. Cal Fire’s CZU unit in San Mateo County sent 4 fire engines to help battle the blaze.

Meanwhile, a second wind-swept fire erupted in the hills near Geysers Peak Road after midnight. It grew to about 5 acres before responding crews were able to get a handle on the blaze.

Winds were whipping through the region at the time of the fire. A gust in the Healdsburg Hills was clocked at 96 mph and 94 mph at the nearby Pine Flat Road weather station.

The #GeyserFire above Alexander Valley burns on Geyser Peak, Saturday, pushed by 70-80mph offshore winds. Fire is out, unknown acreage. The area has received over a dozen inches of rain this winter and was under a coating of snow just a month ago. @NorthBayNews @NWSBayArea #CAwx pic.twitter.com/zCfGXDIAHw

— Kent Porter (@kentphotos) January 22, 2022

#GeysersFire (Geysers Peak, Sonoma Co) – IC reporting 3-5 acres moving downhill away from the repeater site towards the south, significant winds, slow-moderate rate of spread. No evacuations needed & no obvious signs of power lines down. pic.twitter.com/HvpMMCUtiJ

— CA Fire Scanner (@CAFireScanner) January 22, 2022

© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The post Wind-Whipped Wildfire Close to Massive Sur Forces Evacuations; ‘Some Fairly Surreal Fireplace Conduct’ – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.