State of Emergency Declared as Wildfires Create 'Unprecedented Cataclysm' in Washington

As I post this, I weep. Ron and I awoke this morning to an orange sunrise. Now there is a deep haze that fills our skies that has spread from the catastrophic fires that fill the Northwest and beyond. My heart aches. And I am aware of the foresting practices, of droughts, of our changing climate, of our collective denial and turning away from allowing the reality of global warming to infiltrate our conscious awareness. These fires, the droughts, the storms and poisoned oceans and on and on have all been long predicted. But we turned away and did not listen, myself included. May we turn away no longer. Another world is possible. And it is up to each and every one of us to find our part in birthing this new and life honoring and sustaining way of being.

Bless us all ~ Molly

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 U.S. Forest Service emergency workers in Washington state cut brush as wildfires rage near residential areas. (Photo: AP)

Four other states also fighting massive blazes, including drought-stricken California

 by Nadia Prupis, staff writer

Published on

Friday, August 21, 2015

by

Common Dreams

Three firefighters were killed this week and President Barack Obama on Friday issued an emergency order over wildfires raging through central Washington state.

Emergency workers from Australia and New Zealand have been flown in to help the crews currently fighting blazes in five states, including Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon.

The damage has hit hundreds of thousands of acres of land, including Indigenous territory. In Washington alone, 11 counties have been affected, as well as the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation.

According to a White House news release, the state of emergency authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

Okanogan County information officer Dan Omdal told the Seattle Times that "people should take care of themselves and their neighbors, but it's 'no time for heroics.'"

The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, according to a White House news release.

The wildfires continue raging as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that this July was the hottest month the planet has ever experienced since record-keeping began. And a study published Thursday revealed that steadily rising temperatures have increased California's historic four-year drought by up to 27 percent—which, in turn, has exacerbated this year's devastating fire season.

Reuters continues:

For the first time in state history, Washington’s department of natural resources (DNR) is accepting volunteers to assist with fighting fires and to donate equipment.

[...] A cold front is moving into the region and while it will create more tolerable temperatures for firefighters, the National Weather Service said the accompanying low relative humidity “will create extreme fire growth potential”.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Thursday called the fires "an unprecedented cataclysm."

"These fires have burned a big hole in the state's heart," Inslee said.

Please go here for the original article: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/08/21/state-emergency-declared-wildfires-create-unprecedented-cataclysm-washington