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wildfire

Thousands Under Evacuation Notice In California And Oregon Amid Intense Wildfires

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Thousands of homes and their residents in northern California and central Oregon entered evacuation orders as firefighting crews continue to battle wildfires in dry, hot weather. The Pickett fire has burned through more than 6,800 acres of Napa county, and was only 13% contained by Monday morning, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection (Cal Fire). 

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Around 150 people were ordered to leave their homes with another 360 under evacuation warnings. Reports show that the wildfires are threatening around 500 structures near Aetna Springs and Pope Valley, which is 80 miles north of San Francisco, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay. 

In Oregon, the Flat fire in Deschutes and Jefferson counties has around 4,000 homes under various levels of evacuation notice, including 1,000 homes ordered to leave immediately, according to the state fire marshal’s office. 

Officials stated that firefighters were able to cut containment lines and suppress fires in some residential areas, however, they’re finding it difficult to combat the fires on more vulnerable terrains with low humidity and triple-digit temperatures. 

More than 1,230 firefighters with 10 helicopters are working to battle the California fire which initially began on Thursday last week after seven days of extremely hot temperatures. There is no known cause of the fire at the moment or where it began. 

Western US residents have been combating major heatwaves and an intense wildfire season. Residents have been hospitalized throughout California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. 

When the heatwaves subside, officials say that the risks will continue as these areas have minimal moisture, increasing the danger for more fires in the coming month and into October. 

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In parts of Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming, risks are also increased by vegetation that are dangerously dry and overgrown. 

The heat alone bakes moisture out of already dehydrated landscapes, increasing the potential for ignitions, rapid fire spread, and threats to public health. Extreme heat is often referred to as the “silent killer” and is the most lethal weather-related disaster in the US. 

Heatwaves throughout the US are getting longer, larger, and more intense due to climate change which is intensified by concrete city landscapes. 

The Pickett fire began in the same area as the Glass fire in 2020, which entered into Sonoma county and burned around 105 square miles and more than 1,500 structures. 

The Oregon fire is in a high desert climate where dried vegetation, grasses, and juniper trees are burning rapidly, causing the fire to spread throughout canyon areas “where it is challenging to create containment lines,” said Jason Carr, Deschuted county sheriff’s spokesman. 

The fire has been growing due to hot and gusty wind conditions. Fire officials are also looking out for isolated thunderstorms, specifically in southern Oregon which could travel north, according to state fire marshals spokesman Chris Schimmer.

“If we get thunderstorms that roll through, it can … cause the fire to jump [containment] lines,” said Carr.

Firefighters are keeping a close eye on the fires and working hard to combat them to prevent spreading.

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Arizona Resident Dies from Rare Case of Pneumonic Plague

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A resident of Coconino County, Arizona, has died from pneumonic plague, the first fatal case reported in the area since 2007. While local officials are stressing that the death appears unrelated to a recent and mysterious die-off of prairie dogs near Flagstaff, both incidents are drawing renewed attention to a disease more often associated with medieval history than modern life.

The individual, whose identity and demographic details have not been disclosed, reportedly arrived at Flagstaff Medical Center’s emergency department and died that same day, according to local health officials.

A spokesperson for Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) confirmed that the individual died from a “severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium” and that “despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover.”

“NAH would like to remind anyone who suspects they are ill with a contagious disease to contact their health care provider. If their illness is severe, they should go to the emergency Department and immediately ask for a mask to help prevent the spread of disease while they access timely and important care.”

Coconino County encompasses a swath of northern Arizona, including part of Grand Canyon National Park. While human cases of plague are extremely rare in the U.S., the bacterium Yersinia pestis, the culprit behind the Black Death outbreak in the 1340s, still lingers in parts of the American Southwest.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports roughly seven human plague cases annually across the country, with the vast majority occurring in rural areas of western states. Since 2000, only 15 plague-related deaths have been recorded nationwide.

This latest case involves pneumonic plague, the rarest and most virulent form of the disease, which attacks the lungs and can spread through respiratory droplets. In contrast, the more common bubonic plague is typically transmitted via flea bites and affects the lymphatic system.

Bubonic plague may still lead to painful, swollen lymph nodes known as buboes, but it can be easily cured if treated with antibiotics early. Pneumonic plague can trigger symptoms such as fever, fatigue, chills, and severe pneumonia within a week of exposure.

Although the patient’s case is believed to be isolated, county officials have launched an investigation into a concurrent spike in prairie dog deaths northeast of Flagstaff. Trish Lees, a communications manager for Coconino County, told the Arizona Republic that the total number of deceased prairie dogs is still being assessed.

Despite the timing, health authorities have stated that as of right now, there is no evidence linking the recent death to the prairie dog die-off. However, the county has issued precautionary guidelines for residents and visitors to reduce potential exposure to Yersinia pestis.

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These include avoiding sick or dead animals, steering clear of rodent burrows when camping, refraining from sleeping directly on the ground, and using insect repellents. Tucking pants into socks is also recommended for extra protection against fleas.

“Report prairie dog die-offs. Prairie dogs are highly susceptible to plague but are not considered a long-term reservoir of the disease. They typically die off quickly after infection, making them an indicator species for plague presence. Active prairie dog colonies are not harmful, but a sudden reduction/die-off in prairie dog colonies may indicate the presence of disease.”

While Yersinia pestis is known to persist in rodent populations, particularly in the Southwest, human infections remain exceedingly rare and person-to-person transmission of pneumonic plague is even rarer. In fact, the last confirmed case of such transmission in the U.S. occurred in Los Angeles more than a century ago, in 1924.

Arizona itself has reported only seven plague cases since 2006. Yet the region is no stranger to other zoonotic diseases, including hantavirus, rabies, and West Nile virus, which are considered endemic to the area.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased,” said Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair Patrice Horstman. “We are keeping them in our thoughts during this difficult time. Out of respect for the family, no additional information about the death will be released.”

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Supreme Court To Hear Case Regarding Voting Rights And Election Laws

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This Tuesday the Supreme Court is set to take on an Arizona case over voting rights for the battleground state; the outcome of which could result in how the nation’s courts resolve future discrepancies over election laws in dozens of other states. The case is also going to be a real test for the Voting Rights Act, which the Supreme Court began scaling back from in 2013. 

The two Arizona laws being discussed regard an election officials ability to reject ballots that are cast in the wrong precincts, and voting by mail. The voting by mail law claims that only the voter, a family member, or caregiver can collect and deliver a completed ballot via mail. 

Arizona told the Supreme Court justices in the cases filing that “prohibiting unlimited third-party ballot harvesting is a commonsense means of protecting the secret ballot. This out-of-precinct rule is intended to prevent multiple voting.”

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Arizona Democrats are arguing, however, that their state has a history of moving polling locations in minority neighborhoods as a means of purposefully causing mistakes with the count. Minorities are more likely to move around and not own a home in Arizona, meaning their polling locations are subject to change however often they move. The current policies make it extremely difficult to properly find and change your polling location to make your vote count; an issue that appeared a ton during the recent presidential election. 

Arizona rejects 11 times more ballots than the next-highest state for ballot rejections. Minority voters are statistically more likely to need help making their ballot count in any election. A federal judge in Arizona initially refuted these claims of minority voter suppression, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, so the state is now appealing to the Supreme Court. 

The Voting Rights Act in the past has required states with a history of voter discrimination to get specific permission from the Justice Department before they challenge any election procedures. However, in 2013 the Supreme Court suspended that requirement after ruling that Congress failed to properly update the specifics of the Act, making it difficult to determine what states need assistance. 

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The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals claims that “state election provisions can be blocked if they disproportionately affect a racial minority’s ability to participate in the electoral process and elect candidates of their choice and if the state has a history of discriminating against voters in that minority group. We concluded that the two Arizona laws failed those legal tests.”

Arizona republicans are arguing that the test of this act should require proof that any voter law that’s challenged causes a “substantial disparity in opportunities for minority voters to participate in an election, not just an incremental burden.” Arizona Democrats, on the other hand, argue that “the law does not require proof of a substantial disparity and that there is no requirement to meet a minimum percentage of minority voters affected to successfully challenge a change in the voting rules.”

The American Civil Liberties Union argued that the test on the act “would impose a categorical approach under which laws that are relatively commonplace, or that do not make voting altogether impossible, are largely immune from liability.”

The Supreme Court is projected to issue a solid ruling over this discrepancy by the summer.

Arizona Coronavirus

Arizona Among States Shutting Down Again After Massive Spikes In Covid-19 Cases

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The coronavirus pandemic is still very much a major health crisis for the entire world. Worldwide, over 500,000 individuals have died, and over 10.3 million have contracted the virus. The unpredictability of Covid-19, along with a complete disregard for safety measures enforced by healthcare professionals as opposed to government bodies and law enforcement, has led to America in particular seeing a massive surge in cases when compared to the rest of the world. 

Arizona, to be more specific, was one of the many states to prematurely reopen while the rest of the world continued to remain indoors to curve the spread. Now, the state is dealing out major rollbacks on all of the re-openings, as the state has seen one of the most “brutal” increases in Covid-19 cases within the past 30 days of being opened again. 

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Before the end of this month, Arizona had reopened its bars, gyms, and businesses. Now, Governor Doug Ducey is claiming all of those establishments, along with any others that reopened, will be closing yet again. Events with more than 50 individuals have already been prohibited, however, many are wondering if that’s enough considering the fact that the state saw an increase from 46,000+ cases to 75,000+ cases in a matter of 10 days. 

“Our expectation is that next week, our numbers will be worse. It will take several weeks for the mitigations we are putting in place to take effect,” Ducey said.

The largest increase in case numbers is among individuals who are anywhere from 20 to 40-years old; that demographic makes up about 22% of all hospitalizations for the state. However, Arizona is not alone in this, in fact, sixteen other states that have also prematurely reopened all major businesses, bars, restaurants, etc. have pulled back and begun closing down again due to Covid case numbers rising.

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Bars in Texas and California that never even fully closed down are now officially shutting down business while South Florida recently got an order to begin closing down its beaches. This upcoming fourth of July weekend has many healthcare officials essentially begging their government officials to close everything down to avoid mass gatherings of celebration. 

Arizona is already enforcing that for this weekend in particular groups of 10 or less are allowed to gather if they remain outside and socially distanced. The major drawback, however, is that even with these rules enforced, many still ignore them, and local officials aren’t enforcing them seriously enough for individuals to actually worry about getting reprimanded. 

Arizona schools in particular have also pushed back all dates to start the school year until at least August 17th; that date is also subject to change. The governor said that is a facility that’s been affected by Covid-19 wants to reopen, individuals running said facilities must enforce public health regulations and post it largely for the public to see. The governor’s goal is to open up again in 30 days, however, as we know this virus takes 2-3 weeks to appear sometimes, so who’s to say what the world will look like in a month, let alone a state that already reopened and closed again once.

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Arizona, California, And Florida Among States With Record-Breaking Coronavirus Case Numbers

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Arizona, California, Florida, South Carolina, and Texas have all reported state record-breaking single-day increases in coronavirus cases within this past week alone. The numbers are a result of a multitude of states in the South and West that are reporting an increase in new infections and hospitalizations. Most of the states experiencing record-setting case numbers were the ones who aggressively reopened within the past month. 

In Arizona specifically there’s been 2,519 new cases reported for this Thursday alone, which surpassed their previous single-day high of 2,392. Arizona has reported that many of their hospitals are nearing capacity due to this massive spike, and the patients who are currently in the ICU make up about 84% of all sick patients for the state. 

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Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey recently announced a slew of new policies that would require things like masks and gloves to be worn throughout certain establishments/when in public in general; something many other states have been continuously doing since this pandemic began. 

Florida officials announced 3,207 new cases of Covid-19 also appeared this Thursday morning; their previous single-day peak was at 2,783 cases, so this is a huge difference for the state. The total number of cases in Florida is around 86,000, making them one of the most infected states in the country. They also were among the first states to reopen, and generally speaking, they never fully adopted social distancing/lockdown procedures for a majority of its cities and residential areas. 

California officials reported 4,084 new coronavirus cases this Thursday, this is the first time the state has reported more than 4,000 cases in a single day. The state itself has reported a total of 161,099 cases, and around 5,200 deaths due to the virus. Los Angeles County is the epicenter of new cases for California, which reported 2,115 of the 4,084 new cases this Thursday. Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide restriction on movement and business re-openings, however, he also allowed for the reopening of restaurants and retail stores back in May. 

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South Carolina only reported 987 new cases this Thursday, however, this is the most cases the state has seen in a single week. In total South Carolina has recorded 21,533, but it’s important to note that these drastic differences in case numbers per state are dependent on population size. So 21,000+ cases in South Carolina for them is just as severe as 80,000+ cases in Florida. 

“There is no vaccine for COVID-19. There are only individual behaviors and actions we must all maintain that help stop its spread. This virus does not spread on its own. It’s spread around our state by infected people who carry it wherever they go – their work, the supermarket, the post office, a friend’s house,” said South Carolina state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell, as she pleaded with residents to continue to wear masks and stay home.

Texas reported 3,516 new cases Thursday, topping their previous record of 3,129. Texas itself is nearing the 100,000 mark for its total number of cases. Governor Greg Abott recently gave a news briefing in which he urged his citizens not to panic and that a majority of this spike likely came from the prison systems in Texas. However, Abott didn’t acknowledge the fact that they ended their stay-at-home order on May 1st, which prompted many residents to return to their normal lives, mask free. 

Case numbers for Covid-19 are continuously rising and that pattern will continue unless everyone agrees to abide by social distancing protocols and personal stay-home orders. Government officials understandably want to reopen so that their economies can begin to recover, however, it’ll be impossible to revive the economy if every citizen is sick in a hospital or worse, dead.

Death Valley, California

Where Should You Go On Your Next Road Trip?

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In the United States, going on a road trip has been a traditional means of vacationing since the creation of the car. The ability to just get in your car, start driving, and eventually end up in a different state can be such an exhilarating experience, let alone much cheaper when compared to airfare and other means of traveling. So what are some of the best road trip destinations to hit in America?

First, the state of Washington in general is known for its vastly wide array of landscapes, hiking destinations and national parks, all perfect destinations to pass through or stop at on your road trip journey. More specifically, the North Cascades National Park, which is situated right next to the Washington Pass route that will take you between two iconic mountain ranges which will be your view for a majority of the trip. Additionally, the route itself will take you through a multitude of nature preserve sites that you can pull over and enjoy, such as the Liberty Bell Mountain, Early Winters Spires, and Kangaroo Ridge.

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Olympic National Park

Speaking of Washington National Parks, while you’re making your way through the state you should definitely stop at the Olympic National Park, which is arguably the most well-known park in the state, as it’s known for having a diverse range of natural environments to explore, including rainforest hiking trails, mountain territories, and coastal beaches; all of which are located within the park. One of the more popular beach destinations in the park is Rialto Beach, which is known for its massive driftwood “decorations” that are scattered among the shore. 

Moving outside of Washington, California is one of the most popular road trip destinations in America. However, why just make it the final stopping point? California is huge and has a whole slew of different cities, beaches, and nature preserves in general that can occupy an entire week of travel. State Highway 1 is known as “The Lost Coast” in California, and it takes over 650 miles of California coastline without any major access roads, hence its name. You can drive, hike, backpack, bike, and more along the entire trail and because of how huge it is, the possibilities for what you’ll witness while exploring the hidden roads are endless. 

Like the Olympic National Park, Joshua Tree National Park in California near the Barker Dam is one of the more famous road trip spots/getaway destinations for most who visit the golden state. The Dam provides a major source for fresh water in an otherwise extremely dry and arid environment. That fresh water will also draw the attention of many unique species, which can make for some pretty picturesque nature shots. 

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Death Valley

Death Valley National Park is on the cusp of California and Nevada and is known as America’s hottest and driest national park due to the fact that it has the lowest altitude when compared to every other park in the country. The desert environment itself isn’t your stereotypical vision of endless sand and cloudless skies, but instead holds a bunch of deep canyons, multicolored rock formations, multi-textured sand dunes for any sort of desert activity like hiking, riding an ATV or dune buggies, etc. and with a name like Death Valley, you’re sure to have an unforgettable time.

Finally, it’s appropriate to also mention Arizona in this list. Arizona is located in the perfect place for a road trip, as it has Utah, Nevada, California, and New Mexico on its border, as well as the very famous Grand Canyon National Park in its residence. Beyond that, Arizona also has a myriad of photogenic landscapes, such as the Horseshoe Bend, which is one of the most photographed locations in the United States. The bend itself is located within the Colorado River and is about 100 miles from the Grand Canyon itself. The Saguaro National Park also holds a certain claim to fame in Arizona, as it’s known for holding some of the nation’s largest cacti species within its vast landscape (some can grow to be over 50 feet). 

Regardless of where you want to go on your road trip, make sure you’re remaining present and taking in all the scenery that the open roads of America have to offer. Never be afraid of a spontaneous detour, and pack a camera only for the really special moments so you can spend your time savoring every second of your nomadic journey.