Here’s what we’re watching for the week of Sept. 6, 2021.
9/9/2021- Tracking
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The Future of Mankind and NatureUrgent
California wildfires:
Dixie Fire:
The Dixie fire has been burning for almost two months in California’s Lassen National Forest north of Lake Oroville and east of the town of Chico. Firefighters have been stymied by what they refer to as “historically low” moisture levels in the fire’s fuels and critically challenging weather conditions that have fanned the flames. Dozens of structures have been destroyed and more have been damaged, primarily in the town of Greenville. As of Sept. 7, the fire is at 917,579 acres and only 59% contained.
Caldor Fire:
Further south lies the Caldor fire, burning since Aug. 14 in the Eldorado National Forest, east of the state capitol, Sacramento. This fire has been stoked by strong winds and similarly dry fuels as the Dixie Fire’s, helping it reach 216,646 acres as of Sept. 6. More than 5,000 personnel have managed to contain 49% of the fire as of the same date. This fire has destroyed more than 2,000 structures and is burning towards the famed vacation area of Lake Tahoe, putting more people and buildings at risk.
Hurricane Ida: After moving through Louisiana early last week, Ida continued to move up the East Coast of the U.S., bringing treacherous conditions to several areas in the northeast. In Louisiana, recovery continues slowly, with more than 500,000 customers still without power as of Sept. 6, according to PowerOutage.us. A customer may be a single-family home or it could be a large apartment building – as a result, it is entirely possible that those 500,000 customers may represent a significant portion of Louisiana’s population of 4.6 million people. Although power is returning relatively quickly to the urban areas of the state, it is expected that the more rural areas – which were highly devastated – may not see power until the end of the month or later.
More than 5,000 members of the National Guard deployed to Louisiana alongside thousands more rescue and recovery personnel working on getting critical infrastructure back up and running. Supporting the personnel were 195 high-water vehicles, 73 rescue boats and 34 helicopters to augment the search and rescue, evacuation and reconnaissance capabilities already in the area.
Some of the hardest-hit areas are in and around the town of Port Fourchon, which took a direct hit from Ida as a Category 4 storm. Many residents, especially those who work in the oil and gas industry that is Port Fourchon’s primary employer, are left without homes and income as the storm damaged significant parts of the oil and gas infrastructure in the region. At least 13 have died in Louisiana as of Sept. 7, including several from nursing homes improperly evacuated and several carbon monoxide deaths.
As Ida moved up the coast, its heavy rains caught many people off-guard, leading to almost four dozen deaths in New York and New Jersey. New York State governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency as rescuers struggled to reach those who needed help. Pictures and videos posted on social media showed torrents of water pouring into underground spaces in New York City, including the subway system where people were trapped as water flowed down stairs into some stations. One of the worst-hit areas was Manville, New Jersey, where firefighters could not get to multiple structure fires because of flooded roads.
New or emerging disasters Drought – Multiple countries
Vietnam: An exceptionally dry year in Vietnam has left millions of people without access to enough clean water for daily activities such as cooking, bathing and drinking. Estimates by the Vietnamese Ministry of the Environment show that at least 9,000 Vietnamese people will die this year because they do not have access to appropriate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities. Serbia: Ongoing dry conditions, coupled with an unexpected spring freeze, halved the expected yield of blackberries and raspberries, putting food security and the economic future of some farmers in doubt.
Flooding – Multiple countries
Ghana: Flooding and severe storms in the northeast region killed five people as of Aug. 31 as heavy rains flooded roads and homes. Two people died when they attempted to cross a flooded river while three more were killed by lightning strikes. South Sudan: While the country is in the grips of a major humanitarian emergency, the situation continues to worsen for people in South Sudan. The United Nations reports that approximately 380,000 people in 20 counties have been affected by flooding across the country since the beginning of August.
Previous/ongoing disasters Haiti – Earthquake and Hurricane Grace: Officials in Haiti have declared an official end to search and rescue operations as of Sept. 3 and transitioned into recovery efforts as there is no hope of finding any more survivors. The international team included 154 professionals from Haiti and other personnel from the U.S., Colombia, France, Brazil, the U.K., Chile, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Most of these teams have now returned to their home countries, while more than 95 non-governmental and international organizations have stepped in to support Haiti’s local relief and recovery efforts.
2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season: As of Sept. 6, officials are monitoring two storms, including Hurricane Larry and a disturbance forming off the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico that is expected to move across the northern part of Florida later this week.
Hurricane Larry: Most major hurricanes initially develop off the coast of Africa, and Hurricane Larry matched that pattern exactly. It very quickly strengthened into a hurricane, then a major hurricane and became Category 3 as of the morning of Sept. 6. It is expected to bring high winds, big swells and “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” to the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada. It is unclear whether Larry will make landfall anywhere, but it will approach Bermuda as a powerful hurricane, potentially bringing hurricane conditions to the island.
Please read our 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season disaster profile for the latest information.
North American Wildfires: As of Sept. 7, the National Interagency Fire Center’s situation report listed a total of 43,555 wildfires in the U.S. that had burned more than 5 million acres. A total of 23,455 personnel are deployed on 65 active fires across the country; 58 are considered to be large uncontained fires. Of particular note in the western U.S. are the Caldor and Dixie fires as mentioned above.
In Canada, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported 6,187 fires that had burned more than 10.25 million acres (4.15 million hectares) as of Sept. 7. This number includes 58 out-of-control fires – down from 90 last week – that are burning in several provinces across the country.