SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Forest Service emergency workers in Washington state cut brush as wildfires rage near residential areas.
(Photo: AP)
State of Emergency Declared as Wildfires Create 'Unprecedented Cataclysm' in Washington
Four other states also fighting massive blazes, including drought-stricken California
Aug 21, 2015
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 fighting blazes in five states: 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.'"
According to a White House news release, the president authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.
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. 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 called the fires "an unprecedented cataclysm" on Thursday.
"These fires have burned a big hole in the state's heart," Inslee said.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
australiacaliforniadepartment of homeland securitydroughtenvironmentfemaidahojay insleemontananational weather servicenew zealandnoaaoregonstate of emergencywashingtonwildfires
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 fighting blazes in five states: 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.'"
According to a White House news release, the president authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.
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. 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 called the fires "an unprecedented cataclysm" on Thursday.
"These fires have burned a big hole in the state's heart," Inslee said.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
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 fighting blazes in five states: 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.'"
According to a White House news release, the president authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.
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. 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 called the fires "an unprecedented cataclysm" on Thursday.
"These fires have burned a big hole in the state's heart," Inslee said.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.