California Wildfire Disaster: The Emergency Response Essay

Introduction

Nations across the world repeatedly encounter emergency situations that push the safety systems to the limits and require immediate and effective action to save human lives with possible retention of vitally important resources. Being of different levels of severity and threat to human lives and safety, both natural disasters and man-induced catastrophes cause significant damage. It is crucial for national security systems and disaster management agencies to have effective contingency and emergency response plans that would minimize harm and losses at a crucial moment. The best way to generate and promote effective disaster response is through analysis and improvement planning.

In this paper, the disaster incident of wildfires in California in 2021 will be reviewed to assess the effectiveness of response and communication strategies to generate possible recommendations for better action in the future. The wildfire seasons occur regularly in the USA and adversely impact numerous states across the country, California being one of the most vulnerable regions. Given the threatening pace of climate change across the globe, with average temperatures rising and droughts increasing, the risks of wildfires enhance worldwide. Therefore, it is imperative to review and assess emergency response to wildfires to address it from the perspectives of Qatar’s emergency response systems.

Aim and Objectives of the Document

The aim of the current document is twofold and is influenced by the need for continuous improvement of communication strategies in times of crises and emergencies to ensure public safety. In particular, the first aim of the paper is to review the instance of the wildfire disaster in 2021 as a threatening emergency. Secondly, the paper is designed to generate particular communication strategies and emergency response recommendations to minimize harm and losses for societies, including Qatar, facing similar hazards under the growing impact of climate change.

To pursue the general aims of the document, several specific objectives are pursued. Namely, it is necessary to assess the quality of governmental and emergency departments’ response to the disaster. In addition, the communication strategies used before, during, and after the emergency need to be analyzed and assessed as per their effectiveness in predicting, preparing, addressing, and recovering after the incident. Moreover, it is particularly important to generate an effective communication strategy to inform vulnerable and difficult-to-reach populations to ensure that the lessons learned from California’s disaster are efficiently applied to future incidents. Lastly, the recommendations for the authorities and agencies should be presented to ensure that the drawbacks are approached for proper correction, and the strengths of the emergency response tactics are reinforced.

Scope

Given the complexity of the problem and the difficulty of incorporating efforts to avert the crisis, the scope of the document will be limited to the review of communication strategies and immediate emergency responses. In particular, the government action during and after the wildfire will be analyzed, responsible agencies’ aid and public informing efforts will be evaluated, as well as the recovery actions will be addressed. The paper will not take into consideration the financial aspect of the problem, as well as will not refer to wildfires in other states of the USA at the same period of time. The selection of these particular emergency response elements and this region is validated by the severity of losses and its high probability of representation of similar occasions globally.

Authorities’ Communication Strategies and Outcomes Assessment

The quality, effectiveness, and timeliness of response to an emergency are the key factors that guarantee saved lives and reduced losses in the outcome. Uncontrolled wildfires in California in 2021 had a devastating impact on the forestry and the towns, citizens, and their dwellings and infrastructure. Among the three largest fires, the Dixie fire destroyed 733,475 acres with 43% containment, the “Monument fire has burned 152,125 acres and was 20% contained,” and the Caldor fire burned 122,980 acres with 11% containment” (Yee, 2021, para. 6-7). Such a fast and disruptive force of the disaster necessitated immediate action and informing of the public.

As the wildfires started, numerous responsible agencies started their work immediately to prevent the fires from spreading and ensure people’s safety. In particular, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) appointed their crews to work in the impacted counties and districts (Yee, 2021). Firefighters and emergency responders were sent to the locations caught on fire to stop the burning and provide help to the victims (Yee, 2021). The injured were hospitalized, and the endangered residents were evacuated. As the crisis unfolded, President Biden “approved a major disaster declaration …, opening up federal funding for grants, temporary housing, repairs and other relief efforts as multiple blazes continue to sweep across the Golden State” (Yee, 2021, para. 1). In addition, some non-profit organizations were swiftly involved in accommodating the victims, which was very important in the early stages of the emergency, as well as after it.

Moreover, not only state and county agencies but also federal authorities were included in the work on the elimination of the adverse outcomes of the disaster. According to FEMA (2021), Fire Management Assistance Programs have been initiated to help stop the fires and address the outcomes. In general, the authorities’ response to the California wildfires in 2021 has been informed by prior experiences of similar disasters in the same region. Before the disaster, the public was warned about the rising temperatures and the increasing risks. However, not all of the incidents were predicted since many emergencies occurred as no-notice situations. According to research, “no-notice events are complicated to manage for authorities and residents alike; authorities may struggle to communicate quickly with the population, while residents have limited time between notification and evacuation decisions” (Grajdura, Qian and Niemeier, 2021, p. 1). Therefore, although the public was timely evacuated, thousands of homes were not saved due to the large scale of the disaster and insufficient resources for response.

An evacuation warning is essential for such a fast-spreading disastrous event as no-notice wildfire. Indeed, “the outcome of a wildfire evacuation depends on many complicating factors but is highly influenced by the quality of the information received and the dissemination tactics that are used to “spread the word” (Grajdura, Qian and Niemeier, 2021, p. 2). Local authorities used media to reach all populations and inform them about the evacuation procedures. Nonetheless, the communication strategies used by the agencies were general and did not particularly include the needs of the marginalized population groups. However, the large scope of damage to households and infrastructure demonstrates that the timeliness of firefighters’ response and the resources available to first responders were insufficient to manage such a fast-spreading disaster.

In the aftermath of the incident, the authorities used multiple channels of communication to deliver messages addressing the outcomes of the disaster. In particular, at the local level, the government spread the information among the citizens to inform them about shelters, financial aid for recovery, and other survival information. Californian authorities engaged in cooperation with emergency management agencies and non-profit organizations to inspect the damaged areas and estimate the level of damage caused. Special grants and funds were launched to help the survivors of the disaster repair their homes and obtain accommodation in the aftermath of the emergency (FEMA, 2021). To disseminate this information and available recovery aid opportunities to the public, the authorities used social media, news programs, and broadcasting agencies. In such a manner, the population was provided with necessary information as per the guidance on how to act further.

Generated Communication Strategy

The review of California wildfires demonstrated that such a drastic natural disaster imposes a significant burden on the responsible agencies. The fast pace of the incident unfolding and the uncontrolled and often unpredictable nature of such kind of disaster limit the time for informing the citizens about the hazard and giving guidance on when and where to evacuate. While there are multiple obstacles to effective and timely emergency response, the chances to reach the groups of the public that might be difficult to inform even grows. Indeed, “disaster survivors from socially marginalized groups, including low-income residents and communities of color, are most at risk of experiencing long-term housing issues following disasters” (Rosenthal, Stover and Haar, 2021, para. 8). Therefore, these vulnerable populations might be the most difficult to communicate emergency messages to due to their marginalized status. Overall, “successful public communication seeks to balance the needs and expectations of all of these diverse audiences and speak to each of them while not miscommunicating to the remainder” (Haupt, 2021, p. 128). In addition, people representing an elderly generation might also be considered the population that would be the most difficult to inform due to the limited channels of information exchange available to them.

In order to achieve success in the appropriate dissemination of warning messages for evacuation or disaster prevention, special efforts should be made by authorities. According to Généreux et al. (2021), communication strategies that are deemed most pertinent under such circumstances include those that eliminate the promotion of fear in public and send clear messages addressing pivotal psychological factors that might play a decisive role in addressing the emergency. Only credible and authoritative information should be distributed across conventional and non-conventional communication channels. Indeed, since older people or those marginalized might have no access to smartphones, social media might not be an effective channel to reach these populations (Grajdura, Qian, and Niemeier, 2021). When provided with a clear and timely message, people will not waste valuable time seeking additional information or clarification (Haupt, 2021). It is imperative to include TV and radio as the communication media to ensure that all individuals obtain clear guidance on how to act in an emergency.

Another important strategy in the communication of emergency response is multilingual messages to ensure that people with limited language proficiency understand the situation and comprehend the plan of action. Furthermore, consistency is another pivotal element in an effective communication strategy designed to warn the public about a disaster. Proper behavior should be designed in clear step-by-step instructions with key contacts and locations of emergency rooms, shelters, and food centers provided in a timely manner. The instructions should be simple to avoid confusion under the stressful and hectic circumstances of wildfire. The fast pace of fire spreading should be emphasized to ensure that people act instantly and evacuate immediately, taking only the most necessary possessions with them without wasting time.

Since wildfires are particularly dependent on weather changes, such as temperatures, humidity, and wind speed, and direction, the interaction of authorities with meteorological centers is imperative. Indeed, the frequent occurrence of wildfires in different states of the USA, especially in California, serves as a factor of being equipped with data for better response to the emergency in the future. The awareness of risks should be informed by the close cooperation between the emergency management agencies and departments for immediate action in case of necessity. Research suggests that “disasters are also known to have considerable impacts on social determinants of health, such as housing and employment” (Rosenthal, Stover and Haar, 2021, para. 8). That is why people’s concerns about their health and dwellings should be addressed as they reach the emergency points. Thus, timeliness, clarity, consistency, availability, multilingual messages constitute the essential elements of an effective emergency response communication strategy.

Conclusion

In summation, the review of the work of first responders to the California wildfire disaster allows for stating that the response was effective. The evacuation messages were disseminated successfully and in a timely manner. People were evacuated swiftly, which guaranteed saved lives. However, despite the predictability of the emergency, the resources and efforts of the authorities were insufficient to save the dwellings and infrastructure of multiple towns. Also, the subsequent actions aimed at informing people about aid, financial support, healthcare, and shelter services were generalized and insufficiently addressed the needs of marginalized population groups. Therefore, it is imperative to integrate a more effective communication strategy that would include consistent, timely, and clear messages available to diverse populations at all levels of emergency response.

Recommendations

The studied incident and the review and analysis of California wildfires that happened in 2021 allow for making several recommendations for Qatar. Although the country does not have a high risk of wildfires in general, there are multiple factors that might cause this natural disaster to unfold in any area. For example, droughts, high temperatures, specific features in vegetation, wind patterns, and other weather and landscape particularities might contribute to the probability of wildfires. Moreover, since climate change impacts all countries of the world, Qatar should develop wildfire emergency response strategies. For that matter, the national authorities should learn from the experience of the USA emergency management agencies to prevent and predict such disasters. At the ‘before the disaster’ stage, the authorities should cooperate with meteorological agencies to ensure the availability of updated information on the weather conditions that might trigger fires. Also, the public should be informed about the elevated risks to prepare safety kits for the case of an emergency.

Most importantly, the crucial stage of emergency response is the messages and actions that take place during the disaster. It is imperative to borrow the same communication strategies to ensure the timely evacuation of the endangered citizens. Also, it is important not to make the mistakes made by the analyzed authorities and ensure that all the population groups, included marginalized ones, obtain clear, consistent, and credible information through communication channels available to them. At the ‘after disaster’ stage, the authorities should provide financial, healthcare, and shelter aid to the survivors by informing them about available options in a timely and comprehensive manner. Consequently, using these recommendations, the emergency response agencies of Qatar will be able to mitigate the adverse outcomes of wildfires if such should occur.

References

Federal Emergency Management Agency (2021) Wildfire action. Web.

Genereux, M. et al. (2021) ‘Communication strategies and media discourses in the age of COVID-19: an urgent need for action’, Health Promotion International, 36(4), pp. 1178-1185.

Grajdura, S., Qian, X., and Niemeier, D. (2021) ‘Awareness, departure, and preparation time in no-notice wildfire evacuations’, Safety Science, 139(105258). Web.

Haupt, B. (2021) ‘The use of crisis communication strategies in emergency management’, Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 18(2), pp. 125-150.

Rosenthal, A., Stover, E. and Haar, R.J. (2021) ‘Health and social impacts of California wildfires and the deficiencies in current recovery resources: an exploratory qualitative study of systems-level issues’, PloS One, 16(3), p. e0248617. Web.

Yee, G. (2021) ‘President Biden approves wildfire major disaster declaration in California’, Los Angeles Times. Web.