There were terrible wildfires in California this year that
killed many people and ruined the lives of countless others.
And once the fires had consumed thousands of acres and burnt
down an incredible number of trees officials started warning residents of the
imminent danger of floods and mudslides.
The mudslides did indeed come, and more lives were lost.
How did they know?
What crystal ball did they use to forecast this next deadly
round of nature’s wrath?
None.
They used good old-fashioned logic.
If you lose trees you also lose a natural defense against
floods.
There is no way to prevent ALL fires, especially wildfires
from happening but we can prepare for the inevitability of the next one and
possibly even lessen its severity.
California had suffered under a drought that lasted half a
decade. Then they enjoyed a very wet winter with plenty of snow in the
mountains. The snow melted and together with the increased rainfall created a
lush new growth of greenery.
Then the drought returned with a vengeance.
California’s trees and underbrush dried drastically and became
dangerous fodder for fires.
The Santa Ana winds picked up as they do every year and
sparked a tremendous windblown disaster.
This is nothing new for our 31st State but with
our knowledge, know-how and capabilities we should have been able to dampen its
damage!
The World’s climate is definitely changing despite what the nay-sayers
and flat Earth people claim, and we must change with it or go the way of the
dinosaur.
No drought should consume large areas of the country while
floods threaten the lives of those in other regions.
Had we been able to irrigate the dangerously arid lands on
the west coast throughout the periods of drought the vegetation would not have
dried and added fuel to the fires and not as many trees would’ve been destroyed
clearing the way for floods and mudslides and death and destruction!
I continue to beat this dead horse (terrible analogy but occasionally
useful) but if America had a national system of water mains to move the
precious liquid from flooded areas to places suffering extreme drought we could
limit the damage caused by either extreme.
Below are links that provide lists of deadly floods as well
as awful droughts this country has endured over the past few decades.
How much pain and suffering could have been avoided if all
we had to do was flip a few switches to stem the tide?
And one important by product of the plan to produce this
system is the number of non-outsourceable jobs it would create. And once the project
was completed in 20 or 30 years there would be ongoing permanent jobs
maintaining the mains and helping Americans live safer lives.
A subtler benefit would be the continued lives of trees that
not only protect us from floods but also purify our air and provide a safe
habitat for many important animal species.
The World already cuts down too many trees to make room for
so-called progress. This deforestation
has consequences that is clearly man-made.
And while the debate over other man-made problems such as
climate change inexplicably rages on one thing is clear, doing nothing is not
an option.
Mother Nature is not fooled by pig headed ignorance. She and will continue to test us. And trust
me, that is not a fight we can win!
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