It’s not an outrage to tell the politicians and bureaucrats largely responsible for the wildfires we will not spend a fortune just to have you destroy it again.
A few weeks ago a friend posted this meme on Facebook and was horrified that President Donald Trump would require changes in the way California handles forest management to get federal assistance. Is that such an issue? I would say no, we’ve done it before.
On August 29. 2005, Hurricane Katrina stuck the Gulf Coast, inflicting over 125 billion dollars in immediate damage and costing over 1,000 lives. While each state handled the disaster differently, the “leadership” at both the Louisiana state level and in the city of New Orleans was, to say it politely, lacking. Thankfully the incumbent governor did not run for reelection (she knew she would lose in a landslide), and the former New Orleans mayor was convicted for corruption and spent years in federal prison.
One of the major issues that did hinder operations during the hurricane was the New Orleans Levee System. A complex system of over 120 square miles of levees in four parishes and ten levee boards lead to the situation where everyone was in charge and no one was in charge. The bureaucracies maintaining the levee systems were notoriously corrupt and incompetent, contributing to multiple breaches.
In the aftermath of the hurricane, the federal government (US Army Corp of Engineers) was adamant they would not deal with multiple levee boards in the rebuild. The feds played hard ball with Louisiana and they held the money. It took three tries to get an act through the legislature, and both sides compromised. There are now two levee boards managing the system, which is going through a multi-decade, multi-billion dollar upgrade.
The Port of New Orleans is a critical asset for the United States. Billions of dollars of commerce comes from the Mid-West down the Mississippi River, then onto ocean going ships to ports worldwide. Particularly agriculture from the Midwest (e.g., wheat, corn) requires water transport to make it profitable. The City of New Orleans must exist because the Port of New Orleans must exist.
The port of Los Angeles must also exist. It is the largest port for commerce to Asia, one of the busiest ports of the US, and since 2000 has been the busiest port of Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in our country. And that port is threatened because of two massive wildfires (Palisades and Eaton) which have destroyed over 40,000 acres and over 15,000 buildings, killed over 30 people, and damage estimates are above 250 billion dollars. While a drought and Santa Ana winds are not controllable , the forest themselves can be managed.
California (and federal regulations) have make clearing of dead wood and other underbrush almost impossible, while the state has been dismantling multiple dams over the last few decades, and diverting water to the ocean for the snail darter. Dams were put in to control the river flow, generate electricity, and most critically, store water for the drought years. The destructive actions of multiple Democratic administrations have left the state in crisis. Then, to borrow a phrase, never let a good crisis go to waste.
The Trump administration must tell Gavin Gruesome Newsom if he wants federal money for recovery (not immediate requirements like shelters or food) the state must reform its conservation and forest practices. Let forrest companies manage, harvest, and replace woodlands. Stop the insane dismantling of the states water management system. Drought and monsoon seasons have been part of climate since the beginning of time, and an electric vehicle mandate will not change that settled science.
There is nothing you can do to change the climate or mitigate its hazards. However, you can try to limit the destruction from naturally caused disasters. In Tornado Ally you keep trees trimmed and roofs in good repair. In flood zones you build levees and reserves to handle the water. In forested areas, you clear the underbrush and conduct controlled burns (like Indian tribes did for centuries) to limit the chance of fire spreading.
If California insist on making its forest a tinderbox and limiting supplies of fresh water, fine, it’s a sovereign state. When California destroys itself, don’t come back to the other 49 states looking for another bail out.
Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch.
Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.
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