Sites: https://www.nytimes.com/article/why-does-california-have-wildfires.html https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-41608281#:~:text=A%20fire%20needs%20three%20things%3A%20fuel%2C%20oxygen%20and%20heat.&text=Sometimes%2C%20fires%20occur%20naturally%2C%20ignited,playing%20with%20matches%20or%20fireworks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_California_wildfires#Largest_wildfires https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_California_wildfires https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/2021-north-american-wildfire-season/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Atlantic_hurricane_season https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/13/weather/2021-atlantic-hurricane-season-fast-facts/index.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Atlantic_hurricane_season https://www.directrelief.org/2021/05/where-are-health-resources-most-needed-to-prepare-for-the-2021-california-wildfire-season/ https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/2021-atlantic-hurricane-season/ https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/explainer-whens-the-peak-of-the-2021-atlantic-hurricane-season/
Summer of 2021 Natural Disasters
Over the summer there were 2 main types of natural disasters that greatly affected the United States are being battled to this day. Both the California wildfires and the summer hurricanes have impacted the whole country. Keep reading to learn more about what happened over the summer and what steps are being taken to help everyone affected get back on their feet.
California Wildfires
Wildfires have been a problem for almost 90 years in California. In this year alone, there were over 7,730 wildfires over the summer burning more than 2.4 millions acres across the state. The 2021 wildfire season grew to be three times larger than the 2020 wildfires and became the biggest and most harmful wildfire season ever recorded. At least 3,524 buildings were destroyed in the recent fire season but only a handful civilians and fire fighters had been injured. Though not too many (recorded) people have been physically hurt by the fires, over 120 families were evacuated from their homes to escape the fires. The largest wildfire ever recorded was called the August Complex in August of 2020 that burned 1,032,649 acres of land. These wildfires can happen for a variety of reasons. Fires can start from natural causes like lightning, the sun, or just concentrated heat. But most of the time fires are accidentally (or not so accidentally) started by humans. Campfires, matches, fireworks, and cigarettes can all start wildfires if not disposed of properly. Wildfires are still very prominent in the U.S. and one organization that is helping repopulate the thousands of forests that were burned down in the recent wildfires, is One Tree Planted. They are an organization committed to helping with the destruction in California. With every donation that they get, they plant trees in California and eventually fill it up once again with gorgeous forests as far as the eye can see.
Hurricane Season
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there were also many hurricanes and tropical storms over the summer. All of the hurricanes over the summer happened during the Atlantic hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season is a period of time where hurricanes and tropical storms are most prominent around the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The season lasts from June 1st to November 30th. The eastern side of the United States borders the Atlantic Ocean and the southern part borders the Gulf of Mexico so this time period is particularly dangerous for the U.S. Over the summer and through this past September, there were a total of 12 tropical storms and 6 hurricanes. These storms have cost the U.S. 55.178 billion dollars. They destroyed houses and buildings, flooded areas, and killed millions of people. One organization that is helping with hurricane relief is the Red Cross who is helping in all sorts of ways. They are giving families who were affected by the storms shelter, food and comfort, as well as helping with the cleanup. It is great to help others who are in need and the hurricanes and wildfires over the summer have certainly made many people's lives very difficult.