As catastrophic fires ravage Los Angeles, President-elect Donald Trump has shown little empathy. Instead, he said he would do a better job managing the crisis, has issued falsehoods and placed blame on the state’s Democratic governor.
Trump has criticized the forest management policies of his former political adversary, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and has falsely claimed that the state’s fish conservation efforts are responsible for hydrants running out of water in urban areas. Referring to the governor by a derogatory nickname, Trump said he should resign.
Meanwhile, more than 180,000 people have been under evacuation orders and fires have consumed more than 116 square kilometers. A fire that destroyed the Pacific Palisades neighborhood became the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.
Round 2 of Trump’s matchup against Newsom was expected, given that the liberal Democrat has long been one of Trump’s biggest antagonists.
But the fires in the west of the country are also a sign of something much more serious than a political dispute or a fight over fish. The wildfire season is becoming longer and longer due to increasing drought and heat caused by climate change.
Trump refuses to acknowledge environmental dangers, instead blaming growing natural disasters on his political opponents or acts of God. He has promised to drill more oil and reduce renewable energy.
On Thursday, Trump posted on social media that Newsom should “turn on the main water source” — an overly simplistic solution to a complex problem. “No more excuses from this incompetent governor!” Trump wrote, adding: “It’s too late!”
Standing on the street in a burned subdivision as a house behind him was engulfed in flames, Newsom responded to criticism when cnn he asked her about it.
“People are literally fleeing. There are people who have lost their lives. Children lost their schools. Families completely torn apart. Churches burned, and this guy wants to politicize it,” Newsom said. “I have a lot of thoughts and I know what I want to say, but I won’t.”
In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump attempted to link dry hydrants to criticism of the state’s approach to balancing water distribution to farms and cities with the need to protect endangered species, including the delta smelt fish. .
Trump has sided with farmers over environmentalists in a long-running dispute over California’s scarce water resources. But that debate has nothing to do with Los Angeles’ hydrant problem, driven by intense demand on a municipal system not designed to combat such fires.
About 40% of the city of Los Angeles’ water comes from state-controlled projects connected to Northern California, and the state has limited the water it delivers this year. But the Southern California reservoirs that these canals help feed are at above-average levels for this time of year.
About 20% of hydrants across the city ran dry as crews battled the fires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.
Firefighters in Southern California are used to dealing with the strong Santa Ana winds that blow in the fall and winter, but hurricane-force gusts recorded earlier this week caught them by surprise. The winds prevented firefighting aircraft from making critical water drops, overloading the hydrant system.
“This is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 25 years in the fire department,” Los Angeles Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told the network’s This Morning. C.B.S..
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.
Add Comment