Town Square
Post a New Topic
Woodside, Portola Valley brace for wildfire season
Original post made
by Rob Hogue, Menlo Park: Sharon Heights,
on Jul 28, 2021
The July 16 edition of the Almanac emphasized the growing concern we all feel on the Peninsula about wildfires in California. Reporting by CNN noted that California had already experienced 3 times the amount of burned acres compared to the same time last year. I don’t know about you. But I find these trends to be overwhelmingly alarming. Areas of Portola Valley and Woodside are especially vulnerable to damage by uncontrolled wildfires during this year of exceptional drought. As a result, home insurance rates are going up every year.
Mitigation steps we can take locally can only do so much to protect us from the threat of fires and the poor air quality that results from the smoke. More aggressive action on climate change is the only long-term remedy we have. We must pass carbon pricing legislation at the federal level and set an example for the rest of the world.
I urge all Almanac readers to send letters to Senators Feinstein and Padilla and ask them to include carbon pricing as part of the reconciliation package being reviewed by the Senate.