Natural Disasters

Winter wildfires are nothing new to southern California and the Los Angeles basin. This area tends to be sunny and dry, attracting millions of people to make their homes in it—including many of the rich and famous, who have built luxurious homes in the hills. However, due in part to a very dry period and unusually high winds, this year’s fires are exceptionally destructive (BBC, January 7, 2025).

The nations of Southern Africa are no strangers to drought. Historically, one in five years is a drought year in the region. But in recent decades, that number has risen to once every three or four years (The Guardian, November 14, 2024). Experts say the current drought is a once-in-a-century situation.

The Guardian reports, “Every US state except Alaska and Kentucky is facing drought, an unprecedented number, according to the US Drought Monitor” (November 5, 2024). “As of November 19, 2024, 38.03% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 45.48% of the lower 48 states are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor,” and this drought is impacting more than 140 million people (Drought.gov, November 19, 2024).

While forest fires rage on multiple continents, eastern Europe is being devastated by flooding. As one sixteen-year-old said after observing the devastation in the Polish town of Ladek Zdroj, “It’s a city like in an apocalypse.... It’s a ghost town” (Reuters, September 16, 2024).