Approximately 60 percent of the Shenandoah Valley is forested. We are increasingly vulnerable to wildfire and must embrace codes and standards that prevent vulnerability and will proactively decrease fuel loads in what is commonly referred to as the Wildland-Urban interface. We need local leaders to pick up the slack where our national leaders are lagging and adopt codes and standards that will help us start to be forward-thinking when it comes to these threats.
FEMA has embraced forward-thinking codes and standards for decades, and although bureaucracies have inefficiencies, they have created tools that we should use, which are based on common-sense engineering principles created by the American Society of Civil Engineers, International Code Council who developed the 2021 international wildland urban interface code (IWUIC), and others.
In addition to wildfires, our families and communities are increasingly susceptible to hurricanes and losses from high-wind events. We can let the politicians argue over what is causing frequent storms and persistent drought while we just use pragmatic, evidence-based codes and standards to make sure that our buildings, bridges, dams, and other infrastructure is up to snuff the next time a major storm comes through.
Better infrastructure doesn’t just make practical sense, it saves tax dollars. A 2019 study showed that for every dollar spent upgrading infrastructure to wildfire-ready codes, the taxpayer will save $4. The same study showed that wind retrofits to protect public infrastructure and homes saves $10 for every $1 spent. If we’re paying as many taxes as we are, we should make sure that we stretch those dollars as far as possible and quit paying for repetitive damage to shoddy infrastructure.
In these times of partisan bickering and unnecessary tribalism, we can all agree that better preparedness, safety, and security for our communities cuts across the divide. We must see past the vitriol and take the steps we can agree on, simultaneously saving lives and tax dollars. We continue to be in a drought and hurricane season begins June 1.
We need local leaders to start making plans now for a safer, more proactive future. Call your leaders, supervisors, and local politicians. Leave the nonsense to our useless congressman who is just wasting precious time.
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Pete. You appear to be fretting about “wildfires” to get at Trump for something/anything at all. I’ve heard that fire is good for the type of forest in the SNP. Fire cracks open seeds and nuts, I don’t know. Something like that. (This comment wasn’t AI generated)
Robert, my house and property were damaged last year in the wildfires (to the tune of $40k). Any help to reduce wildfire risk or subsidize better fuel management practices in the region or more fire safe building retrofits would be a good start. Unfortunately the current government does not see this as anything worth tackling, and is even reducing funding to FEMA which helps respond to thess disasters across the nation.
If the federal government won’t step up, the state and local governments will have to.
Kyle. You seem to forget that the local wildfire and the LA fire both occurred under democrat leadership. In addition, Trump has been the only politician I’ve ever heard who talks about fire mitigation. I’m sorry but your assessment seems to be just more TDS.
How close was your house to all the incendiary material?
Kyle. You seem to forget that the local wildfire and the LA fire both occurred under democrat leadership. In addition, Trump has been the only politician I’ve ever heard who talks about fire mitigation. I’m sorry but your assessment seems to be just more TDS.
Jeff, I dont care who was leading us at the time of the wildfire (and our local leadership was and still is staunchly to the right), I care what current leaders plan to do about mitigation, and right now, very few seem interested, on the local or national level. Left or right, I want someone that has plans in place beyond reducing funding for emergency response.
Kyle. The local fire was in the national forest right? And I’ll say it again, Trump is the only politician I’ve ever heard talk about fire mitigation in our forests.
“Kyle” are you too mentally or physically disabled to have done more to protect your property yourself? If not, then why didn’t you? If you live in or near a forest, you need to clear away anything back about at least 100 feet that could torch your house. But instead, you sound like a pathetic Karen whining for the government to wash your panties.
Robert, I dont know why you felt the need to put my name in scare quotes, but I’d emplore you to look deep in yourself and find what little shreds of empathy you may still have left for people affected by disaster.
I work 50hrs a week, and dont have time to maintain 4 acres of forest floor entirely. I do have hardscape in a radius of about 60-70′ around my main structure, but that doesnt help very much when the wind carries burning leaves and embers to the food while I’m at work does it?
“Kyle” I bet your fire insurance is really high. But really, I don’t believe your story.