Hundreds of thousands brace for power shutoffs as California fires burn 2m acres
Altogether, 721,000 people could be affected by these preventive measures, posing significant risks to the physically vulnerable
Wildfires have burned a record 2.3m acres across California, shrouding much of the state in smoke that has caused some of the worst air quality in the world. Mid-August lightning storms ignited more than 900 wildfires in the north of the state that together have burnt through more than 1.8m acres – almost five times the size of London. Two of the three largest fires in California history – the LNU Lightning Complex fire and the SCU Lightning Complex fire – are currently burning in the San Francisco Bay area.
With the weather conditions and wildfires, Newsom declared a state of emergency over the weekend. On Tuesday, he expressed optimism that California could get through multiple crises at once. “This is a resilient state,” Newsom said. “We have a remarkable capacity to meet these challenges head on.”
How is „getting through multiple crises at once“ defined? What would it mean to not get through the crises? What does it mean to „meet these challenges head on“? What are the criteria for meeting these challenges? How does one assess whether the challenges have indeed been met?
„Getting through“ and „meeting challenges“ are similar to „being pushed to the brink“ — these are phrases used to frame perceptions so that the worst is always avoided, success is always assured.