Erdbeben und Feuer, die kalifornischen Plagen und: Trump reisst sein Maul auf

Foto: H.S.

USA - 10.01.2025 - von Karen Garcia, Hanne Schweitzer

Erdbeben und Feuer, das sind die kalifornischen Plagen. Sie haben dazu geführt, dass solche Ereignisse die Administration und die Bevölkerung nicht unvorbereitet treffen. Übungen zum Verhalten bei Feueralarm gehören zum Schulalltag und Erdbebenvorsorge ist - zumindest für native Californians selbstverständlich. Die Hilfsbereitschaft der Bevölkerung ist groß. Hotels und Motels bieten für Feuerflüchtlinge preiswertere Zimmer an, Restaurants kochen kostenlose Mahlzeiten, der erste Hilfsfond wurde von einer Schauspielerin mit einer Spende von einer Million Dollar eröffnet, Kirchen bieten Unterkunft und Betreuung an. Auch die Presse trägt ihr Teil zur besseren Bewältigung solch katastrophaler Situationen bei. Ratschläge in der Zeitung für die, deren Häuser noch stehen. Los Angeles Times am 9.1.2025

Heres what you should know to keep yourself safe.
Stay indoors[/b]
- Minimize your exposure to unhealthy air by staying inside and keeping your doors and windows shut.
- If you have a central heating and air conditioning system, you can keep your indoor air - clean by turning it on and keeping it running. Make sure the fresh-air intake is closed so that you`re not drawing in outdoor air.

Keep your pets inside
- They shouldn`t breathe the unhealthy air either.

Check your air filters
-Clean filters work better than dirty ones, and high-efficiency filters work better than regular ones. The California Air Resources Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District recommend filters with a MERV rating of 13 or higher.
- You might consider using portable high-efficiency air cleaner in a room where you spend the most time. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has information about them here, and CARB has a list of certified cleaning devices here.

Don`t pollute your indoor air
- That means no burning candles or incense. If your power is out and you need to see in the dark, you’re much better off with a flashlight or headlamp.
- If you`re cold, bundle up. This is not the time to start a cozy fire in the fireplace. - - Don`t use a gas stove or wood-fired appliances, since these will make your indoor air quality worse, not better, the AQMD says.
- The CDC also advises against vacuuming, since it can stir up dust and release fine particles into the air.
- Take care when cleaning up
- You don`t want your skin to come into contact with wildfire ash. That means you should wear long sleeves, pants, gloves, socks and shoes. The AQMD even wants you to wear goggles.
- If you`re sweeping up ash outdoors, get a hose and mist it with water first. That will keep it from flying up in the air as you move it around. Once the ash is wet, sweep it up gently with a broom or mop. Bag it up in a plastic bag and throw it away.
- It`s a good idea to wash your vehicles and outdoor toys if they`re covered in ash. Try not to send ashy water into storm drains. Direct the dirty water into ground areas instead, the AQMD advises.
- Those with lung or heart problems should avoid clean-up activities.

Discard spoiled food...
- If you lost power for a significant length of time, the food in your refrigerator or freezer may be spoiled.
- Food kept in a fridge should stay safe for up to four hours if you’ve kept the door closed. If you`ve been without power for longer than that, you`ll need to toss all perishable items, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and cut fruits and vegetables. Anything with “an unusual smell, color, or texture” should be thrown out as well, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control Prevention.
- Refrigerated medicines should be OK unless the power was out for more than a day. Check the label to make sure.

...even if it was in the freezer
- Your freezer may be in better shape, especially if it`s well-stocked. Items in a full freezer may be safe for up to 48 hours if its been kept shut, and a half-full freezer may be OK for up to 24 hours. (The frozen items help keep each other cold, so the more the better.)
- If items have remained below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) or you can still see ice crystals in them, they may be OK to use or refreeze, according to the federal government`s food safety website.
- Ice cream and frozen yogurt should be thrown out if the power goes out for any amount of time. Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, milk and most other dairy products need to go if they were exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees F for two hours or longer. The same goes for frozen meals, casseroles, soups, stews and cakes, pies and pastries with custard or cheese fillings.
- Fruit and fruit juices that have started to thaw can be refrozen unless they`ve started to get moldy, slimy or smell like yeast. Vegetables and vegetable juices should be discarded if theyve been above 40 degrees F for six hours or more, even if they look and smell fine.
- Breakfast items like waffles and bagels can be refrozen, as can breads, rolls, muffins and other baked goods without custard fillings.

Consider alternative shelter
- If you`ve done everything you can but your eyes are still watering, you can`t stop coughing, or you just don`t feel well, seek alternative shelter where the air quality is better.

Hold off on vigorous exercise
- Doing anything that would cause you to breathe in more deeply is a bad idea right now.

Mask up outdoors
- If you need to be outside for an extended time, be sure to wear a high-quality mask. A surgical mask or cloth mask won`t cut it — health authorities agree that you should reach for an N95 or P-100 respirator with a tight seal.

Are young children at greater risk of wildfire smoke?
- Very young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of wildfire smoke because their lungs are still rapidly developing. And because they breathe much faster than adults, they are taking in more toxic particulate matter relative to their tiny bodies, which can trigger inflammation, coughing and wheezing.
- Any kind of air pollution can be dangerous to young children, but wildfire smoke is about 10 times as toxic for children compared to air pollution from burning fossil fuels, said Dr. Lisa Patel, clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford Children`s Health. Young children with preexisting respiratory problems like asthma are at even greater risk.
- Patel advises parents to keep their young children indoors as much as possible, create a safe room in their home with an air purifier, and try to avoid using gas stoves to avoid polluting the indoor air.
- Children over the age of 2 should also wear a well-fitting KN95 mask if they will be outdoors for a long period of time. Infants and toddlers younger than that don`t need to mask up because it can be a suffocation risk, Patel said.

What are the risks for pregnant people?
- Pregnant people should also take extra precautions around wildfire smoke, which can cross the placenta and affect a developing fetus. Studies have found that exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy can increase the risk of premature birth and low birth weight. Researchers have also linked the toxic chemicals in smoke with maternal health complications including hypertension and preeclampsia.

What about other high-risk populations?
- Certain chronic diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other respiratory conditions can also make you particularly vulnerable to wildfire smoke. People with heart disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease should take extra care to breathe clean air, the CDC says. The tiny particles in wildfire smoke can aggravate existing health problems, and may make heart attacks or strokes more likely, CARB warns.

Get ready for the next emergency
- Living in Southern California means another wildfire is coming sooner or later. To prepare for the bad air, you can:
- Stock up on disposable respirators, like N95 or P-100s.
- Have clean filters ready for your A/C system and change them out when things get smoky.
- Know how to check the air quality where you live and work. The AQMD has an interactive map that`s updated hourly. Just type in an address and it will zoom in on the location. - - You can also sign up to get air quality alerts by email or on your smartphone.
- Know where your fire extinguisher is and keep it handy.
- If you have a heart or lung condition, keep at least five days` worth of medication on hand.
Times staff writer Karen Garcia contributed to this report.

Die L.A.Times ist in den letzten Tagen dazu übergegangen, Informationen und Berichte, die für evakuierte Menschen dort wichtig sind, kostenlos zur Verfügung zu stellen.

8.1.2025: Eames House and other L.A. cultural gems threatened by fire: status updates (Eames House und andere kulturelle Juwelen in L.A. vom Feuer bedroht: Aktueller Stand)
Link

9.1.2025: Pressekonferenz mit Anthony Marony, Firechief of County of Los Angeles
unter: Link

10.1.2025: Column: Trump shoots his mouth off as L.A. burns. His claims about fire hydrants don’t hold water (Kolumne: Trump reißt sein Maul auf, während L.A. brennt. Seine Behauptungen über Hydranten sind nicht stichhaltig)
Link

16.1.2025: Warum brannten manche Häuser in Los Angeles nicht?
Link

Quelle: Los Angeles Times