Why California fires didn’t dominate cable news like hurricanes did
If you lived anywhere near the California wildfires that took at least 81 lives this month and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, a look out the window or a breath of air provided an immediate sense of the scale of the disaster.
But if you turned on 24-hour cable news, before getting an update on the worst fire in the state’s history, you likely had to sit through the latest breakdown on the House races, the recount of the elections in Florida, more hints on special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and an analysis of the latest rant from President Trump.
The infernos that devastated the town of Paradise and leveled homes throughout Southern California — leaving 870 missing as of late Tuesday and destroying nearly 250,000 acres — did not get the kind of wall-to-wall coverage that is often standard on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel when hurricanes hit the East Coast. Some West Coast residents expressed outrage and dismay on social media, accusing the channels of giving short shrift to the…
NASA’s Radar Expertise Is Helping California’s Woolsey Fire Recovery
The Woolsey Fire that ravaged Southern California this month is mostly contained — but that doesn’t mean the crisis is over.
And to help emergency personnel in the wake of the blaze, NASA has sent an airplane-based radar system to the region to help map damage and look out for ongoing threats, particularly from landslides, which can be devastating in the wake of a burn. A new video released by NASA shows how the process works…
