Social relations in LA due to 1993 Laguna fire crisis
All over the world, natural disasters have had varying repercussions on the human population in different geographical areas of the world. The impact of the disaster is event whenever such events occur that would not have been able to be experienced in normal circumstances. According to Clay, the 1993 Laguna fire is considered as one of the worst disasters in the history of the nation. Natural disasters bring about the relationships between those living in the place of calamity. From the fires, it is clear that there is the lack of cohesion between the rich and the poor in the region. Disasters show a clear difference in the society. From the disaster in the Malibu area, there is a bone of a given contention between the rich and the poor. The rich are favoured and are able to build structures while the poor do not have this privilege. While the disaster is being contained, there is more concern in saving the rich men and ignoring the poor. The social structures of community are evident in the region whenever disaster strikes. Due to particularly old vegetation, extreme Santa Ana wind conditions, and exceptionally vivid press coverage, this fire conveyed to the public a sense of extraordinary fire intensity (Keeley, Carrington, and Trnka 83). Through the lens of the Laguna fire, we can see that the government still have much work to be done to improve the fire safety in the habitat, especially where the gap between the rich and the poor is huge, thus leading to a sense of superiority among the former group of people. The gap between the poor and the rich is very wide.
One example of the social relations that were exhibited during the Laguna fire distater is the volunteers. These are the people who offer to help based on compassion and human responsibilities. If a given region has strong social fabric, then a lot of property can be secured during fire disaster. Disaster creates an atmosphere where a lot volunteerism is outpoured to help the official team in fighting disasters. However, there should be proper plans to ensure that an official disaster team effectively utilize volunteers from a given region should be implemented.
The social relations that are seen and evident in the case is that of the gap between the poor and the rich. It is clear to note that the rich use money to have their way. This is causing many deaths in the case of natural disasters like firebreak. One of the glaring social aspects revealed in the Laguna fire disaster is the huge gap between the rich and poor. The rich have over time acquired a superiority which has made them aloof to the reality of imminent fire disasters in their neighborhoods. As a result, rich people’s stubbornness continues to cost the lives of innocent people in the wider Malibu area. Also, the government still allows further development in fire-prone scenic areas. In Santa Monica, the remnant natural landscapes continue to be modernized. The hillside is privatized by the affluent minority regardless of the potential safety hazard (David, “The case” 30). The growth of housing in foothill increases the likelihood of simultaneous conflagrations and, what’s more, stretches regional manpower reserves to their limit, or beyond. According to the statistics of wildfires in California during 1923 to 1993, the percentage of total destroyed dramatically escalates over years from. Fires, rains, and mudslides were not that big a deal in the early nineteenth century as they are today because fewer people actually had homes in danger's path. This is because in 1930, one year after the commencement of the Malibu developments in 1929, the region experienced one of the worst blazes. The city was under attack by a 5-mile wall of fire anticipated to consume the whole city. Fortunately, the fire stopped after the Santa Ana winds ceased. This should have been a warning that it was a bad idea to develop Malibu. On the contrary, the government incomprehensibly opened up 10,000 acres of land for constructions. Wildfire destroyed over 400 new homes in the years 1935, 1936 and 1938. Despite the initial signs that it was not a good place for development, Hollywood stars kept constructing anyway. Since then, the area has seen many rich people from all over Unite States coming to settle there in spite of the impending risk of fire destructions (McCall 63-64).
This distinction between the rich and the poor is the variations in their socioeconomic standing. The rich disregard the environmental topography and devoted a lot of money and time to sustain such areas that are not fit for human inhabiting. There is carelessness on the part of the government to allow its citizens to stay in an area that is not fit for human inhabitation just because the rich have the money and the means to buy anything. This highlights the high levels of corrupt officials who are ready to protect the rich and the famous people living in this wildfire zone. In this scenario, it is imminent that the public officials do not regard the poor as human beings since the government’s departments rush to the rescue of the affluent as they neglect the burning property and poor individuals. Mike Davis demonstrates in the The Case For Letting Malibu Burn that while tenements burn in South Central Los Angeles without the government’s care, authorities and the media scuffle to rescue the rich and the famous’ homes and property. Legally, they should never have built these homes there.
There is a lack of understanding and cooperation from the rich people living in Los Angeles. This is evident in the way they defied government stance not to construct in the given area. This is one aspect of how the rich and the poor are related. Taylor (2008) affirms that Los Angeles is an inhabitable place for humans in the west coast but the stubborn wealth people invest in as much as possible resources to maintain the place. The city gets its water from very far areas for its inhabitants. The region gets a large amount of the State’s fund for maintenance and during calamities and yet it should not be located there in the first place. The residents like building many houses in the harmful way that is why the wildfire destroys many billions in property. There are poor social relations as the rich build without the concern for the poor.
It is also evident that there is poor social relation between the government and the area where the fire erupts. This is because the government has not put in measures to curb the frequent fires that take place in this area. This shows some laxity for the government. There is a lack of good social relations towards the poor. When they show up to help when there are fire disasters, the government concentrates on securing the property of the rich. Among the many causes that precipitated the fire was the unpreparedness of the government for such a sissstuation. Since it is a recurring disaster in Los Angeles, and in fact predictable, the government should adequately supply fire-fighting resources in the region to prepare for the disaster. This should no longer be an emergency; the government should be prepared for it. Mike Davis established that during the 1993 wildfire, the fire fighters expeditiously put off the Chatsworth fire because of the enough fire-fighting resources. However, “the narrow streets and the foliage shake-roofed structures enhanced the Laguna fire” (Davis, 1998).
There is some aspect of the effort to build good relations by integrating better planning procedures in managing disasters. This will eradicate disasters and will build good social relations between the government and the people. A lesson learnt from the 1993 wildfire is that good preparation and planning reduces the loss of property and saves lives. “The ‘Miracle House’ survived the firestorm that destroyed everything around it” provides a useful example of inherently fire-resistant house. The house combines with several fireproof renovations including the installation of a tire-resistant Celotex® Presidential ShakeTM Shingle roof. The roof resists to not only severe firestorms but also the frequent high winds, which is accelerated by the hills in the Laguna Beach areas (Celotex).In addition, after the investigations among the houses that survived in the firestorm in 1993, experts found that buildings which had well-sealed and well-insulated windows, doors, and envelop would slow the rate of heat entering the interior spaces in order to buy precious time (Matthew).In this case, experts from different areas provided many guidelines applied to improve the fire resistance of people’s current dwelling. With these better methods of handling disasters, it will be easier to handle fire disasters in the area.
There is the strive by the government to help the rich people in reconstructing the buildings. This is shown by the way they give loans at low interest rates to the rich. This is an effort to have some good social relations with investors. With the disaster, the government shows the strife to have good relations with the rich by offering them loans to undertake their construction. Davis (1998) explains how people, mostly the wealthy, construct houses and other structures in fire-prone regions, after the wildfire episode, they get loans at low interest rates to rebuild the houses. He is of the opinion that such an affair is a tax subsidy to the rich people, which the rest of the people pay for them in taxes and bank loan interests. On the other hand, there is another aspect of poor relations between the government and the poor in the area. This is shown in the way they are left to take care of the loss. Additionally, there are other expenses in canyon areas shouldered by the poor like sewage, maintenance of fire departments, roads, and electricity. The most bizarre aspect of the situation is the emphasis by the rich people that fire fighter should protect their property first before anything else. For instance, some fire bosses order their crew to stop fighting fire where there are people and many houses to go and protect an evacuated private house while the general populace is suffering at the same moment. It is irrational to give low rates loans to build a house at the same spot it burned in the canyon because it remains prone to fire. The government should direct such loans to productive ventures like giving it to the poor people living in the gulf, not because of choice like their rich counterparts, but due to lack of money to look for somewhere less risky (Davis, 1995).
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are social relations that exist between the social classes in the society. The paper has focused on the way the fire disaster in the Malibu area and the entire basin of Los Angeles have brought the various social relations that exist. The government has poor relation to poor. They do not take or take little effort to help the poor in the society cope with disasters. They try to build good social relations with the rich in the society. This shows the disparities that exist in the way the government relates to the people. There is also poor relations between the rich and the poor.the rich undertake their investments oblivious of the need to protect the poor in the society. While the rich were constructing the buildings, they posed a threat to the poor but they did not take any caution to protect them. This shows poor social relations between the two groups. Lipsitz (1995) observed that sometimes disasters bring up some aspects in society that cannot be perceived under normal circumstances. In fact, sometimes, the Malibu fire disaster revealed an otherwise soft underbelly in the local of government of California that would never have been manifest in ordinary circumstances. The 1993 fire disaster provided a different social relationship in Malibu. The residents clearly know that they need each other in case of disasters hence they have improved communication among them.
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