When was the last time you thought about September 11th and the tragic events at the World Trade center? How about the last time you thought about Hurricane Katrina? What about the war in Afghanistan? Is the COVID pandemic already a thing of the past? How long does the news media hang onto a story? Answer: not long. How long is the memory of the average US citizen? Answer: even shorter.
The Nature of Short-term Memory
Most US citizens have a very short attention span. Unless something is out there to remind us, we lose focus. That loss of focus means we don’t learn from past mistakes.
For most people, if a tragedy doesn’t directly affect them, they hardly pay attention. Unfortunately, for most residents in the western US wildfire is a serious event waiting to happen.
On August 8th, 2023, wildfire decimated the city of Lahaina on the island of Maui, Hawaii. One hundred and one lives were lost, and 2,200 structures were destroyed, leaving 7,000 homeless.
On February 26, 2024, the “Smokehouse Creek Fire” in Texas burned over 1 million acres, killing 2 with over 400 homes lost.
In 2020 the state of Oregon saw more than 5,000 homes destroyed with a loss of 11 lives when mega-fires ravaged the state.
Who would have thought a wind-driven wildfire would consume 1,100 homes and businesses in suburban Denver, Colorado on December 30, 2021?
None of this is ancient history. Yet, no one remembers except those who lost loved ones, and those who are trying to rebuild.
Learning from our Past
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana, 1905.
Wildfires, and their threat to homes and communities is nothing new. This threat exists and will not go away. What makes the difference is how well people remember, and what they do about it. Homeowners throughout the US need to take heed of the lessons that have played out and learn from those lessons.
Tragedies don’t just happen to other people.
For an enthralling exploration of how an unwillingness to learn can change lives, look into “Diablo Wind: A Firefighter’s Trial by Wind and Fire” by R. Scott Watson. Watson masterfully illustrates how short-term memory, an unwillingness to learn from the past, and lack of preparation can lead to devastating outcomes. Join Watson on this fiery journey, where lives are put at risk once again due to short-term memory.