This wasn’t caused by a bomb…
On October 8, 2017, a fire on Tubbs Lane in the small town of Calistoga was reported. Little did people know that this was the start of the most devastating fire in California’s history, which was eventually named the Tubbs Fire. Strong winds escalated the severity of this fire, and three hours into it, more than 12 miles had already burned. The wind only picked up from there. The San Francisco Chronicle interviewed residents who said the wind was strong enough to blow 50 pounds of wood off a rooftop display. Firefighters rushed to try and put it out, but the fire kept spreading. Pretty soon, the fires started to approach Santa Rosa. Since the fires began so late in the night, many people weren’t aware of the oncoming fires until it was too late. Emergency crews raced around warning residents to evacuate, but the winds left them little time to do anything. Many only had minutes to gather up belongings before escaping. Some didn’t even make it out before the fires overcame and destroyed their house. One of the most famous images shows an entire mobile home that was practically levelled from the flames. By the second day, the wind speeds were described as “hurricane-like”. The 60 miles per hour winds blew embers everywhere, which sparked new blazes. Within 2 days, an estimated 3,000 structures had already burned down.Throughout the rest of the month, firefighters from across the state worked hard to stop the blaze. On October 31st, the fire was officially 100% contained. By then, there were $1.2 million in damages, 5,643 structures destroyed, and 43 people killed.
When the thousands of displaced residents started coming back into town to see the destruction, they faced several challenges in trying to get their old lives back. These struggles were blamed on disaster tourism, where a significant increase of people came to Santa Rosa just to see the damage from the fire. Residents first realized an odd number of “spectators” wandering through the town. They were taking photos and inspecting the damage as if it were a tourist attraction. Many residents were horrified to see the lack of privacy they were receiving from the public in such a devastating time for them. One resident complained how “people just (take) videos and selfies of themselves” in front of the burned down homes. People were so disturbed by the unwelcome visitors that signs were posted across neighbors discouraging “tourists” from coming by.
The disaster tourism that the victims in Santa Rosa experienced clearly correlates to the concept of disaster capitalism that Naomi Klein discusses in her book The Shock Doctrine. Klein describes how people are quick to take advantage of those in need of assistance. This often works because victims are usually “too emotionally and physically distracted” to “mount an effective resistance”. Klein uses New Orleans as one of her first examples to illustrate how private corporations took advantage of Katrina victims after the hurricane by introducing the charter school system. Because of that, people now have to pay a fee in order to receive an education. The people of New Orleans were too distraught at the time to realize the effects of charter schools, and therefore, corporations were able to quickly establish themselves in the city to make a profit.
Unfortunately for the people affected in the Santa Rosa and New Orleans incidents, there is little they could do to prevent others from taking advantage of them. In Santa Rosa, victims couldn’t do anything to stop people from invading their privacy. The tourists have a right to be there and police weren’t sure “what could be done to limit foot and vehicle traffic on streets open to the public”. While people weren’t necessarily making money off the disaster like in New Orleans, many residents disliked how outsiders found enjoyment in their misery. Signs that read “Respectfully, residents only please. Our devastation is not a spectator sport” are unfortunately the best way for victims to deter visitors. In New Orleans, Klein’s example of charter schools worked out well because they are relatively easy to establish and have proponents who support them. Klein quotes respected economist Milton Friedman, who said, “It is also an opportunity to radically reform the educational system”. With the support of such a powerful person and the federal government, New Orleans residents could only watch as the public schools were converted into private charter schools. Few people had any idea of the effects they would have on the children who would grow up in New Orleans after the hurricane. Disaster capitalism is hard to combat because in most instances, they are done completely legal, as shown with the victims of the Tubbs Fire and Katrina. It would be ideal if everyone put the respect and wishes of others before their own, but it has been repeatedly demonstrated that that is highly unlikely.
Wildfires have always been part of California’s culture. Growing up in Los Angeles County my whole life, I remember many of the large fires that have happened over the past 20 years. One of the more recent ones occurred in the city of Monrovia. It transformed a sunny day into a dark cloudy one from all the smoke. Ash filled the air and covered our cars, lawn, and pool. We live less than 10 miles from where the fire was, so it was clear that this was a huge blaze. I was curious as to just how big it was, so I went out to try and see the fire up close. Luckily, the fire department and police had blocked off the roads, or else I would have been part of the disaster tourism group. It seems almost natural for people to indulge in to their curious wonders, and I honestly never once thought about how I was finding amusement at someone else’s expense. The Tubbs Fire and Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine give clear reasoning as to why it is inappropriate to try and capitalize on others, whether it be monetary or in the form of entertainment. Instead, society would benefit much more if others were more proactive in helping victims rebuild for a better future.
