How to Cope and Help with the Fires Attacking the West Coast
Hello hello everyone! Welcome back to MMM and I am so happy to be writing again. It was a tiny break but felt like so much longer since we were sitting in the middle of a fire zone waiting to find out if we were going to be evacuated. Kevin and I were very lucky that we didn’t have to evacuate and got the all-clear on Friday evening that we could unpack our go bags. Of course, things can change very quickly and we may have to pack up to evacuate again, but at least for now, we are out of the woods. The air quality due to the smoke is what is currently our biggest danger. We cannot go outside for prolonged periods of time (just as long as it takes to get from a car to the place you are going), have pretty bad headaches most of the time, and just a general feeling of ickiness. Because of this, it is nearly impossible to take photos outside or do very much fashion work right now. So! Since I am a firefighter’s daughter and an avid outdoor lover, I have decided to give some tips on how you can survive the smoke, how you can help stop it, and places to donate in order to help all the brave firefighters out there helping to keep us safe! Keep scrolling to read it all!
Drink a TON of water- Since the smoke is so intense in the West Coast, it is sucking all the water from the air, even in normally kind of humid places like Oregon. This can be part of the reason someone might have physical side effects, like allergy symptoms, and can also royally dry out your skin. Water won’t solve all of these issues, but it definitely doesn’t hurt and can help with the water you aren’t getting from the air.
If you have lung issues, keep your inhaler handy- This may seem like an obvious one, but for me, it took a couple of days before I noticed the effects on my lungs. For the most part, as long as I stay indoors it’s not bad. But if you are someone with lung issues, take the necessary precautions and make sure your prescriptions are all up to date.
Mask up- You should be doing this anyway since we are also in the midst of the global pandemic, but it can help protect against the truly hazardous air quality in a lot of the PNW right now. Also, here is a link to a way to make a cheap air purifier if you have a box fan in order to keep the air cleaner in your home or apartment.
Shower often, don’t re-wear clothing- If you have to be out in the smoke often (for work or whatnot) or in the grocery store with smoke leaking in, take a shower as soon as you get home. Wash the smoke residue off of your skin and hair so it doesn’t keep irritating you once you are home. You should be doing this next part anyway with COVID, but do not re-wear clothing. I usually wear a pair of jeans 6 times, maybe more, but there is no way to get the smoke off of the clothing you were wearing in it. So for now, do a couple of extra loads of laundry in order to save yourself smoke irritation.
Foster an animal- While this won’t help the fires or change the climate crisis, there are several animals who are being displaced and abandoned by people who are fleeing the fires. Shelters and other pet rescue places are seeing a crazy influx right now. So if you can afford to foster a cat or dog, most places will pay for all of the care, food, toys, and any medical costs that the animal needs. It’s pretty easy to sign up at most shelters, so take a look at your local shelters and animal rescues to see if you can foster.
Vote- It is no secret that our current president doesn’t really give a shit about the environment. He has taken the US out of the Green New Deal and the Paris Agreement and also taken power away from the EPA to regulate all sorts of things. The climate crisis is real and if you do not believe so, please do some research on just how wrong you are. The climate crisis has been an issue for a very long time, but this current wildfire situation is unheard of and record-breaking in all of the worst ways. So, vote for a president who will actually take steps to make things better for the planet, and vote for local and federal representatives who will do the same. This is not a bi-partisan issue, this is a humanity issue. Republican, democrat, independent, and everything else we all have to live on this planet and we can’t do that if it burning up and constantly being destroyed by natural disasters. Please do your part and vote for people who will help create laws that will make systemic change.
For now, the best thing you can do is stay inside whenever possible. I am going to leave a bunch of links below of way to help those displaced by the fires, to help the firefighters, and then also some info on how the climate change is what is affecting the fires. Next week I am going to do a post all about the best ways to help combat climate change on your own, so stay tuned for that! See you lovely people Wednesday!
Madey
Important Links:
Cover image found here
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Victims of the Oregon Wildfires