CalMatters: Senior Citizens are Disproportionately Impacted by Wildfires
Wed, 09/30/2020
California’s older population is already at greater risk of complications from COVID-19. Now, a report from CalMatters sheds light on how vulnerable senior citizens are from wildfires and other impacts of climate change.
CalMatters mapped the state’s moderate, high,and very high risk fire zones and found that senior citizens are disproportionately represented in these areas.
“In 23 counties, older Californians overwhelmingly choose to live in fire-prone areas,” according to CalMatters. The publication also found that 35% of California’s long-term care facilities are in fire-prone regions.
The disparity has already had real consequences. The average age of those who died in the 2018 Camp Fire was 72.
Read more here.
