As a recent Southern California transplant, I’ve followed the coverage of the recent wildfires closely since they broke out. Many of my friends were forced to leave their homes and my parents’ house sits on the edge of the mandatory evacuation zone. I won’t be going home for an ash-white Christmas.

While the fires may not come as a surprise to anyone who followed the devastating drought of the last six years and the unusually dry months preceding the fires, the timing is still unusual. The destruction is occurring after the usual fire season.

But, this is only one part of the story.

Wildfire Media Coverage: Incomplete?

As the flames pressed into Montecito I was disturbed by the media coverage that followed. I repeatedly saw the area characterized as an enclave for celebrities and their wealthy neighbors, and while that description is accurate, it is also incomplete.

Santa Barbara is not just home to the affluent. A city cannot function without workers to staff schools and restaurants, to maintain properties and provide childcare. When news outlets emphasize the potential threat to the rich and famous during a disaster, it undermines the people who truly need donor support.

Lives and businesses are thoroughly disrupted - stores and restaurants are closed, homes vacated, and structures burned to the ground. Many hourly-wage earners haven’t been able to go to work. Some have been forced to choose between working outside in the smoke and going without their paycheck. Many people cannot afford the extended disruption of the fires.

Individuals, families, and businesses will struggle to recover. Destroyed homes will need to be rebuilt. Spring rains on hillsides cleared of vegetation will cause mudslides. The tourism industry will take a significant hit - losing out on business over the holiday season will only be the start of their troubles.

Southern California Needs Donor Support

Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres may drive interest to a news story, but it doesn’t drive donors to their checkbooks. If the media keeps its focus on celebrities, it’s doing a disservice to the community and to those who want to help.

I may not get to go home for Christmas, but some people don’t have a home this Christmas. Although many of us are busy with the holiday season and the string of natural disasters in 2017 has led to donor fatigue, now isn’t the time to forget the citizens who make these Southern California communities thrive.

Resources to help victims of the Southern California Wildfires:

How to Donate to Victims of the Southern California Fires

Southern California: How to Help Across the Region

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Original contribution by Clarissa Coburn