Sprawl is a global problem, not just in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. But the wildfires destroying homes and lives serve as a painful reminder to the entire human race. YOU CAN’T BUILD EVERYTHING YOU WANT ANYWHERE YOU WANT. I’m sure the people in South Carolina who lost their homes spent a lot of money on making their homes hurricane-proof, mold-proof, flood-proof, termite-proof and everything-else-except fireproof. Too bad you can’t make your home PEOPLE-PROOF.
The problem is Nature doesn’t choose how you will lose your home. YOU CHOOSE HOW TO LOSE YOUR HOME. In this case, the people who built in that area CHOSE TO LOSE THEIR HOMES because they were in an area that was overbuilt, the natural wetlands were drained, the growing human population took more and more water so when the “drought” arrived- actually it’s a normal dry period made worse by too many humans- the ground and trees were dry and ripe to burn. If the suspicions of police are confirmed, it was also a human who STARTED THE FIRE.
So Nature’s role in this “natural disaster”, as the mayor of North Myrtle Beach mistakenly calls it, is not only minimal but the true culprits- the people who built all the stuff there and the government officials who let them- are not blaming themselves. Without accepting total responsibility for this nightmare and planning to prevent it in the future, they are doomed to repeat it, as are the people of Reno, Nevada, San Diego and every other city that sprawls relentlessly and foolishly into places they should not go- and pays a heavy price for their ignorance.
