Breaking news- 10/09/17
As of 11am PST, more than 17 fast-burning fires have been moving across the region in Napa and Sonoma counties since late Sunday night. Two people have died, countless have been injured and over 1500 homes and businesses have been lost since the fires broke. California Governor, Jerry Brown, issued a state of emergency for those in the region, according to multiple reports.
There is widespread evacuation taking place throughout the region with about 20,000 people being evacuated including homes, businesses and hospitals. This is one of the largest natural disasters to ever hit Wine Country.
Wildfires blazing across acres of wine vineyards in Sonoma County, CA
Yet, as of now, this isn't on national television. Where are the "Breaking News" reports across cable TV? Where are the messages interrupting the nightly news to inform the public of this massive natural disaster sweeping across the region? If you search for "Napa fire" on the internet, a few stories and videos will appear, but this major natural disaster is not being covered across the large media companies. Why is that?
The wildfires have caused utter destruction in Santa Rosa, CA and across upwards of 107,000 acres of land in Wine Country
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, an estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated at this time. There may be many more structures damaged than originally estimated due to the urgency of the firefighters to safely evacuate people and save lives rather than focus on the burning structures. In total, the fires have reached different parts of eight Northern California counties including Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Yuba.
View a backyard looking East toward the Vaca Range & the East side of Napa where the fires are burning the area, advancing with the heavy winds
This is one of the largest natural disasters to hit Wine Country, and the use of cable news networks could help increase awareness, in turn getting more help to the region. Cable TV news stations are supposed to inform us of what is happening in the country, especially large natural disasters of this proportion. Where are they today? Why are they late to the game? What are they choosing to focus on instead?
This photo was taken from an onlooker's home before evacuating, looking toward Sears Point in Sonoma County, CA