Amazon opens 1st-of-its-kind wildfire relief center in Beaumont amid extreme weather
BEAUMONT, Calif. (KABC) -- Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more intense due to the change in climate.
Climate change didn't start the Airport, Bridge or Line fires that broke out across Southern California earlier this month, but extreme weather events are potential factors fueling all three blazes.
"We think it is at least partially due to climate change. Warming temperatures creates more dry conditions out there, there's more evaporation happening," said Dr. Francesca Hopkins, associate professor of climate change and sustainability at UC Riverside.
She added warming temperatures are contributing to earlier and more intense fire activity. It's a crisis that others are recognizing and responding to.
A few weeks before those three wildfires ignited, Amazon launched the first of its kind wildfire Disaster Relief Hub in Beaumont.
"These hubs allow us to respond faster and more efficiently to needs that our community response partners have because we store targeted reserves of commonly needed disaster relief items," said Vidya Sampath, senior project manager for Amazon's Disaster Relief Initiative.
Some of the most needed supplies range from shovels and rakes to respirators and fire tools.
It will be during and after a disaster like a wildfire that the public will be able to utilize what are known as VOADs, or Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters.
"When a non-profit partner reaches out to us and says these are the items we need, we say okay are these urgent, and if they say yes, then we do our best to get it to them free of cost in less than 72 hours," Sampath said.
Climate change may be a part of California's future, as are wildfires, but so too is the planning and preparation to respond to them.
This story is part of our Climate Ready series - a collaboration between ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations focused on providing practical solutions to help you and your family adapt to extreme weather events and the current challenges of climate change.
Click here for all the stories and videos in our Climate Ready series.
