Acres and acres worth of questions

By Ivan Morgan

This is a different type of column. I am up against deadline, Paddy’s Pond and now Thomas Pond are on fire, parts of Paradise and CBS are being told to prepare in case they need to evacuate. As I write this, both fires are out of control. Government has recalled resources from other fires.
Been a while since I saw something like this.
We used to call them forest fires. Now they are called wildfires. I am told the term wildfire is more accurate. Whatever they’re called, they are nasty and dangerous. Many of our readers know this firsthand. Tonight, nestled in downtown St. John’s, I am getting a faint taste.
Forest fires? I’ve experienced them. Pretty damn humbling.
I have friends who have had to evacuate, others who are looking at maybe getting out soon. No doubt Shoreline readers have their stories. I want to hear them.
These fires bring anxiety, fear, destruction, and heartache.
They also bring communities together, neighbors helping neighbours. There are heroes like fire fighters, water bomber pilots and the like for sure, but also the people who throw relief shelters together, house a displaced family, or make sandwiches for the fire crews and other people. The unsung acts of kindness. Times like this see people helping people. The worst can bring out the best.
My daughter noted there is a popular Broadway musical about this. Maybe I’m a romantic old fool but I believe here in this place we help each other. I am seeing it every day. I am seeing it tonight.
By the time you read this it will probably be all over. Right now, however, in this tinder dry city which, historians will tell you, has burned down three times, folks are jittery.
I’m not – not yet at any rate – but I have begun to prepare to scram. Got out carriers for the animals, packed the book I am reading, my phone charger and a change of clothes, just in case. And in the words of my brilliant friend who did have to evacuate, all my tax information will be left behind in a very dry carboard box on my very dry dining room table!
Right now I have questions. I am hoping readers will see my email at the bottom of this piece and maybe answer some, or write the editor about their experiences.
Is government doing a good job? People don’t trust government as much anymore – and rightfully so. But maybe this crisis will restore some of that trust? I note young Hogan isn’t using this crisis to score points for the upcoming election. He seems available, engaged, briefed and, more importantly, staying out of the way and letting the on-the-ground folks do their jobs. No grandstanding so far. To me that’s a plus. What do readers think?
Were we prepared? When forests get this dry, stuff’s going to catch fire. It hasn’t rained much for weeks. Where was the public concern? Was government’s policy to sit tight and pray for rain? Questions will have to be asked.
The media has played up a lot about fools lighting fires in the forest. We have always had fools. It was a fool lighting his pipe who burned down St. John’s in 1892. Twenty thousand folks homeless. But what about the fools who chose a hot, dry blustery day in July to drain all the water from the city’s water mains? Same day.
Will we have a thorough review of all this?
With municipal and provincial elections in the offing, now is a great time to ask questions. Will they be asked? Will they be answered?
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have banned people from going in the woods, which is unconstitutional and anti-democratic. I understand their concerns but that is very heavy-handed.
Here in Newfoundland and Labrador government has drastically increased fines for having fires in the forest. I understand government must be seen to be doing something decisive, but are such harsh actions warranted? Legal? Effective?
And one final question: what the hell is a hectare?
Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.com