Many fire-prone California towns don’t plan for evacuations

Question

Counterintuitive as it may sound, Paradise has some of the strongest evacuation planning in California. In fact, a USA TODAY Network-California survey of communities at high risk from wildfires found only 22% (including Paradise) have a robust, publicly available evacuation plan.

The scale of disaster in the Camp Fire was unprecedented, but the scene of people fleeing wildfires was familiar, repeated numerous times over the past three years up and down California from Redding and Paradise to Santa Rosa, Ventura, and Malibu.

In many of those communities, motorists became stuck in traffic as officials tried to evacuate thousands onto a few roads leading away from the flames.

NO REQUIREMENT TO PLAN

The 85 deaths and nearly 19,000 buildings destroyed in Paradise’s Camp Fire made it the deadliest and most destructive blaze in California history. Eight of those who perished were found in their vehicles, with two others found outside their vehicles.

In some spots, burned-out and abandoned vehicles lined roads leading out of town.

Should cities be required to have detailed evacuation plans? In 3–5 sentences, answer the question and provide specific textual evidence to support your analysis.

Answer 1

Yes, cities should be required to have detailed evacuation plans. The lack of evacuation planning has been evident in many fire-prone California towns, leading to chaotic and dangerous situations during wildfire events. The USA TODAY Network-California survey found that only 22% of high-risk communities have a robust, publicly available evacuation plan. This lack of planning has resulted in situations where motorists become stuck in traffic as officials try to evacuate people onto limited roads, and where individuals tragically lose their lives in their vehicles. Requiring detailed evacuation plans would ensure that communities are prepared and able to swiftly and safely evacuate residents during emergencies.

Answer 2

Use the passage to complete the activity.

Why Is the News Sometimes Controversial?

Reporters gather facts and write about them—so why do some people say the news is unreliable? They are worried that news stories might be biased.

Bias is an unfair representation of something or someone. It can happen when only one side of a story is presented, when only certain facts are shared, or when news organizations choose which stories they want to publish. Readers sometimes worry that news organizations, intentionally or accidentally, publish biased stories.

News organizations try to avoid bias as much as they can. They hire trained reporters who know how to ask good questions about all sides of a story. They also employ many different editors to double-check all of the facts cited in the articles.

Readers of the news can take their own steps to avoid possible bias in the news they read. They can read news from multiple sources, or they can look up facts on their own to make sure the news matches other websites and records. It is impossible to avoid bias completely, but news writers and news readers can still do a lot to make sure the information they share and read is accurate.

In 3–5 sentences, identify and explain an inference you made about news media based on the passage. Support your answer with text evidence from the passage.

Answer 3

Based on the passage, an inference that can be made about news media is that bias is a concern for both news organizations and readers. The passage explains that bias can occur when only one side of a story is presented, when only certain facts are shared, or when news organizations selectively choose which stories to publish. This suggests that news organizations are aware of the potential for bias and strive to avoid it by hiring trained reporters and employing editors to fact-check articles. Additionally, the passage emphasizes that readers themselves have a role to play in avoiding bias by seeking news from multiple sources and verifying facts.