Fire & Flood

A wildfire has engulfed over 15,000 acres of western Nevada, injuring seven people, destroying 32 homes, and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate.

The Hawk Fire started northwest of Reno on Saturday morning. Strong, shifting winds in the Sierra Nevada caused the small fire to spread rapidly (see a timelapse) and have made the blaze unpredictable and difficult to contain (just 27% as of Monday).

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo issued a state of emergency Saturday and deployed the state’s National Guard to aid first responders, which include fire crews from at least 15 states, Australia, and New Zealand (see the fire’s evacuation map). Officials say the fire’s human-caused, but haven’t confirmed whether it was started intentionally or accidentally.

Meanwhile in Gary, Indiana, residents are still recovering after historic storms flooded the area and left Hoosiers without power for two weeks.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Tragic weather events and natural disasters remind us that the whole world is not how it should be. Christians are called to pray, mourn, and hope for an eternity where there’s redemption not just for people, but for creation itself.

“For the creation was subjected to futility — not willingly, but because of him who subjected it — in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.”
Romans 8:20-21 (CSB) (read full passage)