Editor’s note: This article is part of a joint editorial initiative between the National Association of Community Health Centers and Direct Relief.
Five years after the deadly Camp Fire rampaged through Northern California’s Butte County, healthcare providers and survivors from Paradise and Magalia, two of the hardest-hit communities, share harrowing and heroic stories of life-or-death moments from that tragic day — and how they have prepared for the next wildfire or natural disaster.
Ampla Health, a federally qualified health center system in the area, lost power at its Magalia location shortly after the fire hit, forcing the clinic to close. With support from Direct Relief’s Power for Health initiative, Ampla Health now stands ready for the next natural disaster with a cutting-edge, resilient, solar-powered system that will help healthcare providers continue to care for the most vulnerable residents by powering critical medical devices and allowing them to access records, even if the grid fails.
Direct Relief is pleased to present this original short documentary, a co-production with BBC’s StoryWorks:
“Invisible Impacts of Wildfires” is part of a series called “The Climate and Us” by the BBC and the Global Climate and Health Alliance. The series goes around the world exploring how the climate crisis is a health crisis, while highlighting innovative healthcare solutions being used to help respond.