Feature Photography : “Odyssey of Hope” – by Carol Guzy  via ZUMA Press.

The discovery was as surprising as it was ominous. Weeks after the Camp Fire roared through Butte County late in 2018, killing 85 people in the town of Paradise alone – the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history – officials made an alarming find: The Paradise drinking water is now laced with benzene, a volatile compound linked to cancer. Water officials say they believe the extreme heat of the firestorm created a ‘toxic cocktail’ of gases in burning homes that got sucked into the water pipes when the system depressurized from use by residents and firefighters. The contamination in Paradise, however, is more widespread than anyone could have predicted.’It is jaw dropping,’ said Dan Newton of the state Water Resources Control Board.’This is such a huge scale. None of us were prepared for this.’ The water contamination represents yet another unexpected and costly headache for California, a drought-prone state where water is a precious commodity. The expected cleanup and insurance costs of the Paradise fire exceed $2 billion. Experts say the water district may be able to clean the pipes to some of the homes later this year, but it will take two years and $300 million before hillside residents can safely drink the water from their taps.

Kim Woods is a survivor and dedicated mom who overcomes daily struggles to be the best version of herself for her children. ”Before my dad took those kids in I would go over and babysit them. When they would come home that’s how I started drinking. I would drink with them. I guess they thought it was funny when they saw this little girl drinking,” Woods says recalling the first time she drank and was abused. Woods has struggled with addiction to meth and alcohol since she was a young girl. Woods and her husband have both spent time in jail and have not had a consistent permanent address. She has been clean for a few years now and leans on her counselors at Pathways treatment center and Parole Officer who continue to motivate her.

In the United States alcohol kills more people each year than overdoses, from cancer, to liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis and suicide. From 2007 to 2017, the number of deaths attributable to alcohol increased 35 percent, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The death rate rose 24 percent. One alarming statistic is deaths among women rose 85 percent.