Hazards Posing the Greatest Threat
Earthquakes
Hazards such as earthquakes, eruptions, tsunamis, floods, landslides, erosion, floods, and storms are a concern in Los Angeles since they can cause damage to property, fatalities, tsunamis, beach erosion, mudslides, collapses, wildfires, and blackouts. Among the hazards, earthquakes pose the most significant threats since they interfere with buildings, putting several individuals in danger. According to the Federal Disaster Management Agency (FEMA), earthquake risk is “extremely high” in California (Alisjahbana et al., 2022). In actuality, California is the state with the most destructive earthquakes. Nonetheless, Alaska has the most frequent significant earthquakes, mostly in remote locations.
The U.S. Geological Survey is the top organization for educating the public and policymakers about natural hazards and offering thorough real-time seismic monitoring. Due to the multiple fault networks located across the Los Angeles region, earthquakes of all magnitudes and types are possible. Even if numerous structures have undergone improvements to resist considerable shaking, several risks and dangers could remain. The nation is at risk from Los Angeles’ unpredictable wind patterns.
Winds and Wildfires
Los Angeles’ unpredictable wind patterns can result in thick vegetation, arid hillsides, and canyons. Los Angeles is prone to swiftly catching fire and igniting fatal wildfires, commonly known as brush fires (Downing et al., 2022). These fires are capable of moving at great rates and rapidly reaching temperatures of thousands of degrees. Ensuring that neighboring vegetation is cleared following city and county laws is one of the most excellent methods to prevent these fires from a safe distance from the property.
Although the Santa Ana winds can occur at other seasons of the year, Santa Ana winds are famous for the hot, dry weather they bring in the fall, which is often the hottest. They frequently provide coastal Southern California with the clearest skies and lowest relative humidity levels of the year. Low humidity levels, a warm, compressional heated air mass, and strong winds combine to produce ideal fire weather conditions and spread deadly wildfires. The semi-desert surroundings of Los Angeles are made up of hillsides, gorges, cliffs, and huge basins. There may be problems with violent thunderstorms, windstorms, or other adverse weather conditions.
Floods
Flooding can happen suddenly in the valleys and passes of the mountains, and mudslides frequently happen on hillsides with much vegetation. Although they can happen anytime, floods often occur following tropical storms, significant spring rains, and winter snow clearing. Oversized vehicles may float in about two feet of water. Floods can rise quickly or slowly, but typically take days to form.
Historic Disasters
The San Fernando Earthquake
Significant geological disasters have occurred, such as earthquakes, wildfires, and floods, in Los Angeles. The earthquake resulted in 65 fatalities and damage worth over $500 million (50 Years Later, an Earthquake’s Legacy Continues, 2021). It did not generate a surface rupture due to its deep and moderate size, but it did cause rockslides that obstruct certain mountain roads.
The earthquake affected the San Gabriel Valley, resulting in two fatalities and property damage of about $40 million (Chernov et al., 2020). Several people applied for aid during the crisis to ensure they were safe. Tectonic boundaries between the Pacific and North American plates cause earthquakes in Los Angeles.
Wildfires
Although Los Angeles is quite well-renowned as an important urban center of the globe, it also contains a significant chunk of Santa Monica, Hawaii Volcanoes National Manmade Lake, and the Los Angeles Wildlife Refuge. Thousands of dwellings are situated in foothill towns close to these magnificent natural areas, posing particular difficulties for neighborhood fire departments. Since 1927, 24 wildfires caused by heat sources have burned 271,047 acres, 1,502 homes, 830 buildings, and five people (Wildfires in Los Angeles County, n.d.). A massive fire in Los Angeles spread to neighboring counties. Fires damaged several homes in Malibu and Altadena (Wildfires in Los Angeles County, n.d.).
The 1914 Flood
Floods and landslides are very likely to occur during heavy rains. When the Los Angeles Basin’s population was over 700,000 in 1914, a four-day storm dumped almost 19 inches of rainfall on the San Gabriel Ranges (Hazards and Threats—Los Angeles County, n.d.). The act caused flooding and cost $10 million in repairs (Hazards and Threats—Los Angeles County, n.d.). Southern California suffered much damage in the flood, and most people died.
Mitigation
The City of Los Angeles’ Local Hazard Reduction Plan is a comprehensive set of remediation policies and programs designed to protect residents, their properties, public facilities, equipment, and the environment from natural and artificial hazards to reduce risk and increase resilience. The city’s primary goal is to reduce its vulnerability to disasters and demonstrate its commitment to reducing risks from natural and artificial disasters (Hofmann, 2021). Policymakers are now using the plan as a roadmap for allocating city resources to mitigate the impact of such threats. It is designed to work with existing planning tools, such as zoning and building codes, as well as long-term and environmental planning tools. A thorough risk and vulnerability analysis, prioritization of community harm reduction, and development of follow-up harm reduction strategies and initiatives are part of the planning process.
The City’s Community Hazard Reduction Strategy has been approved by FEMA, allowing the city to apply for grants to reduce community vulnerability to disasters. Reducing vulnerability supports disaster risk reduction and ensures a stable planet for future generations (Cernev, 2022). Los Angeles can significantly reduce the effects of natural earthquakes by identifying hazards, building safer buildings, and sharing knowledge about earthquake safety to minimize the likelihood of a destructive earthquake.
In Los Angeles, sewer “check valves” can be installed to prevent the backflow of floodwaters. Create an internal barrier to prevent floodwater from entering the basement. Subterranean walls should be watertight to prevent seepage. Counties can prevent wildfires by continuously monitoring weather and drought conditions that can alter the flammability of plants. Stay away from things that. Choose a non-flammable solution depending on the situation.
References
50 Years Later, an Earthquake’s Legacy Continues. (2021). USGS. Web.
Alisjahbana, I., Moura-Cook, A., Costa, R., & Kiremidjian, A. (2022). An agent-based financing model for post-earthquake housing recovery: Quantifying recovery inequalities across income groups. Earthquake Spectra, 38(2), 1254-1282. Web.
Cernev, T. (2022). Global sustainability targets: Planetary boundary, global catastrophic risk, and disaster risk reduction considerations. Progress in Disaster Science, 16, 100264. Web.
Chernov, D., Sornette, D., Chernov, D., & Sornette, D. (2020). Specific Features of Risk Management in the Service Sector. Critical Risks of Different Economic Sectors: Based on the Analysis of More Than 500 Incidents, Accidents and Disasters, 147-261. Web.
Dai, S., Finkelman, R. B., French, D., Hower, J. C., Graham, I. T., & Zhao, F. (2021). Modes of occurrence of elements in coal: A critical evaluation. Earth-Science Reviews, 222, 103815. Web.
Downing, W. M., Dunn, C. J., Thompson, M. P., Caggiano, M. D., & Short, K. C. (2022). Human ignitions on private lands drive USFS cross-boundary wildfire transmission and community impacts in the western US. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 2624. Web.
Hazards and Threats – Los Angeles County. (n.d.). LA County. Web.
Hofmann, S. Z. (2021). 100 Resilient Cities program and the role of the Sendai framework and disaster risk reduction for resilient cities. Progress in Disaster Science, 11, 100189. Web.
Los Angeles: A History. (2019). History. Web.
Wildfires in Los Angeles County. (n.d.). Laalmanac. Web.