Houghton 1

Research Paper

Natural Hazards Threat Assessment

By: Louis Houghton

Chesapeake College

Wye Mills, MD

2/1/2021
 Houghton 2

Introduction

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of California? Is it the miles

and miles of shimmering sandy beaches, the clear blue sky in the summer heat, or that beautiful

ocean front view form a penthouse in San Francisco. All of this and more are true, however

beyond the breath taking land scape there are many natural hazards that threaten the peace and

tranquility that California offers. Earthquakes, droughts, and wildfires have always been a part of

California’s history. From San Diego to San Francisco, these geological events have wretched

havoc all over the state. In the last century though the frequency and intensity of some of these

events has had a startling effect on the state and the people that live in it.

Earthquakes

Californian is a very large state covering over 60% of the western United States’ coast

line as well covering an area of 163,696 sq mi (423,970 km2), making California geologically

diverse. Stretching from the Mexico border to Oregon, most of California sits on the Western

edge of the North American Tectonic Plate. There are sections

of California however that sit on Pacific Plate, and it is around

this area, where these two plates slide past one another, that

some of the worst earthquakes take place. This geological

fissure can be seen at the surface of earth at the San Andrea’s

Fault, where the crust scratches and scrapes past one another displacing the earth around it.

These two plates sliding past one another are not the only geological events causing earthquakes

in California. To the north west of the state, a portion of the Cascadia Subduction Zone is pulled

underneath the continental plate which, not only causes mountain building, but also earthquakes.
 Houghton 3

Cities like San Francisco have been subject to many Earthquakes for years, one of the earliest

reported earthquakes in California was in 1769, during an expedition of Gaspar de Portola while

the group was camping about 30 miles southeast of what would become Los Angeles. In recent

years the ability to detect and pinpoint the location of earthquakes has gotten better, not every

earthquakes is state felt, many are small and some go undetected. This year the San Francisco

Bay Area, has had just over 400 earthquakes with the majority falling below 2.5 magnitude on

the Richter scale. While these numbers may seem high it is because cities like San Francisco sit

on top of the San Andrea’s Fault that earthquakes impact them so much unlike some other parts

of the state. [ CITATION Ear \l 1033 ]

Risks and Response

Earthquakes by themselves are very benign, the earth rattles and the things around you

move and that often is the extent of it. The earth doesn’t open up and swallow whole cities like

it is often depicted the movies, but while an earthquake just shakes the earth, it’s all the other

damages that can occur because of it that make them so dangerous. Earthquakes can cause a
 Houghton 4

multitude of damages. Whether it is to infrastructure like bridges, roads, stops lights, and

sidewalks or cause other natural hazards such as wildfires, landslides, and localized tsunamis,

they are all equally unpredictable but

extremely dangerous. In 1906 the

Earthquake that shook San Francisco

burned down “more than 500 blocks in

the city center—covering some 4 square

miles (10 square km) were leveled. The

inferno destroyed some 28,000 buildings, and the total property value loss was estimated at $350

million.”[ CITATION Bri08 \l 1033 ] It is also believed that the death toll exceeded more than 3000

due to the fire that broke out being the most deadly earthquake based fire in the San Francisco

area. San Francisco isn’t the only part of the state at risk from earthquakes. Sothern California,

including the Los Angeles

has seen its fair share of

fires. It also has a unique

problem as its fresh water is

imported, if a large enough

earthquake was to go off the

ability to get clean water

would put everyone at risk.

It is not a matter of if these large scale earthquakes can happen again but when. The threat that

earthquakes present aren’t going away for the people of San Francisco and because of this,

preparation at both the state and individual level are made to help minimize the impact these
 Houghton 5

events have. Millions of dollars are poured from into the inspection of aging buildings,

maintaining and improving infrastructure, and when the worst does arrive emergency response

units. It is also advised for people to have a plan just in case they just so happen to be stuck

without food or water for a few days. It is recommended that people stock up a two week supply

of freshwater and non-perishable foods, flashlight and batteries, first aid kit, toiletries in garbage

bags for personal sanitation, and many more. In places like San Francisco having supplies to fall

back on would be imperative to have when another devastating earthquake broke out.

Wildfires and Droughts

Not only do people have to prepare for earthquakes but wildfires and droughts as well.

Not all of California can enjoys the nice sandy beaches of the coast or the splendor of the Central

Valley “a huge, fertile valley between the coastal mountain ranges and the Sierra Nevada. The

northern part of the Central Valley is called the Sacramento Valley… The whole Central Valley

is watered by mountain-fed rivers (notably the San Joaquin, Kings, and Sacramento) that drain to

the San Francisco Bay system.” [ CITATION eRe20 \l 1033 ] However even the mentioned Central

Valley is not immune to the changing climate. Most of California is suffering some sort of

drought, a great deal of it

because of the lack of rain

fall in the regime and drying

wells. Often most of the state

relies on the continues use of

importing water to

supplement their needs. With

most of the state is suffering

 Houghton 6

from severe drought it means the fire season is longer, fires with burn with high intensity, there

are plenty of dry fuels too, and large fire spatial extent; more fire crews are on staff. Wildfires

have always been a part of California’s history but there have been wet years and there have

been dry ones but the trend of year round dry weather does little to slow the side spread

occurrence of wildfires. “was that the first year of dryness is not so bad for most of California, in

that cities and agriculture can withstand one or two parched years without too much trouble.

“‘But if we get a third or fourth dry year in a row, that’s when we see big problems with native

species, as well as bigger economic impacts.’”

 Houghton 7

Risks and Response

Wildfires are unpredictable, and flare up out of nowhere. They can be caused by man

either intentional or unintentional and even by nature herself. When years of ceaseless drought

plague the overgrown hills and valleys of California, it is only be a matter of time before

something like the August Complex Wildfire occurs. Nicknamed the Gigafire, it burned at least

1,003,300 acres and was just one of almost two dozen major wildfires in the Golden State at the

time. The wildfire also reached to surrounding states where “at least 31 people have died in

California as a result of the fires, and millions are facing the health risks of deadly air pollution

as clouds of smoke settle over urban areas. The fires have also destroyed more than 8,000

structures.” [ CITATION Irf20 \l 1033 ]

Wildfires are extremely dangerous

and unforgiving taking months to

contain however they aren’t the only

thing a drought can produce, crop

vegetation can suffer from the lack

of rain as well the state’s water

reserves. “‘Currently, the state’s

reservoirs are not as bad as they

could be but the supply of

groundwater – essential for

agriculture – is not looking great because the majority of years in the past decade we’ve been on

the dry end… In the Central Valley, more and more water is being pumped for groundwater and
 Houghton 8

that is not a sustainable situation. With another year of subpar precipitation, we are going to be

sucking harder on that straw.’” [ CITATION Gau18 \l 1033 ] With water drying up in some of the

more wet green parts of the state it’s no wonder cities and counties across the state are worried

about fires. In parks and reserves in and outside of San Francisco people who get caught leaving

their fires unattended or at worse committing arson could receive fins in the hundreds or

thousands of dollars and perhaps even jail time. It is also recommended that there be a plan made

just in case a devastating wildfires or prolong droughts brake out. It is recommended that people

stock up a two week supply of freshwater and

non-perishable foods, flashlight and batteries,

first aid kit, fire resistant blankets and clothes,

as well fire extinguishers. In places like San

Francisco having supplies to fall back on

would be imperative to have when you are

limited to how much water you are allowed to use. This doesn’t stop some people, as we’ve all

seen a photo of that one house with green grass while the rest are brown, but restrictions are not

uncommon.

Summery

California has a lot to offer, and if there was a city I would have to live in it would be San

Francisco but after researching the many dangers one would have to endure, I am rethinking that

decision. With the threat of losing power overnight because of an earthquake a few miles away

or finding that your neighborhood is being evacuated because it’s in the path of a wild fire there

isn’t a good reason to move out there. Humans are living in environments that have wildfires for

decades and mother nature doesn’t show signs of slowing down, if people still chose to stay I do
 Houghton 9

understand but they put themselves at great risk when these great natural hazards come

knocking.

References

Administration, N. O. (2020, October 15). Current U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions for California.
Retrieved from Drought.gov: https://www.drought.gov/states/california

Britannica, T. E. (2008, April 04). San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Retrieved from britannica.com:
https://www.britannica.com/event/San-Francisco-earthquake-of-1906

Desk, e. (20, December 1). 50 State Guide - eRD. Retrieved from eReference Desk:
https://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-geography/california.html

Gateway, U. N. (2021, Jan 9). USGS Natural Hazards Gateway. Retrieved from USGS Magnitude 2.5+
Earthquakes: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=33.55055,-
126.2544&extent=39.54641,-113.16968&baseLayer=terrain

Gauridan. (2018). California's rainfall is at historic lows. That spells trouble for wildfires and farms. The
Gauridan, 1-5.

Irfan, U. (2020). California’s largest wildfire on record is now a million-acre “gigafire”. September, 1-6.

Track, E. (2021, feb 28). Recent Earthquakes Near San Francisco Bay Area, California. Retrieved from
Earthquake Track: https://earthquaketrack.com/v/sf/recent