California - disaster hotspot

Droughts
1. Droughts in Caifornia can be caused by anti-cyclones, La Nina events and westward winds from the desert areas.
2. The most devastating effect of drought is wildfire, dry vegetation is extremely flammable.
3. Wildfires in California in Oct 2007 killed 22 people and destroyed 1,300 homes.
Vulnerability
1. 70% of population live within 50km of the fault line.
2. Lots of building on unstable land.
3. Many buildings on the coast.
4. California is a wealthy state with poor areas in it, 20% of the population live under the poverty line.
5. California has a massive economy so there are likely to be huge economic losses when a disaster occurs.
Landslides
1. Landslides occur on unstable steep land. It can be made unstable by coastal erosion or extreme weather. Landslides can also be triggered by earthquakes.
2. Risk of landslides is high as many buildings are built on and around steep slopes, as well as building on coastal land at risk of coastal erosion.
Earthquakes
1. San Andreas Fault runs the length of California, a conservative plate boundary.
2. California has 2-3 earthquakes a year that are powerful enough to cause damage.
3. San Francisco earthquake of 1906, along with subsequent fires destroyed much of the city.
Volcanoes
1. Hasn't been an eruption since Lassen Peak in 1915
2. Volcanoes are still monitored for potential eruptions
Tsumanis
1. An earthquake under the Pacific Ocean could cause a tsunami along the California coastline.
2. 1964 earthquake caused a tsunami in Crescent City, killing 12 people.

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California - disaster hotspot

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	Created by Alice Buchanan over 9 years ago