National News Roundup – February 6, 2025
Debate About Rebuilding in High-Risk Areas In Aftermath of L.A. Fires
Public officials face tough decisions as demand for housing rise.
The recent Los Angeles wildfires, driven by hurricane-like winds that destroyed hundreds of homes, were unique, but the aftermath is all too common and familiar in other parts of the country. A debate is revving up about whether homes and neighborhoods should be rebuilt in picturesque but risk-prone areas.
Over the years, as the population of Southern California exploded, many residents who loved the scenic rolling hills and canyons leading to the ocean pushed for development in the postcard setting. Houses spread steadily into the mountain foothills, nestled against the dense, flammable brush known as chapparal. The desirable locations meant many of the residential properties cost a fortune, but Angelinos with deep pockets were willing to live with the risks of mudslides, floods, droughts, earthquakes–and fires. The result has been upper income homeowners creating hazards and risks the local government–and other taxpayers—are expected to subsidize through costly emergency response and recovery assets. Expecting other homeowners to subsidize vanity and risk is a recipe for local political conflict.
In December, Los Angeles County officials considered a new land-use plan, one that would control building decisions for Altadena and the surrounding area for decades to come. Altadena is an LA suburb nestled against mountains. The plan sought to balance two major problems: to address a housing shortage, more density would be allowed in the interior of Altadena. To reduce the danger from wildfires, new construction would be restricted in the foothills section of the city.
Some of the affected landowners pushed back vigorously, saying the plan devalued their property and their rights to use it. Those same tensions about where to build housing are playing out around the country, as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires get more extreme as the climate gets hotter.
“The historic pact of L.A. has always been that you can have this urban life, with big-city amenities, but live in wild nature,” said William Deverell, a California historian and professor of environmental studies at the University of Southern California. “The fires just revealed more explicitly than ever the cost of that pact.”
(Sources: NPR, New York Times, New York magazine, Los Angeles Times)
Southwestern United States Deals with Ongoing Dry Conditions
Residents, leaders, and weather experts ponder whether drought there is permanent.
The last time Las Vegas, Nevada had measurable rainfall was last July. For Phoenix, Arizona, it was last August. Experts say drought conditions may be becoming permanent in the Southwest United States.
Scientists disagree about when the drought officially began, but most point to sometime between 1994 and 1999. The region has remained dry, driven by a warming Earth that reduces storm frequency and evaporates water before it can recharge subsurface aquifers or runoff into the Colorado River. That river has been the bloodstream of the semi-arid region for millennia, but it is now depleting faster than the environment and its inhabitants can adapt.
“The last six months or so have been really unusually dry,” said Curtis Riganti, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Another expert doesn’t see any relief on the horizon: “I don’t think we should be looking for any break in the severity of what we’re experiencing,” said Jay Famiglietti, a professor and climate researcher at Arizona State University.
The parched conditions are most pronounced in Arizona, Nevada, and southeastern California, where severe to extreme drought expanded recently. Both Phoenix and Las Vegas saw their hottest summers on record, as did other parts of the Southwest.
If the winter ends up dry that could quickly spell trouble for wildfire risk and water supply this year. The latest outlooks show drought expanding in the Southwest in the coming months.
“Couple that with the previous dry summer and ongoing above average temperatures and we could be in a really tough spot by the spring,” said Michael Crimmins, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona.
(Source: Tuscon Sentinel)
Contact Us for More Information
The above news items are provided for informational purposes and are not intended to reflect MMRMA opinions, coverage, or risk management recommendations.
Please contact Membership Services if you have specific risk control questions or concerns.