California 'Campfire' 2018 (Wildfire Case Study)

Question 1

Spatial and temporal setting

Answer 1

Northern California. 8-25th November 2018

Question 2

Cause of the wildfire

Answer 2

Spark off of a power line

Question 3

Why was the wildfire so deadly?

Answer 3

• Climate (six year drought) & high Santa Ana winds
• ## Vegetation: high density due to lack of recent wildfires. Dry conditions for a period of 7 months prior

Question 4

Primary impacts

Answer 4

• 85 deaths
• 18,000 buildings destroyed
• Widespread air pollution
• Contaminated water

Question 5

Secondary Impacts

Answer 5

• 30,000 made homeless
• $16.5 billion in damage
• $8.4 billion in insurance
• House price rise by 10% from housing shortages
• Some public schools closed due to level of air pollution
• Habitat damage/forest loss

Question 6

Pre-disaster response

Answer 6

• Code red evacuation order
• However, damage to cables meant that 3/14 zones didn’t receive warning
• Poor city design made evacuation difficult

Question 7

Relief response stage

Answer 7

• Firefighters battling flames
• Took 17 days to put out and slow assembly of resources
• 18,000 homes destroyed

Question 8

Rehabilitation response stage

Answer 8

• Evacuation centres set up
• Supplies and mental health support provided
• Overcrowding led to norovirus outbreak
• Some refugees fleeing to neighboring towns > house price rise

Question 9

Reconstruction response stage

Answer 9

• Environmental clean up
• Alterations to fire management system
• Hardening infrastructure against fire damage
• 20,000 of those displaced are still displaced in 2020
• only 900 building permits have been filled