After connecting with local Fire Safe Council representatives and community members, we understood how wildfire relief and recovery looked very different for incorporated versus unincorporated territories within the county. This county was chosen because it not only had an extensive wildfire history, but had significant portions of its population falling within the “most vulnerable” category. To focus our research on sub-county demographic outcomes, we conducted a case study on Butte County, California, where one of the deadliest fires in California history, the Camp Fire, devastated the county in 2018. Our team investigated how these communities overlap with high fire risk areas and evaluated which counties are the most and least prepared to respond to wildfires. Elderly populations, low-income populations, mobile home populations, and unincorporated populations are among the most vulnerable yet least resilient to wildfires. Some do not have the capital to elect one path over the other, and face near-homelessness or homelessness. As a result, many are confronted with the difficult decision of rebuilding or migrating elsewhere. Their educational, and employment prospects may also be limited due to unreliable electrification resulting from cautionary power-shutoffs during high wildfire risk days. Communities in or proximate to high wildfire hazard zones suffer from poor air quality, discriminatory insurance policies, and less economic security due to potentially jeopardized livelihoods. The ability to do so varies across different populations, creating disparities in socioeconomic and health outcomes. Because wildfires are no longer contained to just one season, communities across California must create meaningful wildfire prevention and response strategies to improve their resilience to these natural disasters. ![]() The Risk and Resilience team at the Roberts Environmental Center is analyzing wildfire outcomes for the most at-risk populations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |