Flood Hazards In California

Flood hazards are present in all types of environments ranging from deserts to tropical rainforests and even developed cities, however what distinguishes the three are their individual ability of naturally preventing floods and mudslides from occurring. In deserts, most of the ground absorbs the rain and in the forests tree roots keep the ground from turning into mudslides but cities have to route the rain into reservoirs, basins and drains because impermeable pavement denies the soil access to soak up the rain. Location is important when choosing where to buy a home and it is useful to know the flood prevention systems your watershed uses to protect homes.

The Los Angeles watershed is eight-hundred and thirty-four square miles and makes use of the Los Angeles River as a storm drain that leads to the Pacific Ocean. The Los Angeles Watershed features several types of geological landscapes like mountains, foothills, valleys and coastal plains. Flood prevention projects began as a result of the last historical flood, the

In California this 100-year-flood could be caused by the El Niño, a set of events that occur every few years in the pacific. El Niño has a great impact on California because it changes water climates along the patterns of trade winds (Ferris) in the Pacific Ocean and in response the atmosphere changes as well. The change in water temperature and atmospheric conditions causes rain clouds to move further to the east into California therefore people living in California should be prepared for these types of events so they can prepare against possible water hazards in their area either through city projects for flood management or flood insurance. Since Los Angeles is usually dry most don’t purchase flood insurance and the people whose property suffer water damage when it rains were victims of their own lack of