If I were planning to purchase any kind of real estate (land, a home or business, etc.) anywhere in the United States, I would avoid the Los Angeles, CA area at all cost. For many reasons due to personal preferences, but also because it has been ranked by Aceable as the #1 most risky places for experiencing natural disasters among 3,000 analyzed (Aceableagent.com, 2023).
Smithsonian Magazine reports that California suffered drastically with 500,000 acres ruined in the 2020 fire season alone. Recently, Los Angeles County was ranked most at risk for climate-related disasters out of 3,000 counties in the United States (Gamillo, 2021).
While L.A. has some very wealthy areas, the county hosts a wide range of socioeconomic statuses, which affects the county’s ability to recover from natural disasters. Risks increase in population-dense cities (like L.A. and its many suburbs). The L.A. area boasts some expensive infrastructures, hillside neighborhoods where people usually are well insured, and urban areas hosting many impoverished citizens who don’t have the resources to recover from damages from natural disasters (Gamillo, 2021). Even with the upper-class citizens who are covered by expensive insurance policies, that doesn’t make up for the personal loss of loved ones and pets.
Topanga Canyon BLVD. Photo by Ted Soqui. 2019.www.tedsoquiphoto.com
According to Aceable Agent, FEMA created a National Risk Index (NRI) which realtors could access to help guide their buyers to the safest cities and away from the most risky. Los Angeles, CA offered enough risk in terms of annual loss in property damage, social vulnerability, and a the community's lack of resilience or preparedness for natural disasters, to hit the number one city to avoid (Aceableagent.com 2023).
Earthquakes are just one of the common natural disasters city dwellers in Los Angeles, CA deal with.
With a 67% probability of experiencing an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7, Long-term investments such as homes and businesses will likely be turning in hefty insurance claims often.
(Quake Busters, 2012).
Image Provided by USGS (Quake Busters, 2012).
BELOW: Woosley Fire at Trancas Canyon.
Photo by Ted Soqui. 2018. www.tedsoquiphoto.com
The Los Angeles area experienced 14 wild fires between 1984 and 2021, which is an
average of almost 3 per year. It may not sound like many for people living in other areas,
but it is a lot when it is your family, friends, pets, home, or business which is threatened.
Flooding and mudslides have also caused Los Angeles residents havoc throughout the years. As more people moved into the area, the threat of mudslides became more prominent as did damages and loss from flooding.
A dangerously powerful storm in February (2024) caused mud flows and debris flows that damaged homes and forced residents to have to evacuate. (Lin, Smith, & Blume, 2024). Although this storm broke an almost century-old rain fall record, mudslides and debris flows are still common due to builders clearing the hillsides of the rooted plants and trees that previously held the ground together.
Photos: Scenes From Southern California's January Storms. NBC Las Angeles. January 4, 2023, Updated on January 17, 2023.
2018 Flooding
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