Californians aren’t immune from climate change, but after earthquakes or wildfires, their biggest threat is a mega-flood that could become the costliest natural disaster in world history, according to a recent study.
• Read more: In the eyes of Quebec Inc
This natural phenomenon could occur within the next four decades and will be unlike anything seen before, according to researchers of a study. scientific advances, Published on Friday.
A mega flood is considered to be “an extremely severe flood that occurs over a wide area and has catastrophic consequences for the community in the affected areas”.
With this massive flood, California’s plains could become a “vast inland sea.” The state is prone to flooding due to naturally occurring rivers.
The worst affected area is California’s Central Valley, which includes cities such as Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the region is thought to produce a quarter of the United States’ food supply.
A flood of this magnitude could cause more than $1 trillion in damages and devastate Los Angeles and Orange counties, making it the nation’s costliest natural disaster.
By comparison, this kind of damage would be five times the cost of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, considered the costliest disaster in the nation’s history.
“Ultimately, we believe the analysis described here will serve as a framework for scenario-based emergency response and regional adaptation efforts in California and beyond in the age of climate change,” the report read.
