A new report has laid bare the most disaster-prone counties in the US, revealing communities in California and Florida as some of the most dangerous.
The findings may come as little surprise to some, given the greater likelihood that coastal states will be affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.
Coincidentally, those phenomena, exemplified recently by the devastating Hurricane Ian and a series of summer fires, are the two most common culprits among counties considered most threatening to residents.
In total, 25 counties were analyzed, 19 of them split between the Golden and Sunshine states.
The next highest risk state, in terms of the number of counties represented, was Louisiana, another place famous for extreme weather events, with three of its southernmost counties, including New Orleans, appearing in the top 10.
A new report has laid bare the most disaster-prone counties in the US, exposing communities in California and Florida as some of the most dangerous.
The worst offender, however, was Los Angeles County, a region historically plagued by wildfires. Pictured, firefighters battle a fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in 2019, a fire that accounted for one of 22 county disasters seen over the past decade.
The worst offender, however, was Los Angeles County, according to Forbes Advisor, which recorded the highest number of Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declarations over the past decade by tabulating the results.
According to data released Monday, the county that is home to wealthy cities like Los Angeles and Long Beach has accounted for 22 weather and climate-related disasters since 2013.
For reference, the entire nation recorded $341 billion in weather and climate disasters in the last 43 years, which equates to damages to the tune of approximately $2.48 trillion.
The county’s dubious reputation, however, has done little to deter the estimated 9,861,224 residents living in the region last year, a population larger than that of 40 individual US states combined.
For decades, the region has been subject to a series of wildfires every summer, a phenomenon that was bolstered this year by a searing heat wave that prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency.
The region is also subject to earthquakes, yet another natural disaster that residents should be wary of.
Coming in second were East Baton Rouge Parish and Orleans Parish in Louisiana, both tied for second, and both are two of the three counties in the top 25 in the Bayou State.
For reference, the entire nation recorded $341 billion in weather and climate disasters in the last 43 years, which equates to damages to the tune of approximately $2.48 trillion. Here a Santa Ana firefighter is seen fighting another wildfire in Los Angeles in 2020
Coming in second were East Baton Rouge Parish and Orleans Parish in Louisiana, both tied for second, and both are two of three counties in the Bayou State, which is one of those most at risk for the most common natural disaster. , the Hurricanes.
Louisiana’s three regions are located on the southern side of the state, along the Atlantic, and are therefore bombarded by hurricanes each year.
Coincidentally, the third and final Louisiana county to appear on the list, Jefferson Parish, took the next top spot, tied with neighboring Los Angeles County Riverside for fourth.
Additionally, all three of Louisiana’s regions are located on the southern side of the state, along the Atlantic, and are therefore bombarded by hurricanes almost every year.
Cities included in those counties include New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Jefferson, all located in areas at risk for seasonal hurricanes.
Tied for sixth with another California county, NorCal’s Sonoma was the only region hailing from arid Nevada, which while not coastal, is at extreme risk of wildfires.
Located directly on the state’s shared border with Northern California, whose redwoods regularly serve as fuel for spreading blazes, Washoe County is home to cities like Reno and Sparks, and has seen 14 disasters over the past decade.
Meanwhile, Sonoma, located 30 miles north of San Francisco, lies along that border roughly 300 miles to the southwest, in one of those heavily forested areas known to be at risk for wildfires.
Los Angeles’ northern neighbor, Ventura County, also made the list, due to an abundance of wildfires. A man is seen watching the 2013 Springs fire from his Camarillo home
Charleston, one of two South Carolina counties on the list, is in the top ten, followed by another tie between Los Angeles’ northern neighbor Ventura County and Florida’s Duval County, a recently hard-hit region. by flooding from Hurricane Ian.
Several other Ian victims, all located along Florida’s eastern or Gulf coasts, also turned up, such as in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Those three came as part of a 13-way tie between ten more Florida counties such as Hillsborough, Pinellas, Brevard, Seminole. They all experienced 11 disasters over the past decade.