Building resilience is vital to confront the ‘new normal’ of California wildfires
A new report studies the 2017 and 2018 California wildfire seasons – the costliest and most destructive on record.
Recent years have seen consecutive devastating wildfire seasons in the U.S. and around the world.
In California, the 2017 wildfire season became the worst on record, only for 2018 to prove even more deadly and destructive. In 2017, fires destroyed more than 10,800 structures in California – more than the previous nine years combined. Worse, 2018 experienced a total of 8,054 fires burned over 1.8 million acres, the largest area of burned acreage recorded in a fire season, and over 17,800 structures were lost.
To learn about and prepare for the “new normal” of California wildfire seasons, researchers with Zurich North America, DuPont and the nonprofit ISET-International teamed up to study the 2017 and 2018 seasons and offer practical actions for individuals, businesses and communities to better protect themselves and build resiliency against wildfire risks.
The new study, “California Fires: Building Resilience from the Ashes,” focuses on lessons learned primarily from four fires: 2018′s Camp Fire that devastated the town of Paradise, the Woolsey Fire, which caused widespread evacuations of Malibu and other areas in Southern California, 2017′s Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa, and the Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
On-the-ground research
The study and its findings are based on interviews the research team conducted with more than 50 wildfire-impacted community members, public officials and other stakeholders in California in addition to reviewing other research and accounts of the fires and their aftermath.
While different fire-prone areas face their own unique challenges, the California report is based on one overarching theme of the study: the vital importance of strengthening resiliency in communities.
To combat wildfire-risks, more investment is needed at the individual, community and state levels to adapt to new and emerging threats.
“As wildfires and other extreme weather events grow in severity, people should realize they need to link risk transfer with risk mitigation,” said Ben Harper, Head of Corporate Sustainability for Zurich North America. “This report is one way we’re working with communities and policymakers to place more emphasis on risk reduction and preparedness.”
Building codes prove life-saving
One resiliency-tactic the report recommends is the broader application of California’s Chapter 7A building codes, citing evidence that the codes make a difference.
Of the 350 homes built to the Chapter 7A codes in Paradise, 51% survived the Camp Fire, compared with 18% survival of the 12,100 homes built prior to 2008 when the codes were enacted.
Another incentive in adapting the Chapter 7A codes, according to a 2018 study by Headwaters Economics, constructing a new home to comply with fire-resistant standards costs approximately the same amount as constructing a similar “typical” home.
The Chapter 7A codes currently only apply in certain areas designated as high-fire hazard zones. But in the California fires, stronger winds propelled embers beyond those zones and sparked blazes where people were not well-prepared.
“What we found is that more work needs to be done to help individuals and communities adapt to a new normal of hotter, drier, windier conditions that intensify wildfires,” said Karen MacClune, Executive Director of the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET-International).
The research team also supports creating a defensive zone around the property and adopting ignition-resistant construction in upgrades and in new builds are worthwhile investments, said Marcelo Milani, Building Resiliency Platform Leader at DuPont.
Find the full report, California Fires: Building Resilience from the Ashes, here.