Radical Avenue

The outpouring of support for the victims of the southern California firestorm makes me proud to be an American. Americans are extraordinarily generous when it comes to responding to emergencies, whether at home or abroad. I only wish that we would bring that same energy into preparing for catastrophes.

Many natural disasters are eminently predictable. The potential for massive flooding in New Orleans was well documented prior to hurricane Katrina. The fierce Santa Ana winds have blown through the canyons of southern California for centuries. We all know about the dangers, but we leave ourselves vulnerable anyway.

There is a planned community called Stevenson Ranch near Santa Clarita, California that always escapes the flames. These homes have survived unscathed again this year despite massive destruction of other structures in the area. It is a community that makes its own luck. The homes were built with fire resistant materials like concrete roofing and dual pane windows.

Some homes in northern California can withstand 12 feet of flood water. These homes were built with a garage on the ground floor with large doors on all four sides. When the floods come, the homeowners drive their cars to higher ground and leave the garage doors open. The water flows right through. It’s not rocket science.

Some local governments have begun using zoning restrictions and tax incentives to induce builders to make safer homes, but you don’t see much forward thinking of this sort on the state level. Too many lawmakers only serve the interests of big shot developers, because that’s where the campaign contributions come from. And too many of these developers use the cheapest building materials available. This is how we end up with massive suburbs full of cookie cutter tinderboxes that go up in flames as soon as the embers start to fly. Every home that burns down in southern California should be replaced by a home built like those in Stevenson Ranch. Then the next fire will be much less of a disaster.

catastrophes, natural disasters, fires, California fires, emergencies, emergency preparedness, California politics, floods, fire safety, fire resistant homes, flood resistant homes