Glendale (PDF) - Hazard Mitigation Web Portal - State of California

Natural Hazards Mitigation PlanCity of Glendale, CaliforniaSECTION 1:Section 1 - IntroductionINTRODUCTIONThroughout history, the residents of southern California, including the city of Glendale, haveexperienced and dealt with a variety of natural hazards common to the area. In the 1700s and1800s, when there were fewer people in the area, these natural hazards adversely affected thelives of those who depended directly on the land and climatic conditions for their food andwelfare. Therefore, when a natural event disrupted their lives, the survivors often recordedtheir impressions in journals, letters, newspaper articles, and more recently, photographs. Inthe 1900s, as we began to attempt to understand and modify the natural environment to reducethe impact of these natural hazards on the local population and the environment, natural eventswere also recorded in scientific journals. Many of these sources are referred to in the followingsections in an effort to document the area’s past vulnerability to specific natural hazards, and toassess the area’s potential future risks. This is especially important because as the population ofsouthern California increases, natural hazards have the potential to pose an even higher risk tothe population and the economic welfare of the area.Southern California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and the city of Glendale, as thethird most populous city in Los Angeles County is a vibrant and significant member of thateconomy. People originally from all over the United States and the world now call the city ofGlendale home because of its gentle Mediterranean climate, geographical attributes (the oceanand mountains are both within a one- to two-hour drive) and ample job opportunities.However, the area’s terrain is the product of powerfully active natural forces forming andtearing down mountains at remarkable rates by geological standards, and when humans interactwith this changing environment, there is a high possibility for the population to be negativelyimpacted. Thus, a natural event, such as an earthquake, clearly has the potential to causesignificant damage at the personal, local, and regional levels. In this document we discussscenarios that estimate how much damage (in terms of loss of life, injuries, and economic loss)an earthquake could cause in Glendale.In addition to earthquakes, the city of Glendale, like most of the region, is also subject towildfires, floods, landslides and debris flows, windstorms, tornadoes, and other geologicalhazards. Some of these hazards, like tornadoes, occur fairly infrequently and are difficult topredict, whereas others, such as expansive or compressible soils, can be effectively mitigatedwith engineering applications. The historical record and our current state of knowledgeindicate that those hazards with the potential to cause the most damage in Glendale, listed inorder of decreasing severity, include earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and landslides. These arethe four natural hazards that are covered in most detail in this document, given that it ispossible to minimize the losses that result from these hazards through careful planning andcommunity participation in the implementation of natural hazard reduction measures.Why Develop a Local Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan?As the costs of damage from natural disasters continue to increase, communities realize theimportance of identifying effective ways to reduce their vulnerability to disasters. Hazardmitigation plans assist communities in reducing their risk from natural hazards by identifyingresources, information, and strategies for risk reduction, while helping to guide and coordinatemitigation activities throughout the area. This document aims to do just that for the city ofGlendale, California.The Plan provides a set of action items that if implemented can help reduce the risk fromnatural hazards through education and outreach programs, by fostering the development of2006 PAGE 1 - 1