A new report has exposed the most disaster-prone counties in the US – exposing communities in California and Florida as some of the most dangerous.
The findings may not come as a surprise to some, given the greater likelihood that coastal states are affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.
Coincidentally, that phenomenon—represented recently by raging Hurricane Ian and a slew of summer fires—serve as the two most common culprits among counties considered most threatening to residents.
A total of 25 counties were analyzed, 19 of which were split between the states of Golden and Sunshine.
The second riskiest state, in terms of the number of counties represented, was Louisiana — another place notorious for extreme weather events — with three of the southernmost counties, including New Orleans, in the top ten.
A new report has exposed the most disaster-prone counties in the US – communities in California and Florida exposed as some of the most dangerous
The worst offender, however, was Los Angeles County, a region historically ravaged by wildfires. Pictured is firefighters battling a blaze in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in 2019 — one that was responsible for one of the county’s 22 disasters in the past decade
The worst offender, however, was Los Angeles County, according to Forbes Advisor, which tallied the highest number of Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declarations in the past decade when tallying the results.
According to data released Monday, the county with affluent cities like LA and Long Beach has been responsible for 22 weather and climate-related disasters since 2013.
For reference, the entire country recorded $341 billion in weather and climate disasters over the past 43 years, amounting to about $2.48 trillion in damages.
However, the county’s dubious reputation has done little to deter the roughly 9,861,224 residents estimated to live in the region last year — a population larger than that of 40 separate U.S. states combined.
Every summer for decades, the region has been ravaged by a spate of wildfires — a phenomenon that was amplified this year by a blistering heat wave that prompted California Governor 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.
In second place came East Baton Rouge Parish and Orleans Parish in Louisiana, both tied for second place — and both are two of three counties in the top 25 in the Bayou State.
For reference, the entire country recorded $341 billion in weather and climate disasters over the past 43 years, amounting to about $2.48 trillion in damages. Pictured here is a Santa Ana firefighter battling another wildfire in LA in 2020
In second place were East Baton Rouge Parish and Orleans Parish in Louisiana, both tied for second — and both two of three counties in the state of Bayou, which is one of the most at-risk areas for the most common natural disaster, hurricanes.
The three regions in Louisiana are located on the south side of the state, along the Atlantic Ocean, and are therefore bombarded with hurricanes every year
Coincidentally, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana’s third and final county to grace the list, came in next first – tied with LA neighbor Riverside County in fourth.
In addition, the three regions in Louisiana are located on the south side of the state, along the Atlantic Ocean, and so are bombarded with hurricanes almost annually.
Cities included in those counties include New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Jefferson — all located in zones at risk for seasonal hurricanes.
Tied in sixth place with another California county — NorCal’s Sonoma — was the only region to come from arid Nevada, which, while not on the coast, is at extreme risk of wildfires.
Located directly on the state’s shared border with Northern California — whose redwood trees regularly serve as fuel for spreading flames — Washoe County is home to cities like Reno and Sparks, and has recorded 14 disasters in the past decade.
Sonoma, meanwhile, located 30 miles north of San Francisco, is about 300 miles southwest of that border, in one of those densely forested areas known to be at risk for wildfires.
Northern LA neighbor Ventura County was also on the list due to an abundance of wildfires. A man stares from his home in Camarillo at the 2013 Springs fire
Rounding out the top ten was Charleston, one of two South Carolina counties to make the list, followed by another tie between Ventura County, LA’s northern neighbor, and Duval, Florida – a region recently overrun by flooding caused by Hurricane Ian.
Several other Ian victims — all located along Florida’s east or Gulf coast — also appeared, such as 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. All have experienced 11 disasters in the past ten years.
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