California Rapidly Entering the Fire Flood Era

Experts are now warning that the state of California is entering the so-called “fire flood” era thanks to rising global temperatures that create larger and more frequent wildfires which decimate landscapes and prevent proper water absorption into the ground.  As you can imagine, the cumulative impact of a fire flood can be devastating.

Why California Now Faces a Fire Flood Crisis

In a nutshell, climate change has made the ground dryer and warmer, which increases the propensity for forest fires to break out.  Not only does global warming increase the likelihood of fires, it also increases the average size and duration of the fires, making them more difficult to control.

After the fire is controlled, what’s left behind is barren, non-absorbent soil (known as hydrophobic soil).  Water can’t penetrate hydrophobic soil, which means it simply passes over the ground, gaining speed as it flows downhill, similar to a flash flood.  Making matters worse, a fire flood contains more than just water, as it carries with it mud, rocks, ash, and even downed trees.  Note that a fire flood is not the same as a mudslide.

To sum it up, you have warming temperatures, which cause more and larger fires, which creates hydrophobic soil conditions that can persist for years, which results in fast moving, debris-filled floods during periods of heavy rain.  And these fast-moving flood waters can travel for miles, destroying utility infrastructure as well as homes and businesses.  A situation in Montecito illustrates the problem, as a quarter-mile stretch of road was buried by 12 feet of mud and slime.

California utility companies have their work cut out for them. They’re under scrutiny for not doing enough to prevent wildfires.  They’re expected to quickly restore fire-damaged infrastructure.  And now they have to deal with the fire flood risk.  There’s a lot riding on the effectiveness of the emergency preparedness programs.