Know What Can Happen
Do you know which types of disasters affect Orange County the most and how to prepare for them? If an earthquake started rumbling or you noticed smoke in the hills on your commute, what would you do first?
Orange County has a long history of catastrophic disasters including:
- The Great Flood of 1938, which occured in Huntington Beach and was the most destructive in Orange County's history. The flood left more than 2,000 people homeless and 19 dead.
- California’s 2006 heat wave, which resulted in 140 deaths and sent thousands to emergency rooms across Orange County.
- The 2007 and 2008 Southern California wildfires, including the Freeway Complex Fire, which burned thousands of acres and caused devastation for hundreds of residents and businesses. These fires were considered the worst in two decades.
- The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake, which damaged homes and businesses as far away as Anaheim and Santa Ana, resulting in the adoption of tougher building codes for Orange County structures.
Understanding how to prepare for disasters, both natural and man-made, will help keep you safe when they occur and knowing what to do during an emergency may make all the difference when seconds count.
