1. DEADLY WILDFIRE EXPERIENCE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA July 17, 2015 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA

2. Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters Planet Earth’s atmospheric- lithospheric interactions cause: WILDFIRES  Wildfires

3. WILDFIRES are conflagrations caused by lightning discharges (or acts of man) in wilderness areas close enough to one or more urban interfaces that they threaten people, property, infrastructure, and business enterprise.

4. THE WILDERNESS AREAS typically contain national forests, national parks, or resorts and the adjacent urban areas typically contain large, expensive homes.

5. SCIENCE OF WILDFIRES

6. LOCATIONS OF MAJOR WILDFIRES Four locations: 1) Australia, 2) California, 3) Europe, and 4) Yellowstone Park (USA), have wilderness-urban interfaces that have been repeatedly impacted over the years by wildfires.

7. JULY 17 TH 2015 WILDFIRE IN CALIFORNIA

8. THE JULY 17 TH WILDFIRE EXPERIENCE WAS NOTABLE BECAUSE IT JUMPED INTERSTATE 15 AND TRAPPED HUNDREDS OF CARS AND TRUCKS BETWEEN LOS ANGELES AND LAS VEGAS

9. THE JULY 17 th WILDFIRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CREDIT THE ASSOCOATED PRESS FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHS, WHICH ARE USED SOLELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES WITH NO FINANCIAL GAIN

10. JULY 17 TH 2015 WILDFIRE

20. PLANET EARTH HAS THOUSANDS OF “WILDFIRE LABORATORIES” EACH WILDFIRE PROVIDES VALUABLE LESSONS ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

21. WILDFIRES CAN CAUSE HIGH-RISK SITUATIONS Any wildfire can be devastating to people, property, infrastructure, business enterprise, and the environment.

22. WILDFIRE HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS) SUNDOWNER WINDS SANTA ANNA WINDS LOCAL CHANGES IN AIR QUALITY LOCAL CHANGES IN WEATHER

23. WILDFIRE HAZARDS

24. WILDFIRE HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS) FIRE HOT GASES AND SMOKE HOT SPOTS BURNED OUT SLOPES (with increased susceptibility to insect infestation, erosion, and landslides)

25. DISASTER RISK ASSESSMENT FOR WILDFIRES TWO EXAMPLES OF THE BASIC CONCEPTS: CALIFORNIA AND AUSTRALIA

26. HAZARDSHAZARDS ELEMENTS OF RISK EXPOSUREEXPOSURE VULNERABILITYVULNERABILITY LOCATIONLOCATION RISKRISK

27. LIGHTNING STRIKES WILDFIRES MANMADE FIRES PROXIMITY OF URBAN AREA TO THE WILDLAND FIRE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION (DAY/NIGHT) DRYNESS HIGH TEMPERATURES LOCAL FUEL SUPPLY CAUSES OF DAMAGE DISASTER LABORATORIES

28. COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY DATA BASES AND INFORMATION HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS HAZARD MAPS INVENTORY VULNERABILITY LOCATION RISK ASSESSMENT RISK ACCEPTABLE RISK UNACCEPTABLE RISK WILDFIRE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PREVENTION/MITIGATION PREPAREDNESS EMERGENCY RESPONSE RECOVERY and RECONSTRUCTION POLICY OPTIONS

29. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

30. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR WILDFIRES FORECASTS OF WEATHER CONDITIONS MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES (E.G., REMOTE SENSING, TEMPER- ATURE, HUMIDITY, WINDS) WARNING SYSTEMS FORECASTS OF WEATHER CONDITIONS MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES (E.G., REMOTE SENSING, TEMPER- ATURE, HUMIDITY, WINDS) WARNING SYSTEMS DATABASES FOR EACH WILDFIRE COMPUTER MODELS OF WILDFIRES MAPS; ZONING DISASTER SCENARIOS HAZARD ASSESSMENTS RISK ASSESSMENTS DATABASES FOR EACH WILDFIRE COMPUTER MODELS OF WILDFIRES MAPS; ZONING DISASTER SCENARIOS HAZARD ASSESSMENTS RISK ASSESSMENTS

31. THE PEOPLE ABANDONED THEIR CARS, CAMPERS, AND TRUCKS AND FLED FOR THEIR LIVES