A new report published Jan. 12 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows 105,000 Los Angeles County residents—or nearly 4 percent—live near a designated 100-year flood plain, putting them in an “at risk” category.
“Rising populations in flood prone areas exacerbate flooding risk. Impacts can be greater to the elderly or those with a low income, as these citizens may not have the resources to adequately prepare or recover,” the report said.
Designated flood plains or zones are areas the Federal Emergency Management Agency has defined according to varying levels of flood risk.
Such floodplains are near lakes, rivers, streams, or other bodies of water with at least a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year.
The atmospheric administration’s map in the report shows at risk areas include Venice Beach, coastal Long Beach, Santa Clarita just north of Los Angeles, and east of the Los Angeles River near Chinatown.
The report also revealed seven schools and nine fire stations in Los Angeles County are within the flood zone as well as nearly 5,000 businesses.
“Development in flood-prone areas should be kept to a minimum. Creating more greenspace, which acts as a flooding buffer, lowers flood risk,” the report said.
From 1996 to 2016, more than 23 percent of new development fell within the flood plain.
According to the report, if the county continues to develop land, adding concrete and asphalt and not enough green space, doing so “can increase runoff and exacerbate flooding.”
