As the climate crisis fuels bigger, badder, and more frequent natural disasters, Santa Barbara County officials have buckled down to create a new Community Hazard Awareness Map . The public resource was built on information from the 2022 Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan and crunched reams of data into a user-friendly platform.
The interactive map allows residents to explore their neighborhoods’ risk of fire, flood, landslide, debris flow, and tsunami, as well as sea level rise, earthquake, and “liquification,” when an earthquake loosens and destabilizes soil to such a degree that it behaves like liquid. It draws information from other authoritative sources too, including the California Department of Conservation, the California Geological Survey, and FEMA.
“This map empowers our community with actionable knowledge,” said Kelly Hubbard, director of the Office of Emergency Management. It offers Santa Barbara County residents a clearer picture of what climate-related challenges mean close to home, she explained, and “anyone can now visually expand their familiarity with local hazards and make informed decisions that protect lives, homes, and our shared future.”