Natural Disasters and Accidents and the Capabilities of Today’s Disaster Restoration in Orange Cou

If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911. For our emergency disaster restoration services, contact us at (877) 468-3566.

 As a U.S. region with major cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, Irvine, Anaheim, San Bernardino, and more, Southern California is one of the most densely populated areas in the country. It is also located in a region where disasters like wildfires and earthquakes have become a year-round occurrence, aggravated by increasing populations and climate change. Frequent natural disasters like fires and earthquakes that happen regardless of climate change and other human impacts would have much lower detrimental effects on the area if the population and expansion of neighborhoods, commercial districts, and industrial areas weren’t as high as they are today. When serious natural disasters or other accidents occur in Southern California, hundreds of communities can be put in danger. Each year, homeowners and businesses face potential damage from disasters and accidents in Southern California. While these damages might result in positive, reactionary improvements and predictions to increase resilience, they still pose difficulties for anyone affected. At ServiceMaster Recovery by C2C Restoration, we provide comprehensive 24/7/365 emergency disaster restoration in Orange County, CA and the greater Southern California region.

Disaster Restoration Services

Our disaster restoration services range from fire damage remediation to water and mold damage mitigation. We provide complete project management services for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings affected by any kind of disaster. This includes initial inspections and emergency cleanup, pack-out of belongings for salvage at a secure location, board and tarp up of the building to prevent further damage from the elements or intruders, soot and smoke, water, and mold removal, interior cleaning and reconstruction, air quality treatments, and much more.

Disaster is a Stressful Time

We understand that our clients are going through a stressful time, and we make it our goal to provide fast, effective, and affordable services for recovery while acknowledging the difficulties any family, staff, or business faces after a disaster. One way we work to make the disaster recovery process as quick and painless as possible, in addition to our expert services, is our relationship with many Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, and Santa Barbara County insurance agencies. 

No matter what kind of damage to any part of your property you’re facing after a disaster, ServiceMaster Recovery by C2C Restoration is here to work with you every step of the way, providing continued, direct communication and expert services.

Anyone who has lived in the Southern California region for even just a few months knows that earthquakes and wildfires pose real threats to an increasingly year-round degree. Gone is the relegation of wildfires to the summer and fall months. Climate change has created conditions that are conducive to fires even in the middle of winter, and with around 10,000 earthquakes rumbling through Southern California annually, we know that at least 15 to 20 of those can cause major building damage.

There have been many major disasters and accidents recorded in California history, and each year seems to add another to that list, with some of the most recent including the following earthquakes, fires, floods, and other events.

 Earthquakes

1. Northridge earthquake of 1994: On January 17th, 1994, an earthquake with a 6.7 magnitude shook the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles around 4:30 in the morning. The quake lasted 10-20 seconds. The ground velocity and magnitude of the Northridge earthquake was one of the fastest recorded. Two 6.0 magnitude aftershocks followed, one about a minute after the first shock and the other about 11 hours later. The quake killed 60 people and injured over 9,000. The 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged about $13-50 billion (about $24-93 billion today) of property, making it one of the highest-cost disasters in national history.

1. Whittier Narrows earthquake of 1987: At a magnitude of 5.9, the Whittier Narrows quake hit southern San Gabriel Valley on October 1st, 1987 at 7:42am. Though the earthquake was shallow, the shock that hit the Los Angeles area was the strongest since the last major quake in 1971. Over 100 were injured, and 8 deaths were recorded. About $213-358 million in damages were estimated to be caused by the shockwaves. Over 4,000 residences were destroyed.

1. San Fernando earthquake of 1971: Also known as the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, the San Fernando quake hit the San Gabriel Mountains in the early morning of February 9th. The quake’s magnitude of 6.5-6.6 caused severe damage in the northern San Fernando Valley. Many roadways failed and several hospitals and medical care centers were heavily damaged. 58-65 were killed and almost 2,000 injured. The total infrastructure and building damage from the 1971 quake was estimated at $505-553 million. 

 Floods

1. LA County flood of 2005: While floods are less common in the arid Southern California region, they can occur in the rainy seasons after heavy, sustained precipitation. By January of 2005, Los Angeles County had over 37 inches of rain in the past year, the highest since 1884. Between December 27th and January 10th alone, almost 17 inches of rain fell on downtown LA. Record snowfall was also recorded in the ski areas of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. All this precipitation accumulated in a widespread flood that displaced residents, destroyed homes, and killed at least 10 people.

1. LA flood of 1938: Before the 2005 flood of LA County, the worst recorded flood in Los Angeles history struck in 1938. Two Pacific storms added to the already high rainfall in the Los Angeles Basin during February and March, dumping a year’s worth of precipitation in just a few days. The flood killed 113-115 people and damaged properties across the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys and the metropolitan region of inland Los Angeles County. The 1938 flood was a 50-year flood and cost about $78 million ($1.43 billion today) in damages.

Fires

1. Bobcat Fire of 2020: On September 6th, 2020, the Bobcat Fire caught and blazed until December 18th when it could be fully contained. This wildfire was one of the largest LA County fires on record, burning 115,796 acres. About 6,000 buildings were threatened; 28 residences were damaged, and 27 were destroyed. Parts of Arcadia and Camp Williams were under mandatory evacuation orders.

1. Tick Fire of 2019: The 2019 Tick Fire forced a mass evacuation of 40,000 people in the Santa Clarita Valley, burning from October 24th to 31st. This wildfire caused several days of road closures, school closures, and power outages. On October 24th, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Sonoma and Los Angeles Counties.

1. Southern California winter wildfires of 2017: When fires began to become more prevalent year-round, it was clear that climate change was affecting drought levels, precipitation, and wind patterns across Southern California. In 2017, 29 wildfires raged across the region from December to March. The fires burned over 307,900 acres and caused about $35 billion in damage. On December 8th, former President Trump declared a State of Emergency for California. The Santa Ana winds played a significant role in exacerbating the 2017 winter fires.

1. Sayre Fire of 2008: The November 2008 wildfire known as the Sayre Fire or the Sylmar Fire was considered one of the most devastating in LA history for the severe loss of homes that resulted. The uncontained fire burned for 6 days over Sylmar, destroying more than 600 buildings, including mobile homes, family homes, outbuildings, and commercial buildings. No evidence of mortalities was found, but community members expressed concern of elderly residents lost in the fire. Damage costs were estimated at up to $3.5 million.

1. Corral Fire of 2007: From November 24th to 27th in 2007, the Corral Fire burned across almost 5,000 acres of the Malibu Creek State Park. 10,000-14,000 Los Angeles residents were evacuated. Over 80 buildings, including 49 homes and 27 other structures, were destroyed. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency on November 24th to allocate resources and fight the spreading flames.

Other

1. Chatsworth train collision of 2008: Incidents other than fires, floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters can also have a significant impact on communities and cause building damage. On September 12th in 2008, a Union Pacific freight train collided with a Metrolink commuter train in the Los Angeles-Chatsworth community. The crash killed 25 and injured 135 people on the trains and in the surrounding area. While the crash fell short of damaging the nearby residential neighborhood, shrapnel and rolling train cars could have easily caused serious building damage and greater casualties.

1. Los Angeles riots of 1992: The riots in Los Angeles in April and May of 1992 were the result of a nuanced and complicated situation of unrest between the LAPD and the city’s communities of color and their allies. The unrest culminated into six days of riots after a jury acquitted four LAPD officers of their charges of excessive force against Rodney King. Overall, the combined actions of rioters, protesters, looters, and the police force caused $850 million in damages to the city. Over half of this damage was done to Koreatown neighborhoods and businesses. 63 were killed, 2,383 were injured, and 12,111 were arrested.

All of these disasters are proof that almost nowhere in Southern California will always be safe from some kind of natural event, accident, or incident. While you can’t always count on a guarantee of safety, you can trust our team of expert technicians and project managers to return your home, business, or building to pre-loss conditions. To learn more about our services for disaster restoration in Orange County, CA and Southern California, contact ServiceMaster Recovery by C2C Restoration today at info@svmbyc2crestoration.com or at our fast response LA line: (323) 851-5543. For emergencies, contact us immediately at (877) 468-3566.