Major flood would hit Los Angeles Black communities disproportionately hard, study finds
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Black people would bear the brunt of a disastrous flood in Los Angeles, but communities of color would be the hardest hit, a new study shows.
A new study by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment finds that the city of Los Angeles will experience a “devastating” and “catastrophic” flooding event if current climate models are followed.
That’s according to a study led by geographer and UCLA alumnus John D’Agostino. The study is the first to address flood hazards in the city by considering climate change.
The findings have serious implications for vulnerable communities, D’Agostino said.
“This would affect so many of our lives, especially low-income communities,” D’Agostino said.
“If we’re going to have a flood, it will be devastating to people of color, especially communities of color who actually have the least wealth and the most vulnerable populations,” he told The Current’s Emily Goodrich. “It’s the black and brown populations whose homes are going to be at risk.”
D’Agostino and his team examined the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s flood forecast model for the city’s proposed flood protection system. The study, which has not yet been released, is based on the city’s proposed levee system, which is designed to protect homes and businesses against flood-induced flooding.
“This is not a study of climate change or climate change adaptation,” D’Agostino said. “It’s a study of what the impact of extreme flooding will actually be on the population of Los Angeles if they were to follow the model.”
D’Agostino said he wasn�
