Available From UC Press

This comprehensive account of California’s numerous and perilous natural disasters explores how a unique combination of forces has affected Californians throughout the state's history and carries a sobering message about our short disaster memories.
 
California has more natural hazards per square mile than any other state, but this hasn’t deterred people from moving here. Entire California towns and regions frequently contend with destruction caused by earthquakes, floods, landslides and debris flows, and sea-level rise and coastal erosion. As Gary Griggs demonstrates in California Catastrophes, few years go by without a disaster of some kind, and residents often rebuild in the same locations that were just destroyed.
 
Considering the current climate crisis and increasing environmental inequalities, the stakes are growing ever higher. This book dives into the history of the state’s vulnerability to natural hazards, why and where these events occur, and how Californians can better prepare going forward. A mix of photographs and maps both historical and contemporary orients readers within the state’s sprawling landscapes and provides glimpses of some of the geologic risks in each region. With the final chapter, Griggs issues a call to action and challenges readers to envision a safer, more equitable, and sustainable future.

Gary Griggs is Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he has taught for more than fifty years. His research and teaching have focused on natural disasters and the California coast.

“Those who come to California are awestruck and inspired by its vast, diverse, and dynamic wilderness. The power of nature is on full display in the immense beauty and bounty of our home, as well as the natural disasters that have helped shape our communities and history. As a proud Californian, Gary Griggs understands to his core this tension and deftly details how moments of catastrophe have molded our landscapes and the culture of the Golden State. Through earthquakes, floods, mudslides, and wildfires, our resilient state and its people have continued to persevere and rebuild. As stewards of our environment, each of us has a responsibility to learn the lessons of our past failures and successes and carry those stories with us as we work to live in harmony with the land we love.”—U.S. Congressman Jimmy Panetta, California District 19

“Californians live in one of the most beautiful—and disaster-prone—places on the planet. Whether facing an earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, or the wild swings between drought, fire, and floods due to a changing climate, we in California have to be aware of and ready for natural disasters. Griggs has long been a voice for being prepared for that extreme event just around the corner.  He has done it again with California Catastrophes, a must-read for every long-term Californian.”—John Laird, California State Senator and former California Secretary for Natural Resources

“Griggs recounts the lessons we all need to learn from the historic and prehistoric earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, droughts, and floods that repeatably strike California. His lesson for us all is that we cannot control the natural forces shaping our planet, but it is within our power to prevent them from becoming human and economic disasters."—Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences and former Director of the United States Geological Survey

“This book does a masterful job explaining risks we face in the Golden State so they are understandable to scientists and generalists alike. Griggs tells a fascinating story about how our geography, geology, and natural history are woven together in unique disaster risks. As global climate change accelerates and compounds disaster risks in California, there are few books more important to read for those of us with a stake in California’s future.”—Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary for Natural Resources