Lauren Gregg, News Services, (919) 515-3470
Nov. 5, 2007
So far, the Southern California fires have consumed 2,000 homes at an estimated insured loss of $1.6 billion and forced the evacuation of nearly one million people. Is North Carolina at risk for such a disaster?
Dr. Toddi Steelman, associate professor of environmental and natural resource policy at North Carolina State University, 919/821-9487 or toddi_steelman@ncsu.edu, is available to discuss the risk of wildfires in our state and lessons that we should learn from the fires in California.
Steelman says we have become vulnerable to fires because of intensive development in wildland urban interfaces - the places where humans and forests meet. Much like California, North Carolina has intensively developed areas vulnerable to wildfire disasters and is one of the top five states in the nation with the highest rate of housing increase in the areas that face the highest wildfire risk.
Steelman believes the California fires have opened the window of opportunity to foster change in North Carolina. For example, she suggests that local governments, developers and real estate agents work together on zoning, building codes and ordinances to create safer communities, and that homeowners learn about the fire ecology of where they live in order to protect their property.
- 30 -
NC State University News Services (919) 515-3470 or newstips@ncsu.edu