The world is an unpredictable place, full of natural disasters, man-made disasters, and simple everyday life. From nuclear power plant failures to tidal waves, destruction is wrought on many a level. The following will cover the instance of a severe hurricane making landfall on the United States West Coast, particularly, Southern California near Long Beach. Although it has rarely happened, there are instances of a few tropical cyclones have affected California and as such, it is still a possibility to happen again and in greater force.
The chances of a tropical cyclone, also known as a tropical storm or hurricane …show more content…
Whether it be the many ships hanging off the coast or at port, or the many beach-goers milling about on California’s many beautiful beaches, there are many things at stake if a severe hurricane was to make landfall. In this scenario, the area of Long Beach is the main area struck. The population of Long Beach is approximately 463,000 and the city spans 51. 437 square miles (United States Census Bureau, n.d.). It is a part of Los Angeles County and has a port adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles. Together, these two ports are the busiest ports in the entirety of the United States. The Port of Long Beach is a powerhouse of job creation and it maintains support for over 30,000 jobs in Long Beach alone. It also provides support for over 300,000 jobs in Southern California as well as 1. 4 million jobs throughout the United States. This port has the ability to generate nearly $16 billion dollars in its annual trade functions (Port of Long Beach, n.d.). The major targets in and around Long Beach include the Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, and the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach. While the Long Beach Naval Shipyard was shut down, it still contains many large buildings that can be used if necessary. It is also located on Terminal Island in between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. This little island is connected to the mainland by four bridges, connecting the island to portions of Los Angeles and Long Beach. If these bridges were to be reduced to inoperable conditions for more than a week via the destructive weather that comes with a hurricane, the losses incurred would be in the billions of dollars due to the high volume of trade that goes through Terminal Island (Sui, 2008). While these bridges most likely will not be fully destroyed by a hurricane, they will definitely be hard to travel upon. Due to the high winds a hurricane produces and the