Integrated Risk Assessment for the Natomas Basin (California) Analysis of Loss of Life and Emergency Management for Floods

This article assesses the risk to life for the Natomas Basin, a low-lying, rapidly urbanizing region in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California. Using an empirical method, the loss of life is determined for a flood (high water), seismic, and sunny-day levee breach scenario. The analysis indicated that more than 1,000 fatalities may occur in the flood scenario and that there is a high flood risk compared with similar systems (e.g., dams in...