BEYOND THE FIRE LINE: A COMMUNITY HEALTH VULNERABILITY INDEX AND ANALYSIS OF POST FIRE RECOVERY IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Abstract

In August of 2020 the CZU (San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit) Complex Fire’s blaze was ignited by a lightning siege, which resulted in the burning of 86,509 acres, the destruction of 1,490 structures, the damage of an additional 140 structures and 1 death across Santa Cruz and San Mateo County (CZU Lightning Complex, 2020). A wildfire’s dangers and destruction extend far beyond the fire line, as the deadly nature of wildfire smoke can travel upwards of 40 miles away from the blaze. Pre-existing vulnerabilities dictate the road to recovery communities in Santa Cruz County will have to follow, as disasters exacerbate social inequalities and worsen existing vulnerabilities. Through the lens of health geographies the implications of this on human health can be understood better through the construction of a community health vulnerability index. Individual vulnerability factors (i.e. age, social isolation, educational attainment) percentages were established at the block group level utilizing the 2016-2020 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey. The statistical tools of principal component analysis and factor analysis were employed to incorporate all ten of the vulnerability factors into a singular sensitivity score. When overlaid with smoke exposure data from the CZU Complex Fire it highlights priority areas of high sensitivity and high exposure. A community health vulnerability index provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution of vulnerability and inequality at a granular scale. The results of this index indicate the areas and communities within Santa Cruz County that require targeted interventions in order to 1) fully recover from the CZU Complex Fire and 2) address the underlying vulnerabilities in order to prevent this scale of disaster from occurring again. In the rapidly changing climate swift action is needed to ensure that a disaster at the intensity of CZU Complex Fire does not burn again.