Identifying High Risk Areas for Debris Flows Post-Wildfire Ryan Grammer, University of Redlands Student
Using data from the Web Soil Survey (WSS), we can find soil with the characteristics that allow for debris flows to happen more often. Debris flows occur more in sandy or silty areas, and less often in rocky areas.
As climate change makes wildfires more common in California, the likeliness of a debris flow occurring increases proportionately. The El Dorado Fire and Apple Fire that occurred in 2020 Using slope analysis, vegetation analysis, and soil analysis, we can identify the areas where these debris flows are most likely to occur after the Apple Fire and El Dorado Fires occurred. Local officials will be able to plan by closing roads and evacuating people in the high-risk areas before a big storm hits.
Vegetated Area Non-Vegetated Area
Using Landsat imagery and band combinations, along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), we can find areas where wildfires have destroyed plants and their roots, making the soil unstable.
Using a Digital Elevation Model, we can find slopes greater than 20 degrees, where debris flows are more likely to occur US Geological Survey, US Department of Agriculture, Esri, Web Soil Survey, Earth Explorer, National Interagency Fire Center