Experts say a devastating wildfire through the San Francisco Mountains could cause nearly $3 billion in damages.
An engineering modeling firm devised scenarios for the fire's impact on Flagstaff and surrounding areas. And his NAU experts used that modeling to calculate the economic impact of future fires.
The modeling area consisted of more than 21,000 acres in the Peaks and was divided into four fire scenarios. We then applied the effects of rain to those hypothetical scenarios.
“Certainly, the wildfire and flood cycle is a cycle that we've been experiencing for about 15 years, so I don't think it's surprising,” said Lucinda Andreani, Coconino County Flood Control District Director. Ta.
“Downtown Flagstaff could see flows three to six times higher than a once-in-a-century event,” said Joe Loverich of JE Fuller Hydrology.
NAU's Economic Policy Institute estimates the cost to Flagstaff of post-wildfire flooding in the Rio de Janeiro watershed, which includes much of the mountain slopes overlooking Flagstaff, ranges from $535 million to $2.8 billion. estimated that.
“This is a very conservative estimate,” said Nancy Baca, the institute's director. “And it's very difficult to figure out all the costs associated with fire and flood. But we've done our best to challenge the biggest categories.”
