City of Irvine
2020 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
on streets and highways in and around Irvine also makes it likely that future accidents will occur with the potential to cause delays or detours in and around the City and potential damage critical roadways/infrastructure. Mass Casualty Incidents/Terrorism Given that mass casualty incidents and acts of terrorism stem from a variety of factors: economics, societal pressures, mental health, global geopolitics, warfare, and religion, etc. — it is impossible to predict when an incident occurs. While Irvine does not feature facilities of critical national or state importance, it is likely that future incidents would originate domestically and is less likely to attract the attention of international terrorist groups. Incidents of these types are more likely to be conducted by smaller organizations or individuals aligned with greater known organizations, although the effects may be no less significant. Civil Disturbance While civil disturbance events may be rare, there is still a possibility that they could occur in the future in Irvine. Given that several civil disturbance events have occurred at college campuses in the past, it is safe to say that locations like UC Irvine may be areas where such events could emerge in the future. Other locations may include the Irvine Spectrum, Irvine Business Complex, and Irvine Great Park, where large groups of people tend to congregate. Cyber Threats Due to the integrated nature of technology into the everyday lives of Irvine’s residents, businesses, and government operations, it is possible that a cyber threat could emerge in the future. While no cyber threats are publicly known to have disrupted the City’s normal operations in the past, the likelihood of a cyber threat affecting the residents, businesses, and/or governmental operations in the future is increasing. Infrastructure Failure Infrastructure failure events are expected to continue in Irvine. Events such as clogged or broken storm drains, damaged power lines, and ruptured water and wastewater pipes are likely in the future, particularly as infrastructure ages and new hazards present themselves. More serious but less frequent forms of infrastructure failure may also occur, particularly if key infrastructure is not well maintained.
Climate Change Considerations
Transportation Accidents Climate change is not likely to impact transportation accidents in the future within Irvine.
Mass Casualty Incidents/Terrorism The link between mass casualty incidents/terrorism and climate change is not well understood. It has been suggested, however, that the impacts of a changing climate may exacerbate existing social, political, religious, and ethnic tensions. For example, longer, more intense droughts may restrict food supply or place limits on economic growth for cities, regions, or even whole countries. Nevertheless, the likelihood of climate change impacting mass casualty incidents/acts of terrorism in Irvine is negligible, since these changes are more likely to impact developments on the national or international level.
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