Scientists have drawn up several disaster scenarios to prepare for impending catastrophes, including earthquakes and megastorms on the West Coast. Depending on the scenario, thousands of people are expected to die. Hundreds of thousands more could be left without shelter. And those impacts will be disproportionately felt. Similar projects aimed at simulating a future disaster have turned out to be hauntingly accurate. Most recently, a 2017 “SPARS Pandemic” scenario anticipated many details of the COVID pandemic, including vaccine hesitancy. Whether the next disaster to strike the West Coast is a flood, an earthquake or something else, scenario experts warn that the impacts will reverberate for years or longer. There are many disaster preparedness precautions that are inexpensive and will help in a range of emergency situations. For now, policymakers hold the real power in how prepared society will be for the next disaster. Read more about the various disaster scenarios through our link in bio.