Pasadena Braces for a Hotter, More Dangerous Future

By 2050, Pasadena residents will swelter through 31 days a year above 97.5 degrees Fahrenheit – more than four times the seven days the city experienced around 1990, some climatologists predict. Earth’s temperature is expected to rise from 2.0°F to 11.5°F over the next hundred years. That’s a stark projection in the city’s new disaster preparedness plan that points to an increasingly hazardous future for a community already sitting on active earthquake faults and bordered by fire-prone wildlands.

The 2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, approved by both state and federal emergency agencies, arrives as Fire Chief Chad Augustin warns that earthquake complacency has reached dangerous levels. “The farther we get from our last earthquake, the more complacent people get,” Augustin said, even as seismic risks continue building along Southern California’s fault systems.

The comprehensive planning document – required for the city to remain eligible for federal disaster assistance – addresses both natural and human-caused hazards, with four primary threats: earthquakes, wildfires, flooding, and extreme heat. The multi-year planning effort focuses on protecting life, property, and infrastructure. But it’s the accelerating pace of climate-related dangers that drives much of the urgency.

Beyond the temperature projections, the plan anticipates longer drought periods punctuated by more intense rainfall events – a whiplash pattern that increases both wildfire and flood risks. These projections have prompted Augustin to propose a $150 million to $200 million fire department expansion and training center over the next decade.

The city developed the plan in collaboration with city departments, partner agencies, and community members through public meetings and surveys offered in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Residents could participate through a Hazard Mitigation Survey available online at Bit.ly/LHMPsurvey. Emergency Services Manager Nallely Procopio acknowledged that “community input is an important part in ensuring our community is resilient after a disaster strikes.”

Mitigation strategies range from seismic retrofitting of critical facilities and stormwater system improvements to vegetation management in areas where urban development meets wildlands. The plan also emphasizes enhanced land use planning, building codes, and public education programs.

The economic case for action is clear: cost-benefit analyses show every dollar spent on mitigation saves an average of four dollars in response and recovery costs. The plan also maintains Pasadena’s eligibility for federal grant programs including Hazard Mitigation grants, Pre-Disaster Mitigation funding, and Flood Mitigation Assistance.

The plan awaits City Council adoption at a future meeting. The draft is available by clicking here.

Residents can contact Emergency Services Manager Nallely Procopio at PreparedPasadena@CityOfPasadena.net or (626) 744-7276.