Whittier Feeling Under the Weather
Have you been blown away by the weather this year? I know I have! Lately, there have been ongoing discussions about our recent weather within the past few years. We’ve experienced warmer summers reaching up to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the Whittier area! With increased fluctuations in temperatures the most speculated reasoning is climate change.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) “Climate change can affect the intensity and frequency of precipitation. Warmer oceans increase the amount of water that evaporates into the air.” They also stated, “When more moisture-laden air moves over land or converges into a storm system, it can produce more intense precipitation — for example, heavier rain and snow storms.” And as we have seen there has been an increase in rain in recent years — with rainstorms lasting up to April or May causing flash flood warnings within our campus and neighborhood.
The real question is, is Whittier built and prepared for harsh weather conditions? I say no; there are major defaults to our city; while the Uptown district of Whitter (including the college) is primarily known for its scenery and architecture, even a blind eye can spot out the “flaws” in the structure of our city. I use the term “flaws” very loosely in this statement as I want to elaborate that these “flaws” are not at fault of the designers nor the people of Whittier.
It is important to consider that compared to other states California does not experience natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and snow storms (except in some locations mostly southern and northern parts). What California is most known for are the earthquakes, with social media jokes going as far as to glorify the fact that Californians do not pay much mind to earthquakes, while jokes about our rain issue ridicules that fact that we are not prepared/cannot handle rain storms.
It is part of California code to build buildings to withstand earthquakes. According to the State of California Seismic Safety Commission (SSC), “California has some of the most modern and earthquake-resistant buildings in the world…” When we compare that to building designs to withstand rain storms there are a few flaws. To note, most homes and buildings in California do not have basements unlike other states who are known for having them for tornadoes and hurricanes; but because California does not experience those that design is unnecessary and costs more money. Another thing to note is that while it is raining it becomes more hazardous to drive, especially in California where “oil can build up on roads for months before it rains.”, as stated by Fowler Helsel Vogt.
LA County plays a big role in that factor, Whittier included. In the beginning of the 2023–24 fall semester California experienced its first ‘hurricane’ where cities all over dealt with heavy rain, thunderstorms and the promise of a hurricane. To greet the new year Whitter was also met with a recent rain storm which left the college no choice but to shut down and go online for the first time due to weather conditions. Once the rain passed buildings such as, the basement of Hoover, K-poet and the Dean of Students office (located in the Campus Center building) were left flooded causing an inconvenience to students whose classes were either canceled, kept on zoom or relocated for the time being. Flash flood warnings were being issued all throughout campus, warning students to stay off the roads if possible.
I mentioned earlier that the Uptown district of Whittier is famously known for its architecture and originality for its Victorian houses. These are multi-million dollar historic homes whose foundation and original structure is protected by Whitter under the Historic Preservation program which denies the homeowner to make any alterations to the house that will ultimately destroy its authenticity — unless it is to make repairs. While the thought of preserving these homes seems monumental “historic homes are also more vulnerable because of the materials used to build them and how they were built. Historic homes were often built with materials that weren’t as insulated as we find in modern homes today” stated the BL3 Plumbing & Drain Cleaning blog.
While the integrity of our campus does not determine Whittier to be unfit for harsh conditions this does open a broader picture to the state of California as a whole. A significant difference from our drought seasons a decade ago compared to the quantity of rain we have now, whether that is a direct fault of climate change or not, it is evident that Whittier, LA county and California could benefit from some kind of renovation in the near future.
Photo Courtesy of Whittier Daily News
