But this state's greatest weather hazards are hurricanes, and we're grateful for anything that keeps them away. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is focusing attention on the Western flood threat. In an extraordinary move, it has scheduled a preparedness summit in Los Angeles for Oct. 14. It is running announcements that urge people to buy federal flood insurance now. The insurance program covers water-related damage of almost every kind, including mudslides.
Naturalists say the warm waters guarantee a disaster for a variety of animals.
In 1983, only half of 12 leading bird species along the coast north of San Francisco even attempted to reproduce. There was no food. We had major die-offs. We expect the same drops in population next year and very poor breeding, if any breeding, at all. At Sea World in San Diego, which operates a program to save beached mammals, the number of cases rose from an average of 100 a year to 475 in 1983.