Media Watch Archives

FEMA manages nearly all flood policies in the U.S., requiring them in neighborhoods they have classified as flood risk areas. But experts said those FEMA flood risk maps may not accurately depict flood risk. "FEMA maps flooding, mostly from rivers and streams and coastal flooding, they don't map flooding from rainfall," said Jochen Schubert, a research specialist at UC Irvine with a focus on flood hazards. He and his colleagues have developed their own ways of modeling flood risk in the LA area and he said there's been change in the land development since the FEMA maps were built. Watch More

Beachgoers who frequent this south Orange County coastline are enjoying a newly-built beach, a joint effort between the county and the state to revamp the battered stretch. … A big takeaway from the project is early and regular communication with neighboring agencies, officials said. In addition to the county and state working together, the city of Dana Point contracted a team from UC Irvine to do regular monitoring and measurements of the sediment to track its movement in coming months. Read More

The FEMA flood risk maps may not accurately reflect the flooding risk. Jochen Schubert, research specialist in the UCI civil engineering department said, “The FEMA maps mostly show flooding from rivers and streams and coastal flooding. They don’t map flooding from rainfall.” Jochen Schubert and his colleagues at UC Irvine have developed their own ways of modeling flood risks in the LA area and have found changes in the land development since the FEMA maps were adopted. “FEMA maps were built so long ago that they don’t capture these changes,” Schubert said. … UC Irvine Flood Lab: More information on the research and models from UCI's Flood Lab …. Watch More

Robert Flores, [senior scientist in the Advanced Power & Energy Program], a solar expert at the University of California, Irvine, said it’s smart to upgrade any old appliances before going solar. … Monocrystalline panels are generally considered the “best bang for your buck,” according to Flores. … Aso consider space … “The worst place would be to install on north-facing roofs, especially if those roofs have a high pitch.” For example, if the only place you can install is a north-facing roof with a 30-degree pitch, your cost of going solar will increase by 30% to 40%. The overall amount of electricity produced will be less, and the dollar per unit of electricity gets a lot more expensive, according to Flores. Read More