Is Los Angeles the Most Dangerous Place on Earth?

By Scott Willson · 2026-10-09

Hurricane Rachel hooked back toward land this week and rolled into Southern California as a tropical storm, just like NOAA said it would. Newport Beach has already declared a local emergency after flooding swamped streets and stranded cars. Not bad for a storm everyone said would drift harmlessly out to sea.

Are there any natural disasters that aren’t about to mollywhop California in the next few days? We had a 3.2 earthquake rattle Long Beach after midnight, and that’s with the big one constantly looming over the city.

Magnitude 3.2 earthquake rattles Long Beach

Flooding? Yup, have that one.

Newport Beach flooding from Tropical Storm Rachel

Tsunami? You betcha.

Tropical storm? You already know.

Wildfire? That’s just another Wednesday in the City of Angels.

And hurricane? Of course.

I pay way too much in state taxes to get hit with five natural disasters in the same week. And honestly, at this point the homeless crisis could be categorized as a natural disaster too, so make it six.