SAN DIEGO — As the ground shook from a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, a herd of elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park sprung into action to protect their young.
A video shot of their enclosure at the park Monday morning shows the five African elephants standing around in the morning sun before the camera shakes and they run in different directions. Then the older elephants — Ndlula, Umngani, Khosi — scramble to encircle and shield the two 7-year-old calves Zuli and Mkhaya from any possible threats.
They remain huddled for several minutes as the older elephants look outward, appearing to be at the ready, their ears spread and flapping — even after the rocking stopped.
The quake was felt from San Diego to Los Angeles, 120 miles away. It sent boulders tumbling onto rural roads in San Diego County and knocked items off store shelves in the tiny mountain town of Julian near the epicenter but caused no injuries or major damage.
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This image taken from video shows a herd of elephants forming a circle to shield the two calves, Zuli and Mkhaya, during an earthquake, April 14, at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, Calif.
But it spooked the elephants.
Once in a circle, "they sort of freeze as they gather information about where the danger is," said Mindy Albright, a curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Elephants are highly intelligent and social animals that have the ability to feel sound through their feet. When they perceive a threat, they often bunch together in an "alert circle," typically with the young clustered in the center and the adults facing outward to defend the group.
In the video, one of the calves can be seen running for refuge between the adults, a group of matriarchs that all helped raise her. But the other calf, the only male, remained on the edge of the circle, wanting to show his courage and independence, Albright said.
Meanwhile, the female elephant, Khosi, a teenager who helped raise him along with his biological mother, Ndlula, repeatedly tapped him on the back with her trunk, and even on the face, as if patting him to say, "Things are OK," and "Stay back in the circle."
Zuli is still a baby and is coddled as such, Albright said, but his role will change over the next few years as he becomes a bull and moves to join a bachelor group while the female elephants stay with the family unit for their entire lives.
"It's so great to see them doing the thing we all should be doing — that any parent does, which is protect their children," Albright said.
About an hour later when an aftershock hit, they briefly huddled again and then dispersed once they determined everyone was safe.
10 states that will likely face the most financial losses from climate change
Financial losses from climate change on the horizon
With a variety of environmental events affecting the wide stretch of the United States, each state is subject to its own risks. Particularly, tornadoes, wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, landslides, lightning and drought, among other events, can cause damage to buildings, agriculture and individuals alike. When considering insurance, residents and business owners in each state should account for historic and projected losses due to environmental events in their financial plans.
With this in mind, set out to determine which states are most at financial risk due to various weather events. States were ranked by the total expected annual financial losses per person across all major environmental events according to the latest data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Key findings
- Louisiana is expected to lose $556 per resident to environmental damages per year. This is more than 20% more damage than second-place South Dakota ($456 per person). Most of Louisiana's projected damages are due to riverine flooding, coastal flooding and hurricanes.
- Ohio and New York State are projected to be safest from environmental financial damages. Across all event types, Ohio residents may see as little as $64 in damages per person. For New York State, that figure is $69. New York's biggest risk factors include drought and heat waves.
- New Jersey has the highest risk of damage from coastal flooding per person. Despite New Jersey's high population density, residents may face an estimated $68 in damages per person per year. Delaware ranks second in this metric at $23 per person.
- Winters are most fierce in the Dakotas. Overall, South Dakota and North Dakota rank second and sixth for most projected damages per person. This is mostly due to having some of the highest projected damages per person for cold freezes, hail, ice storms and strong winds. South Dakota also has the most projected damages from tornadoes.
- California residents are most at risk for both drought and earthquake damage. Residents stand to lose $335 each to droughts within a year. When it comes to wildfires, the state has the sixth-highest projected damages per person.Â
- Nebraska is projected to withstand nearly double the hail damage as the second-most state. Residents might expect to see roughly $91 in damages per person, compared to the second-most South Dakota ($56 per person).
- Missouri is expected to see damages of $50 per person due to heat waves. This is most of any state. Nevada ranks second in this category with projected damages of $47 per person.
- Hurricane damage is one of the most expensive types of environmental occurrences. When it comes to hurricanes, Florida anticipates $363 in damages per person, most of any state. Louisiana has the second-most expected hurricane damages at $307 per person. South Carolina ($291) and North Carolina ($168) are also particularly at risk.
- Oregon has the highest risk of landslides. Landslides are projected to cost Oregonians $9 each. This is compared to second and third place West Virginia ($5 per person projection) and Idaho ($4 per person).
Top 10 states with the highest projected annual losses per person due to weather events
1. Louisiana
Total expected annual loss per person: $555.55
- Coastal flooding: $12.56
- Drought: $3.00
- Earthquake: $3.22
- Heat wave: $12.20
- Hurricane: $307.64
- Riverine flooding: $150.60
- Strong wind: $6.36
- Tornado: $45.47
- Wildfire: $2.77
- Winter weather: $0.62
2. South Dakota
Total expected annual loss per person: $455.62
- Coastal flooding: $0
- Drought: $0.68
- Earthquake: $0.89
- Heat wave: $3.75
- Hurricane: $0
- Riverine flooding: $52.03
- Strong wind: $48.62
- Tornado: $121.99
- Wildfire: $46.64
- Winter weather: $27.21
3. Florida
Total expected annual loss per person: $422.84
- Coastal flooding: $1.68
- Drought: $1.71
- Earthquake: $0.84
- Heat wave: $0.12
- Hurricane: $363.02
- Riverine flooding: $12.19
- Strong wind: $1.47
- Tornado: $21.44
- Wildfire: $12.53
- Winter weather: $0.02
4. South Carolina
Total expected annual loss per person: $418.78
- Coastal flooding: $1.09
- Drought: $1.12
- Earthquake: $57.67
- Heat wave: $2.75
- Hurricane: $291.05
- Riverine flooding: $5.75
- Strong wind: $8.25
- Tornado: $34.36
- Wildfire: $2.94
- Winter weather: $0.44
5. California
Total expected annual loss per person: $413.43
- Coastal flooding: $0.35
- Drought: $26.10
- Earthquake: $335.35
- Heat wave: $3.28
- Hurricane: $0.00
- Riverine flooding: $10.03
- Strong wind: $0.06
- Tornado: $1.24
- Wildfire: $36.05
- Winter weather: $0.03
6. North Dakota
Total expected annual loss per person: $411.04
- Coastal flooding: $0.00
- Drought: $0.83
- Earthquake: $0.21
- Heat wave: $5.43
- Hurricane: $0.00
- Riverine flooding: $68.74
- Strong wind: $57.74
- Tornado: $53.74
- Wildfire: $16.54
- Winter weather: $46.28
7. Oregon
Total expected annual loss per person: $338.11
- Coastal flooding: $10.31
- Drought: $0.14
- Earthquake: $271.34
- Heat wave: $1.68
- Hurricane: $0.00
- Riverine flooding: $15.88
- Strong wind: $0.34
- Tornado: $1.21
- Wildfire: $15.88
- Winter weather: $0.70
8. Mississippi
Total expected annual loss per person: $337.33
- Coastal flooding: $3.50
- Drought: $1.54
- Earthquake: $33.27
- Heat wave: $11.26
- Hurricane: $143.35
- Riverine flooding: $31.00
- Strong wind: $10.86
- Tornado: $78.15
- Wildfire: $6.30
- Winter weather: $1.09
9. Nebraska
Total expected annual loss per person: $329.51
- Coastal flooding: $0.00
- Drought: $15.10
- Earthquake: $0.63
- Heat wave: $1.89
- Hurricane: $0.00
- Riverine flooding: $28.60
- Strong wind: $38.24
- Tornado: $116.19
- Wildfire: $2.53
- Winter weather: $9.82
10. Texas
Total expected annual loss per person: $283.15
- Coastal flooding: $1.49
- Drought: $3.48
- Earthquake: $1.71
- Heat wave: $8.16
- Hurricane: $89.22
- Riverine flooding: $66.05
- Strong wind: $5.37
- Tornado: $71.04
- Wildfire: $8.26
- Winter weather: $1.96
Top 10 states with the lowest projected annual losses per person due to weather events
1. Ohio
Total expected annual loss per person: $63.89
- Coastal flooding: $0.05
- Drought: $0.02
- Earthquake: $3.55
- Heat wave: $1.90
- Hurricane: $1.16
- Riverine flooding: $11.31
- Strong wind: $5.31
- Tornado: $27.33
- Wildfire: $0.31
- Winter weather: $2.11
2. New York
Total expected annual loss per person: $68.89
- Coastal flooding: $4.53
- Drought: $0.08
- Earthquake: $2.78
- Heat wave: $4.55
- Hurricane: $29.92
- Riverine flooding: $12.03
- Strong wind: $4.09
- Tornado: $5.67
- Wildfire: $0.12
- Winter weather: $0.35
3. Arizona
Total expected annual loss per person: $73.00
- Coastal flooding: $0.00
- Drought: $5.95
- Earthquake: $15.96
- Heat wave: $9.86
- Hurricane: $0.05
- Riverine flooding: $7.73
- Strong wind: $1.09
- Tornado: $0.97
- Wildfire: $27.28
- Winter weather: $0.13
4. Pennsylvania
Total expected annual loss per person: $74.65
- Coastal flooding: $1.71
- Drought: $1.02
- Earthquake: $1.66
- Heat wave: $11.63
- Hurricane: $22.46
- Riverine flooding: $14.73
- Strong wind: $4.71
- Tornado: $10.13
- Wildfire: $0.19
- Winter weather: $1.11
5. Rhode Island
Total expected annual loss per person: $75.72
- Coastal flooding: $3.30
- Drought: $0.42
- Earthquake: $1.85
- Heat wave: $2.88
- Hurricane: $50.89
- Riverine flooding: $8.79
- Strong wind: $0.55
- Tornado: $4.22
- Wildfire: $0.08
- Winter weather: $0.05
6. Vermont
Total expected annual loss per person: $77.99
- Coastal flooding: $0.00
- Drought: $0.00
- Earthquake: $4.32
- Heat wave: $0.35
- Hurricane: $21.61
- Riverine flooding: $29.95
- Strong wind: $2.34
- Tornado: $5.72
- Wildfire: $0.52
- Winter weather: $1.71
7. Michigan
Total expected annual loss per person: $83.29
- Coastal flooding: $0.23
- Drought: $0.00
- Earthquake: $1.14
- Heat wave: $4.47
- Hurricane: $0.53
- Riverine flooding: $8.72
- Strong wind: $14.34
- Tornado: $41.74
- Wildfire: $0.52
- Winter weather: $1.02
8. Massachusetts
Total expected annual loss per person: $85.95
- Coastal flooding: $2.60
- Drought: $1.11
- Earthquake: $3.72
- Heat wave: $0.80
- Hurricane: $60.98
- Riverine flooding: $7.61
- Strong wind: $0.40
- Tornado: $5.07
- Wildfire: $0.24
- Winter weather: $0.08
9. West Virginia
Total expected annual loss per person: $87.36
- Coastal flooding: $0.00
- Drought: $0.19
- Earthquake: $2.01
- Heat wave: $0.78
- Hurricane: $8.28
- Riverine flooding: $45.04
- Strong wind: $6.21
- Tornado: $6.20
- Wildfire: $3.45
- Winter weather: $1.08
10. Connecticut
Total expected annual loss per person: $94.01
- Coastal flooding: $6.66
- Drought: $1.59
- Earthquake: $2.10
- Heat wave: $0.54
- Hurricane: $67.52
- Riverine flooding: $2.62
- Strong wind: $3.24
- Tornado: $5.70
- Wildfire: $0.06
- Winter weather: $0.19
Data and methodology
Expected annual loss estimates are normalized for each state's population. Data comes from FEMA and includes projected costs in one year of agricultural, building, and population damage done by coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire and winter weather.
was produced by and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
