Seaside Sustainability

Green Scholars · Environmental Literacy

Green Scholars · Environmental literacy

Wildfire Readiness Atlas

A state-level learning map for asking better questions about wildfire risk, smoke, preparedness, and equity.

Rim Fire, Stanislaus National Forest, 2013 · USDA Forest Service · CC BY 2.0

Not live emergency guidance. For active fires, alerts, and evacuation instructions, use local emergency management and official alerts.

State map

Wildfire risk context

Higher Moderate Lower

LIVE NASA FIRMS · Loading satellite feed…

This tile map is arranged approximately like the United States. Color intensity shows each state's population-weighted FEMA NRI wildfire relative-risk score; select a state for its details.

Choose a state to see its county-level wildfire context and current conditions.

Rhea Ghosal
Rhea GhosalSeaside Sustainability
Environmental Literacy Manager

Why I built this

Wildfire information should be a starting point everyone can use.

While researching wildfire risk in Napa Valley, I kept finding that the best data lived in tools built for experts. I designed and built Wildfire Readiness Atlas to change that: a place where students, families, and communities can explore official risk data, ask better questions about what it leaves out, and start preparing.

I developed the Atlas with Python, GeoPandas, Shapely, and GeoJSON to process FEMA county-level risk and Census boundary data, then built an interactive JavaScript dashboard that connects the results with live NASA FIRMS satellite detections and National Weather Service alerts.

Data status

Loading source information…

Checking the verified dashboard dataset.

States in view

50 + DCState-level learning context

Highest risk context

—Appears after source import

Readiness questions

4Risk, smoke, evacuation, support

Risk concentration

Where the FEMA wildfire signal is strongest

Top 12 state aggregates

Bars compare the population-weighted average of FEMA county wildfire relative-risk scores in each state. County population is used so places where more people live contribute proportionally; this is learning context, not a prediction of where the next wildfire will occur.

Score 0–100; higher means higher wildfire risk relative to other counties.

Student field guide

Maps are a starting point, not the answer.

  1. Read critically. What measure is shown? When was it last updated?
  2. Look for gaps. Whose needs—language, disability access, transportation, housing, or air filtration—might not appear on a map?
  3. Find local support. Identify the school, library, clinic, emergency-management office, and trusted people your family can contact.
  4. Prepare before smoke or evacuation. Make a family communication plan and follow local officials during an emergency.

Method and limits

What this dashboard does—and does not—claim

It aggregates county-level FEMA National Risk Index wildfire relative-risk scores into a state-level educational view, weighting each county by FEMA's reported population. This keeps the statewide comparison focused on the people represented by the source data while leaving the county-level map available for local context. It does not predict the next fire, replace local warnings, rank communities by worthiness, or determine where people should live.

Read the methodology and sources