I think there are a lot of similarities between California and Australia — coastal settings, regular extreme summer fires (that are getting worse each year), and so on. I hadn't thought of the connection with 'The Big One' (which I only heard about as something that was a constant worry about the future in the past couple of years), but now you mention it, it makes a lot of sense.

I'll have to listen to that Tool song!

And, as you say, Le Guin was always incredibly prophetic in her writing.