Sacramento is eighth on a list of 11 American cities that lack enough hospital beds to handle patients in the event of a major disaster. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis, Sacramento would need at least 74 more hospital beds to accommodate a surge of patients. Using a federal grant of $1.5 million, the state hired PricewaterhouseCoopers to prepare a surge plan for California. The study began in January and looked at three possible disaster scenarios: a dirty bomb or nuclear explosion, a natural disaster like an earthquake or fire, or pandemic influenza. Sacramento was one of four California cities to make the list. Others are San Diego, San Jose and Riverside.