Natural Hazards

Natural Hazards

Reginald Thompson

School or Institution Name (University at Place or Town, State)

Natural Hazards

Depending on the geographical and environmental factors, there are certain regions of earth prone to high severity of natural hazards. The United States of America has many such geographic regions that needs to be better prepared for such natural hazards. Many other nations have developed strategic programs to minimize the damages caused by such natural hazards but in America, things are likely to get worse. Almost fifty killed in the hurricane last year with estimated damage of $22bn to property ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"asjbi38tui","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Kurth, Keenan, Sasani, & Linkov, 2019)","plainCitation":"(Kurth, Keenan, Sasani, & Linkov, 2019)"},"citationItems":[{"id":2153,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/gITejLE9/items/ICBCCJC7"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/gITejLE9/items/ICBCCJC7"],"itemData":{"id":2153,"type":"article-journal","title":"Defining resilience for the US building industry","container-title":"Building Research & Information","page":"480-492","volume":"47","issue":"4","author":[{"family":"Kurth","given":"Margaret H."},{"family":"Keenan","given":"Jesse M."},{"family":"Sasani","given":"Mehrdad"},{"family":"Linkov","given":"Igor"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Kurth, Keenan, Sasani, & Linkov, 2019). In the following month of hurricane Michael, wildfires erupted in California destroying thousands of buildings and leaving 89 dead. Natural hazards like these cannot be prevented at all but their devastating effects can be minimized through effective planning and preparing local communities for such hazards.

It has been revealed in research studies that every $1 spent on mitigation techniques for natural hazards can save the nation $6 in the long run. Last year $300bn were spent on disaster recovery. The huge amount spent on recovery efforts can be saved by spending half of the amount in the proactive direction of disaster mitigation. In terms of preparedness for disaster mitigation, Netherland has set an example for the rest of the world. In the United States when it comes to preparedness, a lot of pressure is put on the federal emergency management agency ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a16s5q2cm6l","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Morabia & Benjamin, 2018)","plainCitation":"(Morabia & Benjamin, 2018)"},"citationItems":[{"id":2155,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/gITejLE9/items/5FG9ZQ25"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/gITejLE9/items/5FG9ZQ25"],"itemData":{"id":2155,"type":"book","title":"Preparing and rebuilding after natural disasters: A new public health normal!","publisher":"American Public Health Association","ISBN":"1541-0048","author":[{"family":"Morabia","given":"Alfredo"},{"family":"Benjamin","given":"Georges C."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2018"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Morabia & Benjamin, 2018). The agency is blamed for things that are beyond their control. Instead of relying on a federal agency, local bodies and state governments must be involved in preparations for natural disasters. The United States requires a shift in attention to better prepare for disaster mitigation. It started happening in recent years and the government has decided to increase funding for natural hazards mitigation plans at the state level up to three folds by 2023. Although the steps taken by the federal agency can be considered significant the local communities still cannot be considered as fully prepared for the next inevitable natural hazard.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Kurth, M. H., Keenan, J. M., Sasani, M., & Linkov, I. (2019). Defining resilience for the US building industry. Building Research & Information, 47(4), 480–492.

Morabia, A., & Benjamin, G. C. (2018). Preparing and rebuilding after natural disasters: A new public health normal! American Public Health Association.