Module 8: Gershom Espinoza

1. My hometown region of Socal is in a moderately active earthquake zone that stretches across the western coastline. Expected quakes range from 5-7ish though this “extreme” activity is offset by the fact that Socal isn’t exposed much if at to tropical cyclones. High(ish) wind speeds and nonexistent hailstorms (out of 10+yrs of living there I remember it happening once!) aren’t the primary areas of concern for humans/wildlife as the region suffers frequent wildfires. The Nathan map seems quite capable of mapping different weather extremes locations are subject to in addition to variance in how each region is specifically affected.
2. The disaster I chose was a medium sized tornado that occurred today in northwestern Alabama. On a “regular” weather basis excluding cyclones, Socal doesn’t have tornadoes. However as pacific storms approach the coast there could be tornado watches although often these end of being gusts of wind rather than tornadoes. Due to this, Socal isn’t really in danger of tornadoes and the infrastructure could handle “small” tornadoes, as these very same buildings have to withstand intensive earthquake. The event is rather on the minute scale as it was constrained to a specific local region. Relative to the size of my hometown it appears to have occurred within an area the size of a suburb. If the same sized event were to happen in Oceanside, more property damage would be done as there is more development but that’s it. The city is very well developed with most individuals having capable means of withstanding such a disaster and even for those who aren’t economically ahead, there are many places to go to for shelter from the extreme elements.
3. Oceanside City faces several potential disasters that include wildfires, floods, severe heat waves and weakfish pacific storms. Several times growing up I remember the region going through such unusually long heat waves that people/animals were heavily discouraged from outside activity. The potential danger with longer than average heat waves is that due to the dryness, flammable things catch on fire more easily whether or not it was caused by humans. In fact, the most severe wildfire in my region occurred after a long heat wave during my middle school years. The wildfire destroyed residential houses, wildlife, vegetation next to highways and the ever-increasing ash in the air caused schools in several districts to close for a week (I was sorta happy about that). The Oceanside community is adaptive to any unforeseen dangers that may arise from extreme weathers as there is constant info regarding the manner. “rehearsal of safety procedures at least twice a year can drastically affect the impact of emergency” (preparesocal.org)
4. Overall, Oceanside is well equipped to handle a range of disasters it may face. The biggest danger would be a wildfire during the hot summer months where a treatable accident can turn into something untamable. In the suburbs replacing water intensive vegetation with low-water or no-water usage landscaping not only reduces the fire hazard risk but also saves the homeowner water (which is becoming more expensive). The best people to address potential risks would be individuals themselves as our society is very individualistically “focused” meaning I address issues that may cause harm to me rather than on a community level although both do occur in Oceanside. As a resident of Oceanside, I can make sure to not leave highly flammable material outside longer than it would have to be as well as consistent watering of the lawn to prevent dead grass.

2 thoughts on “Module 8: Gershom Espinoza

  1. Hello, my name is Adam Abbott and I am a senior in IST. I thought your discussion was interesting. I thought it was interesting that you chose to examine a tornado when tornadoes are most likely not common in your home town. I followed a similar path by discussing an active volcano eruption in Alaska when there are no volcanoes near my home town. I also understand that your area has a strong risk of wildfires as there are often news reports on various wildfires throughout the west coast of the U.S. I think you did a great job with your discussion!

    If you would like to read my blog post you can find it here: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/04/01/natural-hazards-8/

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