1. In the area of Western Pennsylvania, it appears that there does not seem to be any risk of earthquakes, tropical cyclones, or volcanoes. There may be a small chance of Earthquakes, but it seems rather unlikely according to the map. However, there is about about a Zone 3 which seems to be about medium when talking about frequency and intensity of hailstorms, a low amount of peak wind speeds when talking about winter storms, a low amount of frequency and intensity when talking about tornados, and a low chance when talking about wildfires. These maps contain a lot of helpful information, but I feel that it is hard to pinpoint your exact location. These maps would be helpful for general areas and trends of hazards, but not if you are trying to determine exactly where you fall on the maps.

2. The event that I picked was a biological hazard that occurred on March 18^th, 2016 in an area of Guinea, Africa. This specific event is related to the Ebola Virus Diseases. It is possible that my hometown could experience the same type of disaster. In fact, there were a few people that were considered to have Ebola in the United States. However, I would not consider that my specific hometown or area would be considered vulnerable. I believe this because there seems to have been lots of research and pre-event preparedness when an outbreak of Ebola was a concern. The only possible way I think this could be a concern would be if someone happened to be abroad and brought back the disease or bacteria with them. This event only was concerning four people which seems to be a low scale event, but is considered a 4/4 level Biohazard. Relative to my hometown, this would be a small amount of people, but it would still be a big concern because people would become worried and nervous about causing an outbreak. I believe that the impact of the disaster is much more intense than it would be if it occurred in my hometown because of resources and other factors such as the fact that Ebola is a larger concern in that part of the globe. In my hometown, I think there would be a high severity of the disaster if it were to occur because of the age of the residents. There is a high majority of older citizens in my hometown. According to the module, the elderly are at a higher risk for hazards. An idea that would reduce my town’s vulnerability could be something such as free screening or testing for the disease at any point because the area is a poor area.

3. Pittsburgh, which is located in Western Pennsylvania, does not have too many threats on natural hazards. However, I am going to focus on one that could be disastrous to the city. This was a great flood that occurred in 1907 and 1936. Because of the location, Pittsburgh is surrounded by three different rivers. When talking about these events, my grandpa was very helpful. He spoke about how he was there working during the 1936 flood and how they were evacuated due to flooded. There were very few casualties reported according to the Brookline Connection, but there was lots of damage in dollars. However, this was fixed with dams and reservoirs in order to provide flood control.

Resources:

Joe Mielecki, firsthand experience of the flood

“Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle – 1907.” Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle – 1907. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

4. I believe that a major way to reduce the vulnerability includes knowledge, communication, and pre-event preparedness that was talked about in the Module. I believe communication and knowledge would have to be promoted by the governors of the town and the people of higher authority. Schools could help educate the young children in case of a disaster such as drills and lessons. The community as a whole could come together to increase knowledge and the importance of being prepared for a natural hazard event. I believe that it would be difficult for myself to be a part of these efforts at my age. However, I believe that once I become a teacher, I would easily be able to educate my students in order to try to prepare them for an event.