I live in Carbondale, PA. I found this map very interesting to see how different parts of the word are affected by different zones (low or high). Where I lie is ranked zone 2 for hailstorms, zone 1 for winter storms, zone 2 for tornados, and zone 1 for wildfires. My town have seen all of these things before, although strong tornados are not common. We are surrounded by mountains so the tornados usually get broken up before reaching my town. Wildfires are common. When I was 10, my dad and I saw a wildfire while riding around on our quad. We immediately called 911 when we got back to the house. I think the Nathan map is very clear on what area gets what level of intensity of a natural hazard.

On March 31, 2016 at 10:35:09 PM there was an earthquake in Paraparaumu, Australia and New-Zealand, New Zealand. The magnitude of this earthquake was 3.2. The depth of the earthquake was 52.11 km (32.38 miles). They are considering this earthquake to be minor because people did not feel any Earth movement. Carbondale, PA is not vulnerable earthquakes because it is not located close to fault zones. This does not mean we cannot get earthquakes. I remember a few years ago there was one only because it was so strong that it reached us. That was the only time me or my parents could remember Carbondale having an earthquake. There was no damage done to Carbondale. The scale of the event is much larger than my town. Carbondale is only about 3.2 square miles which would be 8.3 kilometers where as the depth of the earthquake is 32.38 miles and 52.11 kilometers. I feel as though if an earthquake lie this was to happen in Carbondale it would have little damage but I think we would be able to feel it happening. Because my town is built on mountains, I think it would depend on where you lived if you felt an earthquake or not. Also, our building and homes are not built to handle that kind of natural hazard so if something was to happen, our homes and building could be destroyed.

When I search Carbondale, PA for natural hazards, nothing useful came up. I think this is because we are such a small town. I decided to search the next largest city near me which would be Scranton, PA. According to usa.com, Scranton is is a very low risk for earthquakes (0.08) and we have a zero percent chance of volcanos. For tornados we have a risk of 77.46. The types of natural hazards my area faces are thunderstorms, winds, snow storms (although the last few winters have been mild), very cold weather in the winter, and floods. If rain gets too bad in my town the Lackawanna River can become very close to flooding.

“Scranton, PA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes.” – USA.com™. 2016. Accessed March 31, 2016. http://www.usa.com/scranton-pa-natural-disasters-extremes.htm#EarthquakeIndex.

In module 8 it talks about vulnerability to Natural Hazards. In an area, if people are well educated, they can learn how to avoid or reduce many impacts. I think this is very important. People should be aware of the natural hazards that can happen in their town that they re living in. If people take the time to educate themselves it can save their town, lives, and many other things like building and homes. Something else I think is important to avoid or reduce natural hazards is wealth. This is self-explanatory. If a town has funds to prevent something from happening, then that town will be better off than a poorer town. Wealthier towns have the funds to build building that can hold up to certain weather conditions. And if something does happen, that town can have the funds to clean it up. I think these are the two most important concepts to towns that are vulnerable to natural hazards.