- Being from Doylestown Pennsylvania, I am less susceptible to extreme natural hazards. According to the Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards, I am in zone 0 for Earthquakes, zone 1 for hailstorms, zone 1 for winter storms, zone 1 for wildfires, and have no threat of volcanoes. The only major threat I see for Doylestown is that the coast, which is about 90 minutes away, is vulnerable to zone 4 tropical cyclones. This makes sense since Doylestown was affected by Hurricane Sandy, and experienced prolonged power outages. As for how well suited the map is, I think it does a good job indicating certain risks for certain areas. It is clear to read, however, it would be clearer with the ability to zoom in and focus on one particular area.
- On March 31st at 3:25AM, Tulsa, Oklahoma experienced multiple tornado touchdowns. There has been reports of lofted debris, structural damages, trees down, and nine reported injuries. Transportation has been stalled due to closed roads. According to the Nathan World Map, my area appears to be in zone 3 for tornadoes, and Tulsa falls in zone 4. It surprised me that the entire East Coast is in zone 3 since I have never seen a Tornado in my life time, or even heard of one occurring near me. Despite this, it appears that my area is vulnerable to a similar hazard experienced in Tulsa. The damage from this event has been classified as “medium.” The center of the tornado was just minutes from the city of Tulsa, an urban area much larger and more built-up than Doylestown. Had a tornado of similar qualities touched down in Doylestown, it would face less structural damage due to the size difference of the towns. In retrospect, Tulsa is a city and Doylestown is a small town, so Tulsa would experience a more costlier and laborious recovery due to the difference in population size and structural landscape. However, since Doylestown rarely experiences Tornadoes, our structures are probably less resilient to withstand a tornado. Population wise, elderly and children would be more at risk due to their lack of mobility and/or education. In order to reduce vulnerability in Doylestown’s residential areas, for example, it would be productive to make sure each house has a tornado shelter. For example, every house should have a safe and secure basement.
- The most severe natural hazards that Doylestown has experienced are the occasional hurricanes. Doylestown is relatively close to the coast, and therefore experiences impacts of these coastal storms. The earliest, and arguably most severe, happened when I was just three years old. Hurricane Floyd struck the North East and caused major flooding in Doylestown. According to my mom, both of my older brothers were sent to school the day of the storm. My mother ended up driving in torrential rain to pick my eldest brother up, and my other brother took the bus home as usual. The bus ended up being stalled due to flooding, and my brother was stuck on the bus until my dad braved the storm to pick him up as well. Once they got home, they noticed our basement had completely flooded. While I don’t remember most details of this storm, I do remember walking down the stairs and seeing a basement completely under water. Every year during hurricane season there is always a storm that poses a threat, but typically ends up simply being a rainy day. The next two hurricanes that I remember being substantial were Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. I remember Irene being incredibly windy, and Doylestown was urged to sleep away from windows in case of glass shattering. We ended up not experiencing too much damage, just some torn shingles from our roof. Hurricane Sandy, however, was more problematic. Doylestown was without power for over three days, and school was canceled for about a week. Trees were down, roads were closed, unfortunately we even experienced some fatalities. It appears that hurricanes pose a serious threat to Doylestown. (Resource list: My mother’s recollection of Hurricane Floyd and my own experience.)
- Given that Doylestown is vulnerable to hurricanes, it is crucial that our homes and structures can withstand heavy winds and flooding. Strong windows help provide safety from fast winds and sump pumps prevent basement flooding. If there is potential for a serious hurricane to strike, cancel school and don’t leave kids stranded on school buses. Educate those living near rivers the risk they face once water levels rise. Encourage people to seek shelter once a storm is coming and not to drive once it hits. Be mindful of trees that have potential to fall during strong winds. The borough of Doylestown needs to be effective in informing the residents when a storm is coming and how severe it will be. As for myself, I will make sure myself and my loved ones are safe, and help others in need during recovery.
2 thoughts on “Natural Hazard Vulnerability”
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Hi Katie! My name is Adriana and unlike you I have never experienced a hurricane. The buildings here in Los Angeles can barely handle when it rains, so if a hurricane were to happen I am sure my house would be blown away. However, our buildings are made to withstand earthquakes which is the main concern here. I find it interesting that the East and West coast of the United States experiences completely different hazards. Here is a link to my post: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/04/01/vulnerability-reduction-los-angeles/
Hi Katie! Our towns are very similar, as according to the Nathan World Map we aren’t really in harms way for natural hazards. I found it so scary that you experience many hurricanes. I love places on the east coast such as NYC, but you definitely have to think of the risk factors that come with living on the east coast when thinking about a place to live.You had so many ideas on how to make your town less vulnerable that I could learn from by pointing out all the risk factors of a storm. Great job on all those ideas. Here’s a link to my blog http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/30/how-vulnerable-is-shepherdstown-wv/