My hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania does not seem to face too many natural hazards, according to my experience. Even the maps show that it is a Zone 0 for earthquakes. The same applies for tropical storms, for which wind speeds fall into Zone 0 and into Zone 1. Another natural hazard that the map does not show as a common issue in the city is wildfires- Zone 1 (Low). Interestingly though, the ocean closely to the right of the city is around Zone 2 and 3 and it is a Zone 2 to 3 for hailstorms as well. Easton is also more likely to get tornadoes as it lies in Zone 3 on the map showing frequency and intensity of tornadoes. The Nathan map is effective in determining relevant storms. Easton area indeed rarely experiences earthquakes, wildfires, and extremely fast winds; it does experience hailstorms and tornadoes though.

On April 1, there was a wildfire in Cherokee National Forest, possibly started by humans. A risk is that the fire may be small, but can spread fast and far. This fire spread to 150 acres, which can be difficult to manage. In Easton, an area known for its woody lands, the fire would easily spread. Since the area is not prone to wildfires, the wildlife has not evolved yet. Often, trees will adapt through serotinous cones, triangular shape, and so on, but Easton trees have not adopted these traits. This means it would be harder for Easton to recover from the incident. Another issue is the close population throughout the city with houses built closely together, near forests and stores. If the fire spread, it would spread throughout a civilization area, unlike the Cherokee Forest which is not as inhabited by humans. It would harm many people who would not be prepared for such an event because of the lack of experience with this natural hazard. Without the experience and preparations, the fire would not be as easily managed. The Cherokee event resulted in 0 casualties, but this would not be the case for Easton. The vulnerability in Easton would be a human starting a fire; preventing that can keep the area in a low zone of wildfires.

Many large storms that Easton faces is often winter storms or floods (caused by winter storms or rain in the summer). We get feet of snow some winter days, when roads become icy and slippery. Later, the melted snow adds to the rising water levels. Recently, we have had more tornadoes and tornado warnings closer to home, which is still rare despite what Nathan’s map says. Two of the most surprising events were the small earthquake (one of the first in a long time) and Hurricane Sandy. The latter resulted in flooding and power outages; the power outages were an issue since it was cold at the time. USA.com includes thunderstorm winds as a common weather extreme with a count of 2,275 events from 1950 to 2010.

Preparedness and post-event recovery reduce vulnerability to natural hazards (Module 8). Many storms common in Easton can be predicted beforehand; hailstorms are projected way ahead, but tornadoes may be projected with less time to prepare. This allows citizens to buy emergency items like food, water, first aid kit. Since tornadoes are common, stocking these items at all times is a good idea to manage with less projection time. My experience shows that storms happen close to each other, timeline wise. That’s why we should be fast in post-event recovery. Thus, value time to repair basements and roofs to provide in times of tornadoes and winter storms; underground powerlines are helpful according to my experience during Hurricane Sandy. Maybe even optimize safety in non-disaster times. It is best to take action yourself to assure your safety; it’s each individual’s responsibility to evaluate a house and preparation for natural hazards.