I am from a small town called Mountaintop in Pennsylvania. In regards to natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and natural cyclones, Mountaintop is located in zone 0 on the Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards, meaning that these types of natural hazards do not affect it. In terms of hailstorms, winter storms, and tornadoes, Mountaintop is located between zones 1 and 2 on the map. This location means that there is a low frequency for these natural hazards. In 2005, it was very rare, but Mountaintop was affected by a tornado. However, hail storms and winter storms are more common in our area, although the severity is never extremely bad. Overall, the weather in Mountaintop is pretty mild throughout the four seasons. The Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards did show a lot of helpful information, but I feel as though it was difficult to pinpoint a small area such as Mountaintop.

According to RSOE EDIS, on February 20, 2016, the country of Nigeria in Africa was affected by a biological hazard. The biological hazard recorded is an unidentified fatal illness. The biohazard level of this illness was a 4/4. In order to deal with this type of biological hazard a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen is mandatory. In order to enter and exit of Level Four biolab requires multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultra-violent light room, autonomous detection room, and other safety precautions. There are also measures taken in order to ensure that both doors do not open at the same time. In order to ensure that the disease is not released accidentally, the air and water in the lab undergo a decontamination process. Unfortunately, my hometown could definitely be affected by a similar biohazard. The U.S. has experienced the threat of Ebola recently, which is similar to this biohazard. The disease could be brought over from different areas to the United States. My town is not immune to the threat of these types of hazards. In Nigeria, 25 people have died because of this biological hazard. If this type of event were to happen in my hometown, it would be considered to be a very large-scale threat due to the fact that I am from small town and it would spread fast. In order to reduce my town’s vulnerability to biological hazards like this, it is important to educate people about the hazards of traveling abroad and the threat of diseases there.

In my hometown of Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, local factories have posed a threat to our community. Specifically, the factory, Foster Wheeler Energy Corp., has been a hazard in Mountaintop. Chemical substances were found at the site that were not disclosed by the factory. The chemical substances were contaminants and polluted nearby areas. One road in my town was really affected by this pollution. The water supply on Church road was contaminated. People living along that road used the contaminated water for years, and unfortunately, some passed away because of it. Even though only a few members of the community were directly affected by this issue, it was hugely devastating for everyone.

“Foster Wheeler Energy Corp Church Road Tce.” In Mountain Top, PA. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.

In order to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards in my hometown, the first step would to be create regulations that prevent factories from disposing hazardous chemicals and waste. The best people for this action would be those who hold positions in the community. The water should also be tested in my hometown in order to ensure that it is safe to use now. This would relate to the post-event recovery part of the module. Personally, I could make sure that everything I do is healthy for the environment, in order to make sure that events like this do not happen in Mountaintop again.