According to the Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards, my area of the United States, South-Eastern Pennsylvania, had many different weather events that effect it. First of all, it falls in the Zone 3-4 Tropical Cyclone area, as seen on page 3. Moving on, the same area falls in about a zone 3-4 for hailstorms. For extratropical storms, or winter storms, Pennsylvania can be seen as a zone 2. Continuing on, Tornadoes fall in the range from 2-3 in my area. On the other hand, the hazard of wildfires is extremely low. The changes that El Nino and La Nina bring about to Pennsylvania are opposites; during El Nino, this area gets warmer and experiences fewer storms while during La Nina, there are more storms, on average. Lastly, over time, this same area has become warmer and wetter. I found this method extremely difficult to find the actual statistics for my specific hometown.

The event that I chose was the eruption of Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano. This cannot happen in my hometown because we do not have any volcanoes near us. Although the volcano is very close to civilization, only 50 miles from Mexico City, it only spewed ash and vapor. Because of this, I do not think that it really caused a huge effect. Also, because it is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico, I think that the population of Mexico City is prepared. However, IF this happened in Downingtown, my hometown, I think that it would definitely cause a disruption. For example, I do not think that any of the high schools either in my district or the surrounding areas would be ready to respond. Schools and businesses would be closed, parents would keep their children inside, and there would be general panic. This was not terribly severe, so I do not think that my town would be suffering from any severe consequences. I think that by practicing drills and training more individuals in the proper procedure of cleaning up and maintenance, my town would fare just fine.

According to usa.com, Downingtown has an extremely low chance of earthquakes, a nonexistent chance of volcanoes, but a higher chance of tornadoes than a lot of other places in Pennsylvania and even the rest of the US. In my personal experience, we experienced a minor earthquake in 2012. Last year, a tornado’s path went straight through Downingtown, and more specifically, it went straight through my house. The earthquake caused next to no damage. The tornado, on the other hand, caused an extreme amount of damage to my family as well as many others in my area. Downingtown is especially vulnerable to this type of disaster because of the forested nature of the geography. The second source I found gives a list of precautions to take in order to prepare for tornadoes, thunder and lightning, and other extreme weather. These resources were a lot more useful than pretty much any other of the resources.

“Downingtown, PA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes.” – USA.com™. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

“Pennsylvania.” Pennsylvania. Ready, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

I think the main precaution that people that live in my hometown can take is to be informed and educated on the hazards that can take place in Downingtown. For example, learning about what makes a tree unsturdy or diseased is a great thing to know, in order to avoid damage to property. Also, another precaution that is always a good idea is an emergency preparedness kit and first aid kit. This can be made by literally anyone. Lastly, any able-bodied person should have a saw or chainsaw in their tool kit. I think that this is necessary because of the wooded nature of the area. Every storm, no matter how slight, brings down a few trees and I think that everyone fit to help should do so. I can help by being prepared in all the above ways!