Vulnerability reduction

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  1. I am from Pittsburgh, Pa. According to the NATHAN world map of natural hazard my hometown overall is a low risk area. The area appears to be in zone 3 for hailstorms. It is a zone 1 area for extratropical storms. It is a zone 2 area for tornadoes. Its is a zone 1 area fro wildfires. I do not think the NATHAN world map is best suited for this activity. The map breaks areas apart in a very large scale which is not helpful when analyzing a specific city. Also, the climate impacts labels are difficult to pinpoint.
  2. The current disaster that I chose is a biological hazard the is occurring in Michigan and Wisconsin. A rare blood disease caused by Elizabethkingia, a rare bacteria  that is normally harmless, is affecting many individuals with already weakened immune systems. I think this disaster could happen in my hometown. I think my hometown is at a medium risk because the bacteria is found in reservoirs, lakes and rivers and my hometown does have some of these risk factors. This disaster is taking place in two states which is a much larger scale than my hometown. If this incident were to occur at the scale of my hometown it could potentially kill many people. The most vulnerable people would have already existing health conditions. If the disease were to strike in an area with a lot of hospitals or nursing homes it could kill a lot of people. My tons vulnerability would decrease if it struck in an area with many healthy people, like a college campus.
  3. From my own experience , some of the biggest natural disasters faced in Pittsburgh,Pa are blizzards, flooding and hail storms. In the winter months Pittsburgh experiences very heavy snow which can cause many accidents and road delays. This also increases the amount of salt used on the roads. This is responsible for the erosion and potholes on the road.  Pittsburgh also experiences many floods. The area has a lot of hills which allows the water to drain and accumulate in certain areas
  4. To reduce vulnerability to natural hazards in my hometown there are a few things that could be done. Preventative measures could be taken. In the case of snowstorms, appropriate staffing for snow plows and salt trucks could be planned for. This would be best planned by public works.  Also, emergency response teams could be better prepared to deal with the increased amount of car accidents and falls that occur due to the snowstorm . In the case of a biological hazard like the one occurring in michigan and wisconsin plans could be made to better isolate the elderly and the ill from bacteria and viruses that may spread to them more easily. This would best be performed by health departments or doctors.

3 thoughts on “Vulnerability reduction”

  2. Hi Aaliyah, my name is Avi and I am a student here at the university park campus. Pittsburgh seems to be in a very similar to where I live in Doylestown, PA as we don’t have much risk for these natural hazards. They both are at relatively low risks for hailstorms, extratropical storms, and tornadoes. I agree that the Nathan maps could be a little more precise in order to more easily see what risks certain areas have. After reading this module and watching those videos, it made me realize how fortunate we are to live in an area where we don’t really have to worry about being in a natural disaster.

    Here is my blog post: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/04/01/module-8-vulnerability-reduction-8/

  3. Hi, my name is Alex and I’m from the Worthington campus. I live in a small town called Old Forge which is about 4 to 5 hours away from Pittsburgh. I’ve been there a few times and it’s a nice city. I agree with you with your perception on the Nathan map. I couldn’t clearly see where PA lied in respect to the frequency and/or intensity of storms. I do know that we are lucky and don’t get a lot of disaster such as other areas.
    If you’d like to check out my post here’s the link: https://wp.me/p3RCAy-d5a

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