Unit IV Assignment Worksheet

Unit IV Assignment Worksheet

Priority Hazard # ___1_: ________Flooding______________________________

Worksheet

1. Select the level of your community’s vulnerability for the hazard described above: Human (low, moderate, high); Economic (low, moderate, high); Social (low, moderate, high); Political (low, moderate, high); Environmental (low, moderate, high). Justify your selection.
2. The vulnerability to humans in this event is moderate. Even though the flooding does happen, the frequency isn’t high and happens under certain conditions. The threat is real to humans but the event is typically minor when it does therefore the threat is moderate. The economic impact is also moderate as the frequency of the event is fairly low but when there is an event, property is damaged and people are displaced. The political impact is high because of the lower income of the areas involved as well as a majority of the groups involved are minorities. A sense of neglect is present when slow to react to these events. Environmental impact is high because of the content of the flood zone being spilled into the streams and rivers affecting wild life and polluting drinking water.
3. Assign a level of priority for this hazard based on the assessment of your community’s risk: immediate action, immediate attention, periodic attention, annual reevaluation. Justify your selection.
4. Because of the low frequency of the event as well as the short duration the priority level for this event should immediate attention. Plans are currently in place to help drain water away from many of these low lying areas. Building permits have been halted for these areas as well and in some of the worse areas, relocation to other rental properties have begun and properties in these bad areas aren’t not allowed to be used as rental property.

Priority Hazard # __2__: ____Structure fires.__________________________________

Worksheet

1. Select the level of your community’s vulnerability for the hazard described above: Human (low, moderate, high); Economic (low, moderate, high); Social (low, moderate, high); Political (low, moderate, high); Environmental (low, moderate, high). Justify your selection.
2. As far as the human side of it the vulnerability level is high due to the number of people living in these sub standard properties and the frequency of events. The economic impact is moderate because most of the property values are low and the house are mostly rental property. Also due to the quick response time of emergency services the damage to the properties are low for the most part and repairs are quick and usually done cheaply. Socially the impact is high because of the danger to the residents who live there and the reluctance of property owners to update the wiring and other hazards associated with the properties. Politically the vulnerability is high due to the fact that the population is mostly minorities and lower income. Also most of the rental properties are owned by the cities commissioners which adds a whole new dynamic. The environmental vulnerability is low as most of the properties are wood frame construction with natural materials and due to the fact of the quick response of emergency services.
3. Assign a level of priority for this hazard based on the assessment of your community’s risk: immediate action, immediate attention, periodic attention, annual reevaluation. Justify your selection.
4. The hazard should categorized as needing immediate attention. The living conditions in a lot of these properties are very poor. Code enforcement should find ways to inspect the properties to have the landlords bring the properties up to code. The fact that they are mostly owned by the political factions of the local government hinders the process.

Priority Hazard # __3__: __Railroad____________________________________