Roseville Hazard Mitigation Case Study

In the late summer of 2005, a terrible tragedy occurred that changed the lives of many in the south-east region of the United States. A Category 3, named storm, named Hurricane Katrina, hit the Gulf Coast on the 29th of August and led to the death of 1,836 and millions of dollars’ worth of damage (Waple 2005). The majority of the damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. Waple writes in her article that winds “gusted over 100 mph in New Orleans, just west of the eye” (Waple 2005). Not only was the majority of the damage due to the direct catastrophes of the storm but also city’s levees could no longer hold thus breaking and releasing great masses of water. Approximately, 80% of the city was submerged at sea level. Despite the vast amount

Tragic events that cause damage to property and life may destroy the social, cultural and economic life of a community. Communities must be engaged in the various phases from prevention to recovery to build disaster resilient communities. In order to do this, there must be a disaster preparedness plan in place that involves multiple people in various roles.

Repeated events, highlighted by the flood of 1993 and the fallout of Katrina, continues to illustrate the US Army Corps of Engineers’ failure in strengthening flood control up and down the Mississippi, including the redesign and upgrading levees. America is a product of this constant struggle in dominating nature using science and reason.

Reports revealed that by 2080s, the projected flood heights for locations in Connecticut (e.g., Norwalk, Westport, Bridgeport, Greenwich Cove, Shippan Point, Stamford, and Stratford) could range from 11.5 to 13 feet for a Category 1 hurricane, and 14.5 to 15.7 feet for a Category 3 storm (Gornitz et al., 2004). Therefore, rising sea level could account for 18-22% of the increase in flood height (in the high sea-level rise scenario) or 6-8% in the lower case (Gornitz et al., 2004). With the rising sea level, floods generated by storms of this magnitude could approach 18 feet by the 2080s (Gornitz et al., 2004). The increase in the projected flood level cities in Connecticut will be greatly affected such as Bridgeport and New Haven. As an illustration, a significant portion of both Bridgeport and New Haven lies within the high-risk flood zone, and during severe storms this place a large population, private property, and infrastructure at high risk. In New Haven, some infrastructures that are at risk include the New Haven railroad station and track yards, the Tweed-New Haven Airport, ramps to the Connecticut

On October 20, 1991 a large suburban conflagration swept through the hillsides of Oakland California and into the backyards of Berkley. The Oakland Hills Firestorm went down in history as one of the worst fires since the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906. Twenty-five people lost their lives that Sunday, one hundred and fifty others were injured, and a total of one thousand five hundred and twenty acres of land was scorched. The destruction included three thousand three hundred and fifty four single family dwellings and four hundred and thirty seven apartments. All and all, they estimated the total loss at 1.5 billion dollars.

The constant threat of focusing events, places a high level of pressure on emergency managers to respond appropriately to various levels of complex disasters. Past focusing events, highlight the importance of communication and coordination before and after disasters. Consequently, citizens expect emergency responders and government agencies to be accountable for rapidly responding to disasters in an organized manner. Prior to a focusing event, it is beneficial for emergency mangers to determine disaster risk prioritization. I present methods that emergency mangers can use to determine these priorities. Lastly, I discuss the integration of geographic information systems (GIS) to identify hazard zone areas.

I am from Charlotte, NC where we receive an average amount of rain, nothing too crazy. Coming to school in Norfolk I was first introduced to what flooding actually was. It was beautiful day prior, and suddenly it began pouring down raining. In about 10 minutes the streets were flooded. Staff had to take students to the other side of campus in their own cars. The underpasses were filled with so much water, that no cars could get through. Later on that was when I was informed that Norfolk is below sea level causing it to flood when it rains. Coming from a city where it doesn’t flood, to a city that floods was a shock. Through research I found of what Costal Resilience was, and how other cities are dealing with the same problems the Tidewater District is dealing with. If cities could be better prepared in times of hazardous events, less money would be lost and people wouldn’t relocate.

In 1987 an atmospheric river heated Los Angeles ,the consecutive rain for more than 5 days made this the largest Flood that had happen in Los Angeles. This is best know as the California Great Flood. Houses, infrastructure, landfill were under water and hundreds of people die. This Flood has been the most expensive flood recorder in Los Angeles history. Billions of dollars were the total sum of losses left by the Flood as a result the entire state of california was declared in bankruptcy. Los angeles is not a place where hurricanes are generated due to its location but it is affected by El nino and atmospheric rivers that year after year are increasing its power. Is a vulnerable city where flood can occur at anytime , due to it topography

In making the decisions to protect people’s lives from hazards and disasters, evacuations sometimes become necessary. Of course early in the reaction to the incident, or the response phase, this may become a decision for local and state emergency managers. The San Diego, California wildfire which occurred in October 2007 caused a large scale evacuation. This essay is an analysis, and identification of lessons learned from the evacuation incident. As well a plan of personal recommendations and improvements will be made based on information covered in the National Housing strategy, and Robert Stafford Act.

The burden of emergency management has grown great deal in the last few decades. We have seen an increase in natural disasters, a new threat of terrorism on our front door and an increase in manmade disasters. All of these have tested emergency management in a number of cities and towns across the nation. It is not always disasters that present problems for emergency managers. We have to look beyond our traditional view of emergency management of helping us during times of disasters and view what issues they consider may affect their emergency response. Issues that emergency management see that are moving into the critical area are issues of urbanization and hazard exposure, the rising costs of disaster recovery, and low priority of emergency management.

Flood-proofing infrastructures from potential risks is another of Boston’s reactions towards rising sea levels, as well as floating and elevating buildings (“Sea Change: Boston Exhibition”). The article “Sea Change: Boston Exhibition” simplifies the steps of action as “fortify,” “adapt,” and “retreat.” These three simple words are key concepts within this momentous environmental conversation. Flood-proofing buildings is a mode of fortifying because Bostonians will

It has been reported that about 2 million fires happen each year, and these fires kill more Americans than all other natural disasters put together (LA City, 2018). To ensure that everyone in each household is safe in case of a fire, it is recommended that there is an emergency escape plan that includes how to evacuate the affected area, and where to meet afterwards (Ready LA, 2018). Additionally, since Los Angeles is a semi-desert area with mountains and canyons, it can result in floods when thunderstorms and high winds occur (LA City, 2018). It only takes six inches of fast moving water to make a person hit the ground. Also, mudslides can indisputably pass the speed of 10 miles per hour (Ready LA, 2018). In case of floods, it is critical to take the proper protective indoor and outdoor measures before, during, and after the flood (Ready LA,

Risk for disasters is a part of life; emergency situations occur more frequently than many people believe. A wise person plans for the worse, and hopes for the best. After a disaster, how well a community can recover will depend largely on how well they prepared in advance. Risk management includes identifying any potential risks to a community and proactively planning to minimize the threat. Proactive organization of resources and people to respond to emergencies can mean the difference between a community’s ability to regroup and recover, and the loss of life. To better

It is with the salient awareness of its susceptibility to hurricanes that the city of Mobile in Alabama initiates the development of hazard mitigation planning. The Mobile County Alabama Hurricanes Hazard mitigation plan is a multi-jurisdictional guide for the county of Mobile. Its communities and other stakeholders who are the vital players in their efforts to successfully prepare a plan that will act as a roadmap in responding to hurricane disasters. The plan addresses the hurricane hazard that is a major threat to the people, property and the infrastructure of Mobile County in Alabama. The plan focuses on hazard mitigation planning and actions necessary to reduce or eliminating long–term effects to people and their property as a result of the occurrence of hurricanes. The purpose of the mitigation plan is to ensure that the repetitive cycle is broken by producing less vulnerable conditions amongst the people, property and topographical features.

On August 29, 2009, Hurricane Katrina struck the United States Gulf Coast. It was a Category 3 Hurricane, according to the Saffir Simpson Scale. Winds gusted to up to 140 miles per hour, and the hurricane was almost 400 miles wide . The storm itself did a tremendous amount of damage, but the storm’s aftermath was cataclysmic. Many claimed that the federal government was slow to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the storm. This paper will examine the four elements of disaster management – preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation – as well as an analysis on the data presented.