Hazards, Vulnerability, and Disaster Risks

Overview

 A hazard is a thing or a situation that can cause property damage and adverse health effects. During the e-activity, I have been involved in hazard identification or the process of identifying all hazardous things in Colorado communities. I have also been involved in risk assessment or evaluating the severity of the hazard to the community. Both risk identification and risk assessment are very important as they will help in developing strategies for mitigating hazards

 

  Major hazards in Colorado communities and the level of threats they pose to the community

Avalanche

 Avalanche is a type of disaster or a ‘geologic hazard' that has occurred in Colorado.  Avalanche can be defined as the flow of snow down a steep slope due to various causes such as rain, human activity, vibration, warm temperature, earthquakes, wind, and snow among other natural causes (Konveio, n.d).  Avalanche in Colorado is a real disaster that has caused many deaths not only in Colorado but also in the other United States.

  In Colorado, Avalanches cause death and property damage. When such hazard occurs in heavily populated areas, roads are closed due to infrastructure damage and the disclosure disrupts day-to-day activities, normal movement of people and goods, businesses and even school attendance (Konveio, n.d). Building and power supplies are also damaged and this type of damage isolates the community.  Businesses, tourism, and schools are forced to close while waiting for mitigation actions.

Drought

Drought is also a major hazard present in the Colorado communities. During the e-activity, I learned that drought in Colorado is a shortage of water due to lack of water supply from precipitation. According to the research, I found  that Colorado communities experience  different types of drought such as meteorological drought which occur due to  low precipitation, agricultural drought which occur  due to lack of  inadequate water supply, hydrological drought which occur due to  lack of water supply from sources like groundwater and reservoirs and,  socioeconomic drought due to  lack of  adequate supply of  economic goods (Konveio, n.d).  Recent studies have found that the major cause of drought is warm temperatures and the drought will become severe due to the projected warming.

 In Colorado, drought has caused a threat to the community in various ways. In identifying the threats caused by drought, I found that there is a shrinkage of soil. the latter has affected many building foundations since as the soil shrinks,  there are gaps in the basement wall and the gaps remove the foundation's supports and allow the rainwater to run down to cause basement water intrusion (Konveio, n.d). Drought also causes subsidence due to soil shrinkage. These threats cause damage to the buildings, people and property. The communities are also suffering from pest infestations and this happens when pests lack sustenance in agricultural areas and find a friendlier environment such as buildings and homes. When conducting the research, I learned that drought has caused wildfires and flash floods. Since drought hardens the soil, the ground does not absorb the rainwater during rainfall, but rather, water runs off (Konveio, n.d).  Also, the wildfires increase flooding because the removal of vegetation that can trap rainwater allows water runoff.

 Flooding

 Flooding is a major natural hazard in Colorado communities and it occurs due to heavy precipitation where water is stored in a watershed for a long period of time. This happens when the natural systems are unable to absorb and retain water thereby causing backflow and overtopping. Colorado also experiences flash flooding which happens when excessive waters fill dams (Konveio, n.d).  In Colorado, there are almost 677 state-regulated dams and during excessive rainfall, the water floods and causes property damage and loss of life.

 Floods pose a higher level of threat since the communities have already experienced higher financial costs and casualties. For example, Colorado experience 20 t0 30 floods every year and since 1950, the state has experienced 5 major flood disasters that have demanded response capabilities from the federal (Konveio, n.d).

  Hazardous material release

 The hazardous material release is a hazard in Colorado communities. These materials are used in industries and released to the environment. These materials and chemicals cause death and long-lasting effects not only to the Colorado community but also to large geographical areas especially when the release of chemicals are combined with flooding (Konveio, n.d). 

According to my research, I can conclude that the researched location or rather the Colorado community is not vulnerable to disasters that have not occurred in the past.  This is because, following the disasters that have already occurred, Colorado has come up with a comprehensive plan, climate plan, a hazard mitigation plan, and a pre-disaster planning (Konveio, n.d).  The purpose of these plans and strategies is to reduce vulnerability by taking actions toward these adverse impacts.  The planning also has improved the community's knowledge of threats, the community has understood the threats and has exploited the opportunities for managing the threats (Konveio, n.d). By taking actions, the community will reduce the vulnerability of experiencing hazards such as landslide, earthquakes, soil hazards and more.

 

 Reference

 Konveio. (n.d). PLANNING FOR HAZARDS; LAND USE SOLUTIONS FOR COLORADO. Retrieved from: https://www.planningforhazards.com/hazard-identification-and-risk-assessmentReference