Geology class homework

Name: ____________________________________

GLG 110: Dangerous Worlds

Assignment #4: Cities of the World Hazard Assessment

Due Date: Wednesday, December 2nd in Class (or email to [email protected])

Motivation:

We have covered a wide range of natural hazards in this course and discussed their impacts and how human action can mitigate or amplify the affects of these diverse events. We also know that hazards are more or less common or more or less devastating depending on geographic and geologic setting. Scientists are constantly trying to work with government agencies to better understand the risks posed by and improve preparation for a multitude of natural hazards that can affect a city.

Assignment:

You will be assigned a city when this homework is handed out (see page 2). You must research this city and the natural hazards that could affect it, discuss specifics of these hazards, and provide your thoughts on how the city should manage this risk.

Resources:

Your primary starting point will be your textbook and any other information provided in the class. To get all the information you need, Google will be helpful.

Note: Wikipedia is a good starting point for basic information (location, population, etc.), but CANNOT BE YOUR ONLY SOURCE. Use the articles that are linked as sources in the Wikipedia article. Find scientific or governmental websites that discuss your city and/or its hazards.

BE CAREFUL which websites you trust. Websites ending in “.gov” or “.edu” are generally trustworthy, as are websites associated with major news outlets. Be careful however with any website ending in “.com”. Anyone can create a website and write whatever they want, it’s your job to discern the reliability of that information.

References:

List ALL the sources you used for this assignment in the space provided at the end. All I need is a web address and/or Title/Author/Publication Year for any article/book.

DO NOT PLAGIARISE: For questions requiring more than a one-word answer… Answer each question in your own words. DO NOT copy and paste information and treat it as your own writing. DO NOT paraphrase or slightly alter text- if you need to use another person’s words, QUOTE THEM, but do not quote the entirety of your response.

If you complete this assignment without citing sources, you will receive a 0 for plagiarism. It is not possible to complete this assignment using only your textbook. CITE YOUR SOURCES

My City Is:

What is the geographic setting of your city? (coast, inland plains, mountainous, etc.)

What is the population and population density of your city?

Compare these numbers to those for Phoenix: Population: 1.5 million (city)

4.5 million (metro area)

Density: 1150 people/km2

Would you classify your city as developed, developing, or 3rd world? Why?

Consider: infrastructure, standard of living, governmental organization, etc.

What natural hazards could affect your city? (Simply list: hurricanes, floods, volcano, earthquake, landslide, etc.)

Have any hazards recently (~last 10 years) affected your city? What happened? Lives lost? Economic Cost?

Hazard by hazard, what is the worst-case scenario for each hazard and its affect on your city? (i.e. direct hit by hurricane, large earthquake epicenter within city limits, etc.)

Hazard by hazard, what is the most likely effect of a hazard on your city? (i.e. ashfall from nearby volcano, seasonal flooding, moderate earthquake nearby)

Pick the natural hazard you think is most threatening to your city. What is this hazard? How would you mitigate or attempt to reduce the risk this hazard poses to your city? Consider: governmental organization, infrastructure, expansion of city boundaries, building codes, public education, etc.

How would you handle a crisis involving this hazard? Is this hazard something that can be forecast? Should the focus be on evacuation or disaster relief? Is evacuation even possible given your city’s population, infrastructure, and the warning time of this hazard? What would you tell the population of your city if they get caught in the city when the event occurs?

What (if anything) is currently being done by your city to reduce its risk for natural disaster?

References:

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