Emergency Management Hazards in America

Emergency Management

Hazards in America

One natural hazard especially prevalent in the U.S. this year is the hazard of wildfire. Fires have already taken their toll in California, Florida, and Georgia, and the chance of continued occurrence throughout the summer is extremely high, due to drought conditions throughout the country. The impact upon the population may seem negligible at first, as relatively few homes and buildings are lost per capita in most wildfires. However, if a wildfire occurs in a densely populated area, as the fire in the Oakland Hills in 1991, numerous lives and thousands of homes can be lost. The impact on the population is not only loss of life or property; it is loss of wildland and ecological habitats due to fire. The 2006 fires in Eastern Nevada destroyed thousands of acres of habitat for wild animals and livestock, and the impact to ranchers and the land was incalculable. The impact thus is measured by dollars lost, but also in long-term impact to the environment as it takes time for the wildlands to replenish themselves. Emergency management can respond to the problem by educating people to create defensible space around their homes and to be careful with any fire in the open.

A technological hazard facing the country is flammable liquids, such as gasoline. The liquid can explode due to a spark or an accident involving a tanker or vehicle, and the material can spread as it flows away from the accident. The effect on the population can be devastating if a large amount explodes or it spreads over a wide area. Emergency management can help control and prevent flammable liquid emergencies by educating the public on the dangers of flammable liquids, responding with evacuation procedures during an event, and clean up of the toxic material after the fire and debris have been removed. Flammable liquids are so prevalent in our society that they can pose a very important threat that must be understood by all emergency management personnel. A gasoline or other flammable liquid explosion could wreak havoc on a heavily populated area, and prevention could include transportation routes that avoid these areas.