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Title
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Risk Assessment
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Type
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Primary: Laboratory
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Operation
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Monster Storms
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Mission:
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Mission 5: The Recovery
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Print Page
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90,91
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Subjects
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Science | Earth and space science | Weather | Hurricanes | Precipitation | Storms | Tornadoes | Wind | Personal and social issues | Humans and the environment | Personal health
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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risk assessment, emergency response team, lab activity, hurricane lab, storm lab, emergency planning, allocation of resource, storm impact, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, storm area, hurricane category, Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Categories, Saffir-Simpson Scale, hurricane planning, storm planning, flood, flood, tornado, thunderstorm, storm plan
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Duration
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00:00:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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5/17/2007
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Copyright
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Images courtesy of NOAA/National Climatic Data Center, NCDC, and FEMA.
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From: Monster Storms Mission 5: The Recovery (pp: 90,91) |
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Risk Assessment In this lab, you will decide how coastal communities can best prepare for the impact of monster storms by analyzing hurricane risk assessment data. You will also examine recent hurricane activity data and then make emergency response, financial, and emergency supply decisions. |
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The data that Shirley Murillo collects helps forecasters at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center decide when and where a monster storm will most likely hit. But more importantly, it helps them issue more accurate warnings to affected communities about the storm’s approach, track, and the potential damage it will cause. This data is also used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to create risk maps that show where risks are greatest for various monster storms. These maps help the federal government decide where to put vital resources and how to help people in affected areas. When a hurricane strikes a community, that community’s emergency planners use data like the data Shirley provides to decide how best to offer help, especially to those in the most urgent need.
In this lab, you will analyze a map of recent hurricane activity along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and a risk assessment map. You will then be in charge of deciding how communities along the coast can best use emergency response teams, financial resources, and reserves of supplies to prepare for the impact of a monster storm.
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| Make Observations |
Use the Hurricane History map and the Risk Assessment map to answer the following questions.
- What category of hurricane is most common for the coastal United States?
- Which state has experienced the most hurricanes? Why is this state so prone to hurricanes?
- Using your knowledge of hurricane development, explain why the northeast coast of the United States experiences fewer hurricanes than other areas.
- Based on the Risk Assessment map, if you live in the state of Texas, what is your greatest risk? Note that each risk is indicated at a statewide level. Do you expect the level of risk for hurricanes in Texas, for example, to be the same throughout the entire state? Explain.
- What states of the continental United States are at highest risk for both hurricanes and tornadoes?
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| Develop a Plan |
 For your city, town, or community, research a type of monster storm event that could possibly impact you. Using information from your own research, www.fema.gov, and www.noaa.gov, develop a response plan to help your local government and citizens prepare for a monster storm. Include the following information in your plan:
- What is the population of the region included in your plan?
- What emergency response resources are available (police, fire, hospitals, etc.)?
- Does your city or region have a Red Cross center (or similar agency)? What kinds of emergency preparedness information can they provide?
- If people must evacuate, how will an evacuation order and evacuation route information be communicated to them?
- What facilities can be used as shelters and where are they located?
- What should individuals do to prepare for a storm (stockpile water and emergency supplies, for example)?
- How will you rescue stranded individuals and provide critical care to sick and elderly?
- What resources and tools would be required for cleaning up and removing debris?
- How will you provide relief resources (food, water, clothing) after the storm?
- How will you provide emergency sanitation and restore sanitary conditions?
- Are there any other important considerations for this type of emergency event in your particular community?
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| Extension |
- When planning urban construction or development, what consideration should city planners and engineers give to natural hazards such as monster storms?
- How are wildlife affected by monster storms in your area?
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Journal Question
How do human activities, such as land use and urban growth, factor into the damage that can result from a monster storm? |
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