2 January 2021
By Seth Borenstein {Spending|Investing} her life in Los Angeles, Morgan Andersen {knows|understands} natural {disasters|catastrophes} all too well. In college, an earthquake shook her {home|house} hard. Her {grandfather|grandpa} was {affected|impacted} by {recent|current} wildfires in {neighboring|surrounding} Orange County.
“It’s {just|simply} that {constant|continuous|consistent} {reminder|pointer|tip|suggestion}, ‘Oh yeah, we live {somewhere|someplace} where there’s natural {disasters|catastrophes} and they can strike at any time,'” {said|stated} the 29-year-old marketing executive.
The Federal {Emergency|Emergency Situation} Management {Agency|Company|Firm} {has|has actually} {calculated|determined|computed} the {risk|danger|threat} {for every|for each|for every single} county in America for 18 {types of|kinds of} natural {disasters|catastrophes}, such as earthquakes, {hurricanes|typhoons|cyclones}, {tornadoes|twisters}, floods, volcanoes and even tsunamis. And of the more than 3,000 counties, Los Angeles County has the {highest|greatest} ranking in the National {Risk|Danger|Threat} Index.
The {way|method} FEMA {calculates|determines|computes} the index {spotlights|highlights} {places|locations} long {known as|referred to as|called} {danger|risk|threat} {spots|areas}, like Los Angeles, {but|however} some other {places|locations} highlighted run counter to what {most people|many people|the majority of people} would {think|believe}. {{For instance|For example}, eastern cities such as {New York|New york city} and Philadelphia rank far {higher|greater} on the {risk|danger|threat} for {tornadoes|twisters} than {tornado|twister} {alley|street} stalwarts Oklahoma and Kansas.
| Eastern cities such as New York and Philadelphia rank far {higher|greater} on the {risk|danger|threat} for {tornadoes|twisters} than {tornado|twister} {alley|street} stalwarts Oklahoma and Kansas.
} And the county with the {biggest|most significant|greatest} {coastal|seaside} flood {risk|danger|threat} is one in Washington state that’s not on the ocean, although its river is tidal.
Those {seeming|appearing} {oddities|quirks|curiosity} {occur|happen|take place} {because|since|due to the fact that} FEMA’s index {scores|ratings} how {often|frequently|typically} {disasters|catastrophes} strike, {how many|the number of} {people|individuals} and {how much|just how much} {property|residential or commercial property|home} {are in|remain in} {harm|damage}’s {way|method}, how {vulnerable|susceptible} the population is socially and how well the {area|location} {is able to|has the ability to} {bounce back|recover|recuperate|get better}. {And that|Which} {results in|leads to} a high {risk|danger|threat} {assessment|evaluation} for {big|huge} cities with {lots of|great deals of} {poor|bad} {people|individuals} and {expensive|costly|pricey} {property|residential or commercial property|home} that are ill-prepared to be {hit|struck} by once-in-a-generation {disasters|catastrophes}.
While the rankings {may|might} {seem|appear} “{counterintuitive|counterproductive},” the degree of {risk|danger|threat} isn’t {just|simply} how {often|frequently|typically} {a type of|a kind of} natural {disaster|catastrophe} strikes {a place|a location}, {but|however} how bad the toll would be, according to FEMA’s Mike Grimm.
Take {tornadoes|twisters}. {Two|2} {New York|New york city} City counties, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Hudson County, New Jersey, are FEMA’s {top|leading} {five|5} riskiest counties for {tornadoes|twisters}. Oklahoma County, Oklahoma– with more than 120 {tornadoes|twisters} {since|because|considering that|given that} 1950, {including|consisting of} one that {killed|eliminated} 36 {people|individuals} in 1999– ranks 120th.
“They (the {top|leading} {five|5}) are {a low frequency|a radio frequency}, {potentially|possibly} high-consequence {event|occasion} {because|since|due to the fact that} there’s {a lot of|a great deal of} {property|residential or commercial property|home} {exposure|direct exposure} {in that|because} {area|location},” {said|stated} University of South Carolina Hazards & & Vulnerability {Research|Research Study} Institute Director Susan Cutter, whose work much of the FEMA {calculations|computations|estimations} are {based on|based upon}. “{Therefore|For that reason}, {a small|a little} {tornado|twister} can {create|produce|develop} {a large|a big} dollar loss.”
In {New York|New york city}, {people|individuals} are far less {aware of|familiar with|knowledgeable about} the {risk|danger|threat} and less {prepared|ready}– {and that|which}’s {a problem|an issue}, Grimm {said|stated}. The day {before|prior to} he {said|stated} that, {New York|New york city} had {a tornado|a twister} watch. Days {later|later on}, the National {Weather|Weather condition} Service tweeted that in 2020 {several|a number of|numerous} cities, {mostly|mainly|primarily} along the East Coast, had more {tornadoes|twisters} than Wichita, Kansas.
In {general|basic}, Oklahoma is {twice|two times} as {likely|most likely} to get {tornadoes|twisters} as {New York|New york city} City, {but|however} the damage {potential|capacity} is much {higher|greater} in {New York|New york city} {because|since|due to the fact that} there are 20 times {the people|individuals} and {nearly|almost} 20 times the {property|residential or commercial property|home} {value|worth} at {risk|danger|threat}, FEMA {officials|authorities} {said|stated}.
“It’s that {risk|danger|threat} {perception|understanding} that it {won’t|will not} {happen|occur|take place} to me,” Grimm {said|stated}. “{Just because|Even if} I {haven’t|have not} seen it in my {lifetime|life time} {doesn’t|does not} {mean|imply|indicate|suggest} it {won’t|will not} {happen|occur|take place}.”
That sort of {denial|rejection} is {especially|particularly|specifically} {true|real} with {{frequent|regular} and {costly|expensive|pricey}|{costly|expensive|pricey} and {frequent|regular}} flooding, he {said|stated}, and is the {reason|factor} {only|just} 4% of the population has federal flood {insurance|insurance coverage} when about one-third {may|might} {need|require} it.
{Disaster|Catastrophe} {experts|professionals|specialists} {say|state} {people|individuals} {have to|need to} {think about|consider|think of} the {big|huge} {disaster|catastrophe} that {happens|occurs|takes place} {only a few|just a few|just a couple of} times {a lifetime|a life time} at {most|many|a lot of|the majority of}, {but|however} is {devastating|ravaging} when it {hits|strikes}– {Hurricane|Typhoon|Cyclone} Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, the 2011 {super|very|incredibly|extremely} {outbreak|break out} of {tornadoes|twisters}, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake or a pandemic.
“We’re bad at taking seriously {risks|runs the risk of} that {happen|occur|take place} {only|just} {infrequently|rarely|occasionally},” {said|stated} David Ropeik, a retired Harvard {risk|danger|threat} {communications|interactions} {lecturer|speaker} and author of “How Risky Is It, {Really|Truly|Actually}?” “We {simply|just|merely} {don’t|do not} fear them as much as we fear things that are more present in our {consciousness|awareness}, more {common|typical}. That’s {practically|virtually|almost} {disastrous|devastating|dreadful} with natural {disasters|catastrophes}.”
Something like FEMA’s {new|brand-new} index “opens our eyes to the {gaps|spaces} {between|in between} what we feel and what is,” Ropeik {said|stated}.
FEMA’s {top|leading} 10 riskiest {places|locations}, in addition to Los Angeles, are {three|3} counties in the {New York|New york city} City {area|location}– Bronx, {New York|New York City} County (Manhattan) and Kings County (Brooklyn)– {along with|together with|in addition to} Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas, St. Louis and Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California.
By the {same|exact same|very same} measurement, Loudoun County, a Washington, D.C. {outer|external} {suburb|suburban area|residential area}, has {the lowest|the most affordable} {risk|danger|threat} of any county, according to FEMA. {Three|3} other Washington {suburban|rural} counties rank {among|amongst} {the lowest|the most affordable} {risks|dangers|threats} for {larger|bigger} counties, {along with|together with|in addition to} {suburban|rural} Boston, Long Island, {suburban|rural} Detroit and Pittsburgh.
{Some of|A few of} FEMA’s {risk|danger|threat} rankings by {disaster|catastrophe} type {seem|appear} {obvious|apparent}. Miami has the {highest|greatest} {risk|danger|threat} for {hurricanes|typhoons|cyclones}, lightning, and river flooding. Hawaii County is tops in volcano {risk|danger|threat} and Honolulu County for tsunamis, Dallas for hail, Philadelphia for heat waves and California’s Riverside County for wildfires.
{Outside|Outdoors} {risk|danger|threat} {expert|professional|specialist} Himanshu Grover at the University of Washington called FEMA’s effort “{a good|a great|an excellent} tool, {a good|a great|an excellent} start,” {but|however} one with {flaws|defects}, such as {final|last} {scores|ratings} that {seem|appear} to {downplay|minimize} {disaster|catastrophe} frequency.
{Risks|Dangers|Threats} are {changing|altering} {because|since|due to the fact that} of {climate|environment} {change|modification} and this index {doesn’t|does not} {seem|appear} to {address|deal with|attend to|resolve} that, Ropeik {said|stated}. FEMA {officials|authorities} {said|stated} {climate|environment} {change|modification} {shows up|appears} in flooding {calculations|computations|estimations} and will {probably|most likely} be {incorporated|integrated|included} in future updates.
This {new|brand-new} tool, {based on|based upon} {calculations|computations|estimations} by 80 {experts|professionals|specialists} over {six|6} years, {is about|has to do with} “{educating|informing} {{homeowners|property owners|house owners} and {renters|tenants|occupants}|{renters|tenants|occupants} and {homeowners|property owners|house owners}} and {communities|neighborhoods} to be more {resilient|durable|resistant},” FEMA’s Grimm {said|stated}, {adding|including} that {people|individuals} {shouldn’t|should not} move into or out of a county {because|since|due to the fact that} of the {risk|danger|threat} {rating|score|ranking}.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department {receives|gets} {support|assistance} from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is {solely|entirely|exclusively} {responsible|accountable} for all content.Source: ocregister.com