Part 1: Hazard Adjustments
Fort Drum County is in the northern part of Northern New York. The county is bounded to the east by the Saint Lawrence River and to the west by Lake Ontario. To the east and north Jefferson County is bounded to three other counties namely Lewis, Saint Lawrence, and Oswego.
Fort Drum is highly susceptible to three main hazards. This includes Atmospheric hazards (such as storm, extreme wind, and winter storm) hydrological hazards (like Ice Jams, floods, and drought) and other hazards such as wildfires. Fort Drum County for a long time now has been experiencing very strong winters. Snowstorms, the most dangerous of all winter storms, is said to combine with low temperatures, winds of at least 33 miles per hour, and heavy snow reducing visibility. The destructive nature of flash floods can be mitigated by building barriers along rivers that are prone to flooding. Moreover, residential structures should be located in high-rise areas since flooding occurs mostly in flat and low areas. People also need to be educated to avoid traveling during the heavy winters especially when the visibility is reduced. As far as doughty and wildfire is concerned, people need to avoid lighting of fires during the dry season. Finally, residents should have knowledge on the dangers of exposure to storms. The government should also through the metrology department keep people informed in case of suspected coming storms.
Part 2: Demographics of Social Vulnerability
While Fort Drum is wide-open to extreme temperatures, existing infrastructure and buildings are usually critical but still they are not considered significantly. Any appraised property losses related with these hazards are predicted to be minimal. This part seeks to explore how the community needs to be fully protected depending on the listed demographic aspects. In order to copiously protect the community, there are several things that need to be put in place. This will depend on the demographics such as sex, mobility, employment status, disabilities, and even location.
1. Elderly and low income households – these groups of people may not be able to meet the expense of operating a heat source on a consistent basis and also they may not have close family who can look out for their wellbeing.
2. Employment status- Jefferson County is one of those counties that are exposed to extreme drought and wildfires, and critical facilities cannot be deliberated significantly susceptible to sizable damage that are usually caused by thrilling cold or heat events. People who are not employed are more likely to be more affected by floods and heat waves when compared to those working. This is because they cannot afford some of the useful materials required to respond to these emergencies. They also more prone because their house are poorly constructed and can easily be carried away by these floods. To effectively help them, there is a need to ensure that all people no matter their working status have strong buildings and have access to all materials that are required to respond to these emergencies (USA.com, 2012).
3. Disability - people who are disabled are more vulnerable than anyone else in the community. To help them, there is a need to ensure that all disabled people leaving in places that are prone to heat waves and floods are in safe places and if not they should be moved to safer places (USA.com, 2012).
4. Location- people leaving I flat places are likely to be more affected by floods as compared to those leaving in gradient places. They should, therefore, be helped to build gabions that will drain waters away from their homes (USA.com, 2012).
References
Perry, R.W., Prater, C.S., & Lindell, M.K. (2006). Fundamentals of emergency management. Retrieved from http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/fem.asp.
USA.com (2012). Fort Drum, NY. Retrieved from http://www.usa.com/fort-drum-ny.htm
