Disaster Preparedness Of The United States - 1239 Words

The United States experiences a variety of natural disasters throughout the year. Regardless of the location of a natural disaster in the United States, a program of disaster preparedness, mitigation, management, and prevention must be followed. Our community is nestled deep in the southeastern corner of the United States. The south Florida area is bordered by water to the west, south, and east. We are tested each year with flooding from torrential downpours, wildfires during the dry season, and the possibility of hurricane landfall. All three of these hazards have the potential for creating great damage to property, crippling local everyday life, and possibly causing loss of life. Being prepared for a disaster includes all of the†¦show more content†¦During the summer months, south Florida areas experience heavy rain situation that sometimes cause widespread flooding in some regions. There are four different types of flooding that can occur. First type of flooding is flash flooding. Flash flooding occurs when the ground becomes saturated with water that has fallen too quickly to be absorbed. Flash floods can also occur due to a dam or levee failure. Second type of flooding is river flooding. River flooding occurs more in the northern part of the state and near lake Okeechobee. Mostly caused by water runoff and dumps into lakes and basins to the point of overflow. These types of floods are not very prevalent in the south Florida area. Next type of flooding is urban flooding. Flooding can be magnified in urban areas as paved areas lose their ability to absorb rainfall. Urbanization increases water runoff as much as two to six times over what would occur on natural terrain. There’s also areal flooding, which results in standing water in low-lying areas and open fields. This stagnant water can serve as a breeding ground for insects and disease. These last two types of floods are the ones that affect the south Florida area most. Flood mapped areas in the south Florida area have more enhanced drainage to remove the water. Also, extra pump stations setup around those areas to help pump the water out in case of flooding. Although these areas may still have some flooding, the risk assessment and mitigation efforts