Natural Disaster Hazard Assessment

Hazard Assessment for Memphis, Tennessee Environmental Geology Hazard Assessment for Memphis, Tennessee A natural disaster is defined as any event or force of nature that has catastrophic consequences (â€Å"natural disaster†). The only reason that these events are considered to have catastrophic consequences is because people are negatively affected by these natural events. If people were not present during these events, they would not be considered catastrophic. The more people affected means the event would be considered more catastrophic. Tennessee is the 17th most populated state, with approximately 6. million residents (Infoplease. com). Within the state, Shelby county covers the most area, (755 square miles), and is also the most populated county, with approximately 927,644 people residing there (Infoplease. com). Shelby county includes the city of Memphis. Memphis is the most populated city within Tennessee with at least 645,000 residents (Infoplease. com). I have atta ched several maps in order to see different parts of the land. Map I shows where the county lines are located within Tennessee. You can also see where Memphis is located within the county. Map II shows the elevation levels of the state.As you can see in that map, Memphis is located within the lowest elevation levels of the state. Map III shows the rivers that run throughout the state. The main river that runs between the Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri borders is the Mississippi River. There are several natural disasters that I would consider to be threats to the Memphis area. One natural disaster that I would consider to be a concern to Memphis would be an earthquake. According to the United States Geological Survey, (USGS), there is an approximately six percent chance that there will be a major earthquake within 50 kilometers ofMemphis in the next 50 years (Homefacts. com). The last earthquakes that had magnitudes of five were in 1976 and 1991 (Homefacts. com). The earthquake re corded in 1976 was approximately 40 miles away from Memphis. Looking at the sources found, I see that Tennessee has had its fair share of earthquakes, so I would say that another earthquake occurring in the area should be a concern of the citizens and government officials. â€Å"There is a broad agreement in the scientific community that a continuing concern exists for a major destructive earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone. Many structures in Memphis, Tenn. and other communities in the central Mississippi River Valley region are vulnerable and at risk for severe ground shaking. † (USGS. gov). The New Madrid Earthquake of 1812 was one of the most significant events in U. S. history. Topographic changes were noted over an area of 75,000 to 130,000 square kilometers, with the total area shaken being at least five million square kilometers (USGS. gov). Back then, the damage was minimal because of sparse population. Nowadays, an earthquake that severe could result in  "great loss of life and property damage in the billions of dollars† (Cusec. rg). The fact that Memphis is the most populated city in the state, a small earthquake could cause a significant amount of damage. â€Å"By learning about the potential earthquake hazards in your area and by taking certain preparedness measures now, you can increase your chances of surviving an earthquake and minimize its dangerous and damaging impacts† (Cusec. org). There are many organizations that Memphis has in order to help citizens learn how to prepare for these catastrophic events, and what to do in order to survive.One organization is the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (R. A. C. E. S. ), which is a volunteer communications group that assists the Shelby county area. R. A. C. E. S. provides emergency personnel that can help with communications during local, regional, or national emergency/disaster events (Cityofmemphis. org). Another organization that provides help during emergency situations is the Memphis/Shelby County Emergency Management Agency (EMA). The EMA helps local, state, and federal agencies with response to disasters that requires a multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional response.The EMA has satellite links with the National Weather Service that activates sirens in order to warn the residents of multiple cities, including Memphis (Cityofmemphis. org). There are also things that the citizens and homeowners could do in order to minimize the damage during earthquake. Earthquake drills are a great way to help enforce the importance of preparedness, and to prevent panic and injury during an earthquake. Families should have emergency plans that lay out where everyone is going to be and where to reunite with one another. Keep a flashlight and a batterypowered radio in the home.Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves, and fasten the shelves to walls. And lastly, have a seven to ten day supply of food and water (Cusec. org). You can never be too prepared for any natural disaster, so being safe is better than being sorry. Not all natural disasters are threats to Memphis. Volcanoes are an example of a natural disaster that is not a threat to the Memphis area. There are no known volcanoes in the area that would cause any kind of harm to the residents of Memphis. Historically, there have not been any known volcanoes in the area either.Memphis is not located on any fault boundaries, so I would think that there would no volcanoes forming in the area any time in the near future. Hurricanes are a little more of a concern for Memphis. The western area of the state has the possibility of being affected by the end of certain storms. Hurricane Katrina is an example of this situation in which Memphis can be affected by storms not necessarily in the direct area. When Hurricane Katrina hit the U. S. in 2005, multiple counties in Tennessee were evacuated; Shelby County was one of those counties (Fema. gov).I would consider Memphis to be slightly co ncern about hurricanes occurring in the area, especially since the city is located at a low elevation. The lower elevation would be more susceptible to flooding. The government should have adequate warning of the hurricane, since it would most likely be coming from the Gulf of Mexico. I would also expect that the citizens would be prepared for hurricanes, since they are used to flooding situations. Tornadoes, I feel, are more of a concern than hurricanes. There are many more tornadoes in the middle of the state then there are on the outskirts.Tornadoes are more likely to strike open plains rather than in an urban area, like Memphis. â€Å"The reality is, very few tornadoes ever touch down in the city of Memphis†¦.. Nevertheless, tornadoes can and have struck within the city† (About. com). There have been numerous tornadoes that have affected Shelby county, but not nearly as many as the middle of the state. The last one that affected Shelby County, and had a high death co unt was in 1987, with at least 120 deaths (NWS Memphis Forecast Area Tornado Database). There have since been tornadoes that have caused deaths, hich is not surprising considering the amount of people that live in the city. With all the tornadoes that have gone through the county, there has always been a significant amount of damage. That also is understandable since there are a lot of buildings in the city. There have also been plenty of tornado warnings for the state, but not all of them affecting Shelby County. The last tornado warning that included Shelby County was on May 9, 2011. In order to be prepared for a tornado, there are several things we could do. First of all, avoid windows and seek shelter in the center-most room on the lowest floor possible.Use your hands and arms to protect yourself from falling debris. Also, keep some sort of identification on you at all times in case you are hurt or disoriented (About. com). Keeping identification on you is a good idea for every natural disaster. It will help emergency personnel identify who you are and hopefully get you back with your family. Tsunamis are another type of natural disaster that is not a concern for Memphis. There have been no known tsunamis recorded for Memphis. I do not think that there will be any future tsunamis in Memphis because there is no ocean or large body of water located near Memphis.The Mississippi River is near Memphis, but the river does not create waves that would be large enough to create a seismic wave. Even though tsunamis are not a threat to the city, flooding is a huge concern for the city. The Mississippi River is right near the city, so that would be a reason as to why the area floods frequently. The city is also at a low elevation, which is another reason as to why the area floods frequently. There is currently an active flood warning in effective right now (Fema. gov). Last year, there was flood that occurred in the beginning of May.The Mississippi River was supposed to rise to a record level of 48 feet, with 48. 7 being the record crest in 1937. More than 1,300 homes were ordered to evacuate and nearly 400 people were living in shelters. According to an article on abcnews. com, the most extensive damage occurred in Memphis, where â€Å"entire neighborhoods have been swallowed by the water and vehicles completely submerged† (Tanglao, â€Å"Memphis Flooding†). Since this obviously happens frequently, the citizens and government have ideas of what the levees can hold, and what the river’s maximum water level is.To prepare for flooding situations, there are certain things the government should tell their residents in order to make sure they are safe. They must send out warnings letting people know when and if the water level is high enough to go over the lands limits. In Memphis, the government should be able to accurately know when and if the Mississippi River has reached its maximum, and if people should evacuate their homes. As a resident, you should also be aware of what is going on in your community and know about the town’s emergency plans.You should also have sump pumps with back-up power in order to prevent contamination of the flooded water. Turn off all utilities at the main power switch in order to prevent electrocution. Fill bathtubs, sinks, and soda bottles with clean water, so you have water to drink that is not contaminated. You should also have water bottles and a food supply that will last a couple of days (Bt. cdc. gov). On the opposite end of the spectrum, wildfires are another example of a non-threat to Memphis. There are no forests in Memphis because it is a highly urban area with lots of people and buildings.The last wildfire reported in Memphis was in 1952, when there was a serious drought (Tnema. org). Even though there was that wildfire many years ago, I do not think that there is a serious threat to Memphis for another wildfire. Lastly, I also think that there is not a thr eat for extreme winter conditions to occur in Memphis. The last warning for some sort of winter conditions for Shelby County was in February 1992 (Fema. gov). Even though that was not too long ago, I still feel like there is not a huge concern for extreme winter conditions to occur any time soon again.Since Memphis is further south, they do not really get harsh winters like we do here in Pennsylvania. Memphis Tennessee has its fair share of natural disasters. They have to be concerned about earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes the most, while extreme winter conditions, volcanoes, and tsunamis the least concerned about. Every place on the Earth has to be concerned with natural disasters. Humans make the disasters a lot worse than they actually are, but there is nobody else to blame but ourselves. We get in the way of nature, and have to pay the consequences some way or another. Map IMap II Map III Works Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Natural Disasters & Severe Weathe r. Web. 12 April 2012. Central United States Earthquake Consortium. Earthquake Safety. Web. 12 April 2012. City of Memphis. Emergency Management Agency. 2003-2011. Web. 12 April 2012. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Tennessee Disaster History. 26 March 2012. Web. 12 April 2012. â€Å"Memphis Earthquake Information. † Homefacts. com. 2012. Web. 12 April 2012. â€Å"Natural Disaster. † Dictionary. com. Web. NWS Memphis Forecast Area Tornado Database. Web. 12 April 2012. Tanglao, Leezel. Memphis Flooding: Mississippi River Nears Record Highs. † AbcNews. com. 9 May 2011. Web. 12 April 2012. â€Å"Tennessee. † Information Please Database. Pearson Education, 2011. Web. 12 April 2012. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. Wildfire. Web. 12 April 2012. â€Å"Tornadoes in Memphis: What to expect and how to stay safe. † About. com. The New York Times Company, 4 April 2011. Web. 12 April 2012. United States Geological Survey. Earthquake Hazard in the New Madrid Seismic Zone Remains a Concern. 3 August 2009. Web. 12 April 2012. United States Geological Survey. Tennessee: Earthquake History. 21 October 2009. Web. 12 April 2012.

Why Is Strategy Important to Business?

Strategy is determining where you are now, where you want to go, and how to get there. It’s the art of developing and implementing specific actions and decisions that will help a business to achieve goals and objectives as set out by the owners. Through the strategy process the overall direction of the company is set including opportunities and threats in the outside world and the internal strengths and weaknesses of the business. The aim of a business strategy is to ensure that the threats posed by the external environment are minimized and also to strengthen or minimize the effects of internal weaknesses. The opportunities and strengths are combined to ensure maximum productivity is achieved. The more the external environment changes the more opportunities there are likely for a company, but the more threats can be a problem if not prepared for. Without a business strategy, it would be difficult for an owner to realize the opportunities available. Strategic management in contrast with business policy is a technical approach having a five step model. Strategic management is a set of managerial decisions and actions that determine the long run performance of a company. Strategic management does not have to be just a part of the top level management. In fact, organizations should focus on strategic management at all levels of the management and the entire hierarchy of the company should be involved both in planning and implementation phases. Strategic management does not have to be just a part of the top level management. Organizations should focus on strategic management such that all levels of the management and the entire hierarchy of the company should be involved in both planning and implementation phases. The basic theory of strategic management involves the action of creating and implementing plans and decisions for the benefit of the organization and to help it achieve its objectives. Strategic management analyzes and scan the environment therefore future problems and opportunities could be well anticipated, allows a firm’s top management to anticipate changes and provide track and control for the enterprise, provides clear cut mission, also gives vision and objectives of enterprise to all the employees, and allows a firm to take decisions on the basis of long range forecast. Your vision must be future-oriented it has to paint a picture that attracts employees through the use of visual imagery. This is what gets people hooked into buy-ins, followership, and implementation of the plan. So it means you just have to think outside the box of today and describe the world of the future. With the current situation of the economy the fact that some business establishments have stopped their operation and closed has caused big drop in small and large corporations. Having back up plan would be the idea should the original plan does not succeed businessmen could have alternative options or backed up plans for the continuity and success of the business. Since businessmen are knowledgeable of the business processes, they know the importance of having back up plans. Without a contingency plan, and should the original plan fail, businessmen and the business could experience a lot of trouble. The Mission statement is important because it describes the reason for the existence of an organization and what it hopes to achieve. While mission statements vary from organization to organization and represent the distinctness of each one, they all share similar components. Before writing a mission statement, leaders in the organization must have an idea of what is in store for the future. This vision is the foundation for the mission statement. Most statements include descriptions of the organization's target market, the geographic domain, their concern for survival, growth and profitability, the company philosophy, and the organization's desired public image. In addition, it is a tool that conveys the goal, organizational structure and strategy, legitimacy, values, participation and ownership among employees, leadership, responsibility to the community, ethical priorities, and commitment to the public and stakeholders. The organizational decision making process involves proper and efficient implementation of strategic plans and methods to achieve desired business objective. Often one difficulty facing an organization is that multiple divisions are involved in the overall decision making process. Making a decision can have different implications for each respective division. With the businesses of today facing shortened product lifecycles, organizations are facing intense competitive pressures to build market share to stay ahead of rivals. Process changes, the introduction of new and improved disruptive technologies are forcing companies to adapt new business goals and objectives in shortened timeframes, this alone places stresses on all organization. References Karger (1991). Strategic Management: The Key to Corporate Success Pearce II, J.A., & Robinson, Jr., R.B. (2008). Strategic management. (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Mission and Vision Statements http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Mar-No/Mission-and-Vision-Statements.html#ixzz1LGZLzvbI

How Their Life Influenced Their Poetry

Maya Angelou’s poetry was influenced by the many things that Maya did and had gone through in her life. Mayas depressing and sad childhood also influenced her by creating inspiring poems. Maya had gone through a lot in her in her life when she was young. This helped her write her thoughtful and interesting poems. A poem that was influenced by Mayas life is â€Å"Still I Rise†. Slavery, racism, and discrimination in the poet’s life influenced this poem. â€Å"Leaving behind nights of terrors and fears I rise.Bringing the gift that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and hope of the slaves. † This quote shows you that Maya had a tough time in her life. Maya when she was younger was sent back to live with her mother after her parents divorce and was rapped by her mother’s boyfriend. Several of Mayas uncles murdered her mother’s boyfriend and after this catastrophe Maya didn’t talk much. What helped her escape that loneliness and depressing life was writing poetry. Maya would express her feelings all into a piece of paper and make it into poetry.That’s what helped Maya rise. â€Å"Still I Rise† is a great poem. It shows how strong and brave she was. Angelou wrote this poem expressing that people can say or do what ever they want but you are still going to rise. In other words people can try to hurt you but if you’re proud of your self and proud of whom you are then that will help people back off because they know and can sense that nothing can bring you down. A poem called â€Å"Our Grandmothers† is also a poem that was really influenced by discrimination and racism in Mayas life.Angelou used to be discriminated because of her color and race. Being separated from her mother at such a young age and with a lot of racism going around at that time influenced Maya to write â€Å"Our Grandmothers†. In the poem a woman named Momma is going to be sold by the master away from her children. But Momma tells her children to be strong and say â€Å"I shall not be moved†. My opinion is that the theme of the poem is that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what color or religious you are you are all the same.Everyone is unique and special in their own way. Just because you’re a different color then someone else it doesn’t mean that you have to mistreat or be mean to them. Last but not least is â€Å"Phenomenal†. This poem was influenced by her confidence in life. â€Å"Now you understand just why my head’s not bowed, I don’t shout or jump about or have to talk real loud, when you see me passing it ought to make you proud†. This means that you don’t have to act all crazy, dress up, act up or anything just for people to notice. You should be confident and just be yourself.Being confident will help you get far in life. For example Maya is very confident and she has done a lot of great things in her life. Being con fident and being who she is not acting like someone else helped her achieve it. When Maya Angelou was younger, she loved to work in her grandmother’s store. She loved everything about it and working in the store is what practically made her such a hard worker. Since she was used to working so hard in the store when she grew up most of the things were mostly a piece of cake for her because she was used to it.Also because of Mayas hard work, Maya has achieved a lot of great things in her life. Especially maintaining a baby at a young age by her self before she even graduated from high school. Maya has reached a lot of goals and has accomplished a lot of her dreams because of all the hard work she has done. Maya Angelou is a very lucky woman. She has had an opportunity to become famous and publish her poems into a book. Maya even had the opportunity to write a poem for Clinton who asked her to write one just for the occasion.Maya is an African- American woman that people can lea rn a lot from. Maya Angelou is a very phenomenal and intelligent woman. All of these poems were influenced by Mayas life. Maya has been through out a lot in her life. She is such an incredible poet and woman. She’s so elegant and intelligent. Her intelligence is also what helped her be everything she was and is today. Maya is the poet I chose because of the way she expresses herself in her poems also because of the way Maya makes her poetry sound so interesting and understandable. Throughout her life, she influenced her poems.

The Black Death in the Middle Ages Research Paper

The Black Death in the Middle Ages - Research Paper Example The bacillus normally persists as a mild infection in the bloodstream of infected rats. The rat flea, or Xenopsylla cheopis, is the vector which transmits the bacillus to other rats. In unusual circumstances, such as the absence of an adequate rodent population, the flea may bite and infect humans. The human immune system is very vulnerable to the bacillus and the plague is usually fatal1. A study of the origin, spread, characteristics and significance of the Black Death in the Middle Ages shows that it was one of the greatest catastrophes in human history. The origin of the Black Death can be traced through historical accounts to Central Asia: â€Å"The earliest documented appearance --- occurred in 1346, in the Mongol territory called the Khanate of the Golden Horde† in present-day southern Russia2. The plague crossed biological barriers in Central Asia to attack and decimate the marmot population. These dead mammals were skinned by Asian trappers and the hides became a part of the merchandise which travelled down the famous ‘Silk Road’ from China, across Asia and to the Crimea.3 The outbreak is reported to have emerged after earthquakes and strange atmospheric conditions. The pestilence first ravaged the teeming populations of China and India, and moved to Persia, supposedly resulting in twenty-four million casualties in the East. There are accounts of horrendous casualties in China, India, Mesopotamia, Cairo, Syria and Cyprus. Gabriele de’ Mussis, a notary of Piacenza, writes that â€Å"In the year 1346, in eastern parts an immense number of Tartars and Saracens fell victims to a sudden and mysterious death.† ... Tartars and Saracens fell victims to a sudden and mysterious death.†5 The Tartars besieged the Black Sea port of Caffa (modern Feodosia), a Genoese settlement in the Crimea, where Italian merchants had taken refuge. The Tartars reportedly catapulted plague-infected corpses into Caffa, spreading the infection to the Genoese, who in turn carried it to Genoa. By 1348, the plague had moved from the seaports to reach the inland areas of Alexandria, Tunisia, Italy and France. It jumped across the seas to Britain, Ireland and Norway. It continued to spread until, â€Å"By 1350 virtually all of western and central Europe has been affected.†6 The plague moved eastwards to Poland and the Baltic lands the next year and then back to Central Asia in 1353, when it finally subsided. Historians currently estimate that, between 1346 –1353, the Black Death may have caused 50 million deaths in Europe. This constituted about 60 percent of the population. The characteristic symptoms o f the Black Death show it to have been a lethal combination of the Bubonic plague and the pneumonic plague. At the onset of the bacillus’ entry into the human bloodstream, the immune system responded with fever and the swelling of the lymph nodes in an attempt to flush out the contagion. These painful, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and groin, were called buboes: hence Bubonic plague. These swellings were referred to as the gavocciolo. Boccaccio states that some of these swellings â€Å"were egg-shaped while others were roughly the size of the common apple.†7 By the third day the victim experienced high fever, diarrhea and delirium and the skin showed dark splotches due to the rupture of blood capillaries and the clotting of blood beneath the epidermis. This darkening of the skin may be the

Final question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final question - Assignment Example This has led to a situation where no one is taking care of the workers because of poor labor standards. In addition, the environment is least cared for. These can be corrected by forming powerful unions that advocate for the rights of workers. In addition, international laws on issues such as environment need to be adopted by all countries to avoid further environmental degradation. Thirdly, globalization has led to the increase in arms trade thereby increasing conflicts. To avoid this, governments need to check their military budgets and allocate more resources to other key sectors of the economy. In addition, enforcing international rules on arms trade can help prevent the excessive movement of arms. Finally, economic globalization gives rise to complex trade rules that limit trade between countries. Such complexities can be avoided if countries formulate rules that enhance equity and fairness. Although globalization promises benefits to all countries, economic inequality is however causing the opposite. Countries that are economically sound continue to exploit the poor countries, thereby creating unbalanced development. Globalization has worsened the issue of inequality in the sense that powerful countries have formulated laws that limit the ability of other countries to predicate in global economic activities. For instance, it has been argued by Jennifer Olmsted (2007) that countries such as Iraq and Palestine have been denied the right to take part in the globalization economy due to sanctions and international policies. Powerful countries continue to exploit poor nations, thereby making the rift bigger. Due to inequality, people from poor nations are engaging less in productive activities; suffer high mortality rates and the rates of illiteracy increase. This in turn shapes globalization by limiting the ability of these people to engage in globalization activities. The solution to this is

DB Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DB Assignment - Essay Example The medical staff must be vigilant in providing both medical and nursing services being careful not compromising the patients dignity through deliberately ignoring the patients information and by extension causing harm to the patient Medical malpractice entails failure to provide care as stipulated by the codes of professional ethics in both nursing and medicine. For example, Rob Burton who was a basketball coach developed severe abdominal pain after his training session. He sought medical care at Norton Brownsboro Hospital; a nurse who did not carefully to obtain relevant subjective information regarding his pain attended to him. She did not get detailed information on the nature of illness leading to a misdiagnosis. Evoking a complete patient history through questioning and active listening in most cases saves time alongside offering critical clues to the diagnosis. Rob was given some oral antibiotics as treatment to his pain that proved ineffective; he was later admitted in the same hospital with acute diverticulitis that was approaching its fatal stage. He underwent an emergency surgery to prevent further complications of the condition. He was found with a perforated bowel and it was compulsory that a colost omy bag was to be fixed to aid egestion. Rob took this act of misdiagnosis as a form of negligence and sued the hospital for not according him the required care. It was considered a case of medical malpractice since the nurse did not take his case seriously and she did communicate as a team. Burton believes had his complain of abdominal pain been treated with seriousness he would not have undergone the surgery that left him uncomfortable with the colostomy bag. The fault lies with the nurse not communicating the patients complain as well as not considering patients complain as crucial in providing care. In treating dizzy patients, 90% of the cases are treated

Diamond Age analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diamond Age analysis - Essay Example iction texts, technology takes a central part, and the conflicts arising from how humankind use technology and the consequences, as well as creation of futuristic technology, is common. The observation that science fiction has two dimensions in its nature will form the basis of the analysis of the text The Diamond Age, from this point of view. These two dimensions are usually the world of fantasy and the world of reality. Neal Stephenson, the author of this text, achieves the capturing of these two dimensions. The first dimension that concerns the world of fantasy focuses on the learning of essential concepts valuable for the survival of individuals in the Victorian society. A young girl of a lower tribe class learns with the Young Lady’s Primer with the objective of surviving in this society. The Young Lady’s Primer, however, was not initially designed for the use by the people it is being used by but had rather been designed for Finkle-McGraw’s granddaughter, Elizabeth. Its use by other people resulted from the Engineer’s fault. Hackworth, the engineer of the Young Lady’s Primer, decides to have a copy for his daughter named Fiona, which is not as agreed between him and the ‘Equity Lord’. There are several copies of it further after it is stolen ending up in with Nell which forces Hackworth to make a third copy after losing the other one. This explains how Nell gets the Young Lady’s Primer, which essentially the beginning of the unf olding of major events in the text. The text The Diamond Age presents a conflict in which Hackworth is caught up in a dilemma. This is when he opposes the employment of the Seed. He has fears the consequences which would occur because of its wrong usage if its use is allowed to the general population. Typically this conflict exists concerning the employment of the some of the technology that exists in the contemporary world. There could be great dangers associated with the use of certain technologies which means