Natural Hazards by Melissa Conlon

Environmental Science
Dr. T
Warner Pacific College
June 23, 2011

In today’s society we have taken over much of what used to be unused land, and natural resources, with sky rises, houses, businesses, farms, schools, and roads, much of which can be wiped out in an instance, leaving people dead, maimed or suffering without shelter, food or clean water. Our scientists and government in recent incidences have become aware creating policies, and organizations to help in lieu of such disasters.
The geoscience and natural hazards policy reads: “The Geological Society of America (GSA) urges scientists, policy makers, and the public to work together to reduce our vulnerability to natural hazards. GSA strongly supports government investment in research, monitoring, and outreach programs to better characterize the nature and distribution of natural hazards and their impacts on modern society, to increase hazards awareness, and to enlist the resources of the private sector. Geoscientists must effectively communicate and integrate their research and monitoring results into functional public policy, reach out to the private sector to find mutually beneficial common ground, and work to integrate geoscience into scientifically sound educational programs at all levels.
(1) Encourages increased public and private investments to reduce natural hazards vulnerability through better understanding of geologic processes.
(2) Emphasizes the crucial role of geoscience education and outreach in broadening the public’s understanding of their risk from natural hazards and the available options to reduce risk.
(3) Promotes active participation of geoscientists in implementing public policy that will improve society’s resilience to natural hazards.” (2005, October)
Because natural hazards are a very large part of our everyday lives as we continue to build bigger cities and have more children putting more stress on earth’s boundaries, we as a society should be very aware that one earth quake, tornado, tsunami, volcano or any other sort of hazard may only be hours or days away.
Our homes, businesses, and lives are made of things that can be destroyed in an instant. Yet, we live day to day thinking the things we see in Japan for instance, yet tragic will never happen to us. Yet, the possibility of it happening to us is greater than we think. Look at Portland Oregon for instance or the west coast in general. We are surrounded by water, tree’s and mountains, which at anytime could be disastrous. We live here because we love it, love the scenery, love the ocean and the mountains, but those things could also kill us and take everything we have built for ourselves.
Everyone from the government agencies such as FEMA and NOAA’s National Tsunami Hazards Mitigation Program to you and I need to become more away of what we can do if and when a natural disaster hits our area. Being prepared saves lives. Along with land use programs that maintain the proper use of the right levies, land use and volcano boundaries. We may not be able to predict or prevent a natural disaster from happening but we sure can lighten the effects it has on our lives and society but taking the steps now that our scientist and agencies are suggesting.


Reference Page:
Geoscience and Natural Hazards Policy . (2005, October). Retrieved June 21, 2011, from The Geological Society of America website: http://www.geosociety.org/positions/position6.htm