Exercise 1: Mapping Hazard Exposure

Navigate to your case study community on the course mapping portal. Select the hazard layer(s) for your community

What is your community’s exposure hazard(s), generally?

What is your community’s exposure to a higher probability event? For example, a 1% flood event?

To a lower-probability event? For example, a .2% chance flood event?

Exercise 2: Mapping Physical Vulnerability

Using the course mapping portal for your community, select the hazards layers. Next, select each of the physical assets layer to display them over the basemap (critical infrastructure, historic and cultural resources, etc.).

What physical assets are at-risk from the mapped hazards?

With your group, discuss the physical assets at-risk. What 2-3 physical assets would you prioritize for hazard mitigation, in order to reduce risk and increase community resilience? Why are they the highest priority assets to protect?

Exercise 3: Mapping Social Vulnerability

Using the course mapping portal for your community, select the hazards layers. Next, select the social vulnerability layers one at a time:

Are any socially vulnerable groups in hazard-prone areas?

Are there any patterns in the distribution of socially vulnerable groups?

Exercise 4: Mapping Economic Vulnerability

Using the course mapping portal for your community, select the hazards layers. Next, select the economic layers one at a time:

Looking at the employment center(s) in your community, are they located in hazardous areas? Adjacent to hazardous areas?

Looking at the inflow/outflow analysis, what is the pattern of employment for local residents. Are they primarily employed within the community, or outside of it? In the event of a disaster, what might be the impact on local employees?

Looking at the inflow/outflow analysis, what are the direction(s) of travel for your community’s workforce? Do they live in the community or commute from the outside? In the event of a disaster, what might be the impact on local businesses/employers?

Exercise 5: Mapping Environmental Vulnerability

Using the course mapping portal for your community, select the hazards layers. Next, select the environmental vulnerability layers one at a time:

Are any environmental assets particularly at risk from natural hazards?

Exercise 6: Community Risk Analysis

Using the course mapping portal for your community, overlay the hazards, physical assets, economic vulnerability, and social vulnerability layers.

With your group, discuss your community’s overall risk to natural hazards. What assets, neighborhoods, or social groups would you prioritize for reducing risk and increasing community resilience? Why?

Report your findings to the class.

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