King County - Mitigation Evaluation

A mitigation assessment helps a community manage and control known dangers. Creating a mitigation assessment for a region is complicated. There are many items to consider ranging from natural resources to people, infrastructure, government assistance, and more. In this presentation, we will look at a county with high risks of hazards and we will explore a plan to mitigate these hazards.

Based on the  National Risk Assessment  map, King County has a high-risk score (as indicated below in red). This is based on three factors: expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.

According to  FEMA , "Social vulnerability is the susceptibility of social groups to the adverse impacts of natural hazards, including disproportionate death, injury, loss, or disruption of livelihood". This is measured with statistics from census data. Social vulnerability variables include poverty level, employment status, income, education, age, disability status, children, race, language, and housing.

King County has a relatively low social vulnerability. This is reflected in their census data from the  United States Census Bureau . 14.2 % of the population is above 65 and 6.1% of the population under 65 has a disability. Further, 93.7% of people have a high school education and 70.1% of the population is working. Lastly, the mean income in King County is $10,6362.

Furthermore, According to  FEMA , "Community resilience is the ability of a community to prepare for anticipated natural hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions". Similar to social vulnerability, community resilience is measured with demographic, socioeconomic, and housing characteristics ( Census.gov ). This includes income, number of caregivers, crowding, language, age, employment, disability, health insurance, vehicle access, and internet access.

King County has a relatively high community resilience. Again pulling from  United States Census Bureau , we can see this trend. In King County 93.6% of homes have internet, 63.5% of the population is white, implying the majority of people speak English, and only 6.1% of people under the age of 65 do not have health insurance.

Lastly, According to  FEMA , "Expected Annual Loss (EAL) represents the average economic loss in dollars resulting from natural hazards each year. It is calculated for each hazard type and quantifies loss for relevant consequence types: buildings, people, and agriculture."

King County has a very high risk of annual loss, making this the largest contributor to the risk rating. Of the 18 types of hazards, King County has annual loss in 17 hazard types as seen below in the table. Please note the EAL Value refers to the Expected Annual Loss in dollars and the Score indicates the severity on a scale of 1-100, 100 being the worst.

Based off the risk assessment, King County is at high risk to be effected by hazards. The following provides two examples of hazards in King County.

According to  FEMA , volcanoes are one of King County's largest hazards. A volcano is when molten rock, ash, and gases escape from the Earth's surface. If pressure is great, an explosion can occur. Washington state is home to five volcanos: Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and Glacier Peak. All but Mount Adams are considered a high threat. Mount Baker and Glacier Peak are located near King County and the flow of lava and debris would impact King County.

According to  King County's government website , cyberterrorism is a hazard. Cyberterrorism is when hackers break into vulnerable computers and delete entire systems or steal information. Infected electronics can spread viruses to other peoples' devices without an individual even knowing. In recent years, cyberterrorism has increased and can lead to theft, fraud, and abuse.

When a hazard occurs assets are at risk such as personal poverty and resources. A community lifeline is a resource that makes a community function. Without it, the community could not function. Examples include law enforcement, food, energy, medical help, communication, etc. The following explains two assets at risk based on the previous hazards.

Infrastructure, such as roads and buildings, are at risk when a volcano erupts. The molten lava flows downhill and destroys everything in its path ( Washington State of Natural Resources ). Without roads and buildings, people will have no means to evacuate, putting people at risk of the lava themselves.

When cyberterrorism hits, all devices and services based on technology are at risk. Nearly all communication services are based on technology. If cell phone towers go down, cell phones would be useless and it would prevent people from communicating with emergency response teams. Further, cyberterrorism could disrupt the systems emergency response teams use, making it difficult for them to respond at all.

Now we know why and how King County is at risk. The following sections will explore how these risks are managed and mitigated via government programs and available resources. Lastly, I will conclude with my recommendations for risk mitigation in this region.

 KingCounty.gov : King County's government website provides detailed explanations for what hazards occur and how to manage them. It has a list of useful resources for people to explore.

 Emergency Management Division : As stated on the website, EMD "leads and coordinates mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery in Washington State to minimize the impact of disasters and emergencies on the people, property, environment and economy". This is the part of Washington State's government that makes sure citizens are educated and prepared for disasters and hazards.

Though there are many resources online for people, there is a lack of in-person communication and training. Having an annual or monthly meeting for community leaders to come together and train on hazards would be beneficial. Training could consist of how to read hazard maps, how to create an evaluation route, and how to effectively communicate with emergency response teams.

Via this  booklet , the Emergency Managing Division of Washington has created a plan to help families prepare for hazards.

 Ready.gov  has an entire website devoted to volcanos. It includes what to do to prepare, what to do during a volcanic event, and what to do afterward. It can be translated into multiple languages.

The best way to prevent loss of life and property during hazards is communication from emergency response teams to the public. Having multiple forms of communication via cell, radio, TV, and internet will be imperative to keep individuals up to date on the latest news.

Further, I think housing and city developers should stop creating buildings in high-risk regions. This would require zoning regulations to be updated. Keeping people away from danger should be the first step in any mitigation strategy. For example, no buildings should be located along the path lava takes from a volcanic explosion.

Despite King County having good community resistance and good social vulnerabilities, the natural landscape of this county causes it to have a high-risk factor. Hazards such as volcanoes and cyberterrorism add to this risk factor. Assets such as infrastructure and communication are at risk of being destroyed, and preventing the community from functioning. However, there are many online resources and government programs for people to educate themselves and prepare for the worst. In the future, more in-person training and updated zoning would help mitigation efforts.

All citations are linked in the text or in the images.