Flood Types and Classifications in U.S

Flood Types and Classifications in U.S Floods that occur in the United States and abroad can be classified in multiple ways. Theres no steadfast rule for categorizing  flooding along a floodplain or after a tropical cyclone. Instead, broad types of flood labels are applied to any type of water inundation that results in damages. Flooding is one of the most dangerous types of all natural disasters. Flash Floods Floods can be most broadly classified as either river floods or flash floods. The main difference is in the onset of the flooding. With flash floods, there is often little warning that flooding will occur. With river flooding, communities can prepare as a river nears its flood stage.   Flash floods are usually the most lethal. Heavy downpours, often in mountainous highlands, can lead to surges of water that turn dry river beds or flood plains into raging torrents  within minutes. Local communities usually have little time to flee to higher land, and homes and other property in the waters path can be totally destroyed. Vehicles crossing roadways that are dry or barely wet in one moment can be swept away in the next. When roads and railways are made impassable, delivery of aid can become much more difficult. Slow Onset Floods   Slow onset floods, such as those that hit Bangladesh almost every year, can also be lethal but they tend to give people much more time to move to higher ground. These floods are a result of surface water runoff. Flash floods can also be the result of surface water runoff, but the terrain is a larger factor in the severity of the flood. They often occur when the ground is already saturated and simply cannot absorb any more water. When deaths occur during slow onset floods, they are much more likely to come about due to disease, malnutrition or snakebites. Floods in China displaced tens of thousands of snakes into neighboring areas in 2007, increasing the risk of attacks. Slower floods are also less likely to sweep away property, although it may still be damaged or destroyed. Areas are likely to remain under water for months at a time. Storms, tropical cyclones, and other maritime extreme weather can also produce deadly storm surges, as happened in New Orleans in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, Cyclone Sidr in November 2007, and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in May 2008. These are most prevalent and dangerous along the coasts and near large bodies of water. Detailed Flood Types There are numerous other ways to classify floods. Many types of floods are a result of the location of the rising waters or other environmental factors. FEMA has a broad classification of flood types as follows: Riverine floodsUrban floodsGround failures, such as dam breaksFluctuating lake levelsCoastal flooding and erosion In addition, flooding can result from ice jams, mine accidents, and tsunamis. Remember that there are no steadfast rules for determining exactly what type of flood may be associated with any given area. Getting flood insurance and following the guidelines for flood safety are critical to keeping yourself, your family, and your property safe during a flood event.

Discuss the costs and benefits of this change Essay

Discuss the costs and benefits of this change - Essay Example Peripheral growth is practically always at lower densities than urban cores, which simply means that cities tend to become less dense as they grow. According to the UN, it is projected that in two decades from now the world’ urban population will have risen to 60%, representing almost five billion people. The mega rise in the urbanization level is mostly visible in the growth of the biggest cities (ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT 2005). Ironically, this process is on occasion accelerated by planning decision making. For example, the greenbelt movement in London that banned the extension of housing into the near the city’s periphery has resulted to a greater sprawl to far outside the principal urban area (PRASAD 2003). This has been the case since the 2nd World war thereby forcing commuters to travel longer distance and time to urban centers. Most of the world’s urban population and most of its largest cities are found in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The evolving urban form has also examined smaller urban areas. The dispersal pattern is evident there as well even in traditionally compact cities. For instance, Zurich has had all of its growth outside the core city since 1950. Low income cities such as Addis Ababa represents a pattern of urban expansion are not unlike that experienced in Cairo or Istabul (UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME 2003). It is likely that urban centers will continue to expand as they grow larger, consistent with what might seems like the work of both market preferences and economic pressure for lower cost, more spacious housing. a growth of city is mainly driven by economic development and is characterized by a shift away from agrarian dominated economy to a more industrialized and service economy. Cities are sites of great prosperity and success in many areas, resulting to wealth creation and viable opportunities to many of

Information Technology determines contemporary social change. Discuss Essay

Information Technology determines contemporary social change. Discuss giving examples - Essay Example In the current century, we started tapping the celluloid, uranium, electromagnetism, and now the photon. To neutralize harmful germs, we even employ the services of the bacterium. Another great invention is mathematics, derived naturally from the Homo Sapiens' ability to conceive quantity. Spectacular tool making is not possible without the continuous development of mathematics. Our species has gone this far, equipped with only a few pounds of brain matter, a small and frail anatomy, and natural senses limited to a mere five (sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing). Given these leaps, it has been necessary to come up with a set of social codes to regulate behavior and ensure continuous order. The law, it is said, operates to regulate behavior and maintain the cohesiveness of a given society. In order to maintain its role as bulwark, it capitalizes on and gains credence from the idea that there is but one set of "correct" rules and that legal decisions are but logical outcomes of tested principles that are empirically-replicable. Perhaps there are very few modern developments that have posed a challenge to this notion of the law and the legal system than the advent of the Internet. Precisely because of the uniqueness of the medium and the vastness of its breadth, there has been great difficulty imposing regulatory mechanisms on its use - thereby leading, in many cases, to its abuse. There can be no denying that information technology plays an important role in the molding of social values and in the legitimization of personal perceptions. In the United States, 98% have at least one television, 70% have more than one television, 70% have cable, and 51% of households with children have a computer. (Paik, 1994) For example, on the issues surrounding Internet obscenity, Petrie (1997) found that "because the Internet is a unique communications technology, it does not fit squarely into the conceptual scheme of traditional obscenity law." (p. 638). In a nutshell, the Internet, also called the information superhighway, is a communications network wherein computers from all over the world may instantaneously communicate and exchange images with each other through the benefit of a modem and an Internet Service Provider. There is no one central source that can filter out images or regulate the flow of information. The internet cannot be shut down at will. On the issue of hate speech, The danger posed by the internet is that more often than not, it is the medium of choice of racial supremacist groups who thrive on the relative safety and untraceability that the Internet provides. Hier (2000) presents three reasons: First, there exists a considerable gap between the public images that racial supremacist groups attempt to present in the Internet and a far less benign image that emerges upon closer analysis; second, exemplified by the Freedom-site, the internet has facilitated a greater degree of solidarity between racial supremacist organizations; and third, given the impersonal nature of the internet, there exists a certain degree of danger that otherwise ordinary citizens will become more susceptible to the ideology of racial supremacism. (p. 471) The problem is not merely that the technology allows for unprecedented reach and scope. More significantly, the problem is that the law and all its traditional structures are ill-equipped to handle this revolutionary form of

An investigation of the risk and protective factors associated with Research Proposal

An investigation of the risk and protective factors associated with high school graduation in the United States - Research Proposal Example Experts have estimated between 3.5 million and 6 million American students between ages 16 and 24 dropped out of schools for the last two years (Haskins, 2010). About 50 percent of minors fail to graduate with their class. African Americans tend to drop out higher than other minorities, which creates significant problems for them (Kogan et.al, 2005). For the class of 2013 84.1% of African Americans graduated, American Indian graduated 85.8%, Asian graduated at 93.8%, Hispanic at 85.1% and white at 93% according to Texas Education Agency 2012-2013. African Americans had the highest longitudinal dropout rate across racial/ethnic groups (9.9%), followed by Hispanics (8.2%). Asians had the lowest longitudinal dropout rate (3.0%), followed by White (3.5%) and multiracial students (4.4%). In the class of 2013, a total of 21,634 students dropped out in Texas. Females had a higher graduation rate of 90.3% compared to males with 85.9% (Texas Education Agency, 2013). Each state is experiencing the same trouble with a large percentage of students not graduating, so as a nation we are losing. In Texas, a total of 3,187 students dropped out of Grades 7-8, and 31,509 dropped out of Grades 9-12. The Grade 7-8 and Grade 9-12 dropout rates were 0.4 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively. The Grade 7-8 rate increased 0.1 percentage points from the 2011-12 school year, and the Grade 9-12 decreased 0.2 percentage points (TEA, 2013). In the school district that I work in which is Klein ISD, in 2010 Klein saw an increase in graduation rate. In May of 2010, 84.3% of the students statewide graduated while Klein ISD had a 92.6% completion rate. The student dropout rate has been an area of concern for many years in the United States. Programs are being implemented to help improve our nation’s battle with graduation. In 1984 House Bill 72 was passed to implement a system for collecting data on student dropouts. In 2009 House Bill 3 was passed to add postsecondary

Effects of economic and political climates on current higher education Essay

Effects of economic and political climates on current higher education - Essay Example Various factors of politics, economy and regulatory developments do have an impact on institutions of higher learning. Most issues are above the control of the national higher education community and the individual institutions. In response to these changes, institution budgeters must respond accordingly to the anticipatory changes in political and economic conditions that may have an effect on the amount of revenue that is available. In addition, of equal importance, they must put into consideration the pressures that are being exerted by the external forces on the institution of higher learning before its survival is put in jeopardy. Economic climate Institutions dealing with higher education are stable partly due to the mission and role that they have in the society and the way they are operated their activities and management. Despite this, the current financial issues in various ways are affecting the institutions of higher learning (Solt 2008, pp.48–60). Economic changes have significantly affected the higher institutions of learning since the beginning of 1990’s. In respect to this, changes seen in the national government support for higher education have been accompanying the turmoil of the economy. Today, the institutions of higher learning are no longer enjoying the high ranking that they used to on the societal agendas, local, state and national talks. Resources that were previously directed to higher education are captured by other sectors of the government.

Company Law, Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Company Law, Business Law - Essay Example Adam does have several options that he can choose should he decide. Adam can decide to accept the decisions of the board of directors and understand that they do not need the approval of shareholders for certain high-value transactions. The magnitude of special resolutions will determine whether the board of directors would have needed the approval of the shareholders. Further, Adam has the option as a stockholder and a member of the general public to trade his shares publicly, or he also has the option of selling his shares of the company to the majority of the shareholders who agree with the special resolutions that were implemented by the board of directors. In the case of First American Bank v. Shivers, Robert W. Shivers, a shareholder, voted against a merger agreement with FABM Acquisition Bank. He and his fellow shareholders comprised less than the number of bank shareholders needed to defeat the proposal. Adam also has the right to propose questions to the board of directors r egarding the two recent special resolutions. ... Further, Anton does enter into a contract with a local computing company that is operated by one of his friends. During the business transactions, Anton receives a laptop computer and gives it to his son as a birthday present. Samantha is very satisfied with the quality of her new IT system; however, she does discover that Anton has received a laptop computer, and has given it to his son as a birthday present. Samantha should confront Anton about the situation with the laptop computer, and instruct him that he cannot personally give merchandise to his family and friends that have been acquired within the business. Samantha should also instruct Anton to retrieve the laptop computer that he has given to his son. Anton should return the laptop computer of the local computing business if it was given to him as a favor because the company is operated by one of his friends. If the laptop computer was given to Anton for company use, then he still needs to retrieve the laptop computer, and i t needs to be used by Samantha's company for business use. In the case of IBG Insurance Services Corp v. Superior Court - No. 3153400 (Cal. Ct. App. 2002), Robert Zieminski, a senior executive for IBG Insurance Services Corporation, violated the "electronic and telephone equipment" policy statement of the company when he accessed certain explicit websites from his computer at work. He used two computers, one computer at home and one computer at work. When he was caught accessing certain websites from his computer at work, IBG demanded that the computer that Zieminski was utilizing at home be returned. However, Zieminski explained that his wife and children were utilizing the computer at home for personal

Influence of Religion on Developing Societies Research Paper - 1

Influence of Religion on Developing Societies - Research Paper Example Research has shown that one of the most significant contributions that any religion makes to societal development is by playing its role as a means of enforcing morality to society members. In societies where there is a prevalent belief in God and a substantial number of the members of society are religious, the moral value of integrity is also prevalent. As such, the resources in such societies are more likely to be fairly distributed to all members of society; this is because those who are in charge of the distribution of resources work with integrity. In a society that is prevalently religious, members of such societies are less likely to be distrustful of firms/companies’ ethics since such companies also have ‘religious’ employees who share similar moral values. While this may be a quite naà ¯ve outlook, such trust may also create a suitable business environment, which enhances development in a society.In his book ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’, Max Weber advances the idea that the work ethics that were instilled to European societies during and after the Protestant Reformation in the church played a major role in the development of capitalist ideals, which led to the rapid economic development in Europe and America. According to Weber, the Reformation emphasized moral values, such as hard work, austerity, frugality, and loyalty to interests of the group. These values, according to Weber, were the cornerstone of capitalism, which led to intensified economic development.