International Great Shakeout 2018

Emergency Zone employees participated in the international Great ShakeOut earthquake drills today. Every day here is an emergency preparedness day as we build kits, educate, and spread awareness. We were proud to participate in this global event.

Why Recent Disasters in Japan Spells Trouble for Us All

Whether you believe that climate change is caused by man or naturally occurring, it's hard to deny the earth is getting hotter. 

George Tselioudis, a researcher at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, predicts that temperatures around the equator won’t change too much, but the temperatures near the poles will rise. It's believed that these changes in temperature will affect natural disasters and decrease the number of storms we will have. The bad news is that there will be an increase risk of things like drought and storm intensity. 

As the temperature around the poles rise, the ice caps and glaciers will continue to melt. This will cause sea levels to rise. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that by 2100 sea levels will rise 0.36 to 2.5 feet. This can lead to an increase in typhoon and hurricane damage as storm surges and flooding can be greater. 

Three Strong Earthquakes Shake the Pacific on May 1st 2018

Fiji Was Hit

On May 1st, Fiji endured three separate earthquakes. The first was that occurred was 64 miles from Lautoka Fiji, and it was rated as a 5.2 on the Richter scale. The second was 154 miles from Fiji, and it measured in at a 5.9. The third occurred about 10 minutes after the second and it was 157 miles from Fiji, measuring in at a 4.7.

What Should I Know?

Earthquakes are rated on the Richter scale. This scale depicts the earthquakes energy, which gives an idea of the damage it can cause. Below is a video of Bill Nye the Science Guy explaining how the Richter scale works:

How do earthquakes work anyways? What is an earthquake? National Geographic explains it all:

How Do I Stay Safe?

Earthquakes are natural disasters, and they can't be stopped. Keeping your family safe is key. When a disaster arises, it can be scary, and being unprepared can be deadly, FEMA tells us what exactly to do.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

What Do Natural Disasters Mean for Me?

Natural disasters have been around long before man. They are natural occurrences of the earth. Places flood. The earth shakes. There is nothing inherently wrong with these events until it disrupts life. Thousands of earthquakes aren’t felt, but they are there. Some happen in the middle of the ocean, so we don’t notice. One thing is for sure in life; there will always be uncertainty. Scientists are getting better at predicting some natural disasters. We can live in denial and hope for the best. Nothing is wrong with hope. The issue is when that denial and hope disrupt us from being prepared. Natural disasters will happen. That is one thing we can be certain about in life. We should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Earthquakes

Let us first start with the increase of earthquakes. On February 16^th, there was a total of 78 earthquakes. 48 of which were magnitude 3, 27 were magnitude 4, and 3 were magnitude 5. Luckily most earthquakes are small, and hardly felt.

Mexico, however, has been one of the unlucky ones. On February 16^th, there was a 7.2 earthquake. Then again on the 19^th they had another earthquake magnitude 5.7. In the past 7 days, they have had 66 earthquakes.

Flooding

Hawaii has had flash floods. This lead to evacuations and rescue missions. The Honolulu Fire department set out to rescue passengers in cars that were swept up. The rescue was lead by a person who drove a bulldozer into the water. This allowed the firefighters to get closer to the cars and get the passengers out.

New Zealand has had flooding and strong winds from the Cyclone Gita. It is possible to have 90 mph winds. Landslides are also likely. The places in the South Island have declared state of emergency.

The Buller Distract Mayor Garry Howard said, “this is not a good situation for those in seafront properties”. Below is a picture of a man's farm in Balnham after the flooding. 

Chicago and Michigan both have possible flooding.

What people are doing because of the natural disasters?

After Hurricane Irma, Florida is making improvements. They are reworking evacuation routes.  

Another big problem they had was fuel. When evacuations happen, cars need gas. This is what it looked like getting ready for hurricane Irma.

Many improvements are being made as shown below. 

Learning and improving is vital to our existence. Florida has made great strides in improving their evacuation plans. Hopefully it helps fix some kinks that they have been having.  

What natural disasters mean for investors?

Have you ever thought about buying property somewhere by the beach? Maybe California? These places have seen many natural disasters. From this, much property has been destroyed. Yet, people are still buying property in these places. 

Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion in damage in Houston Texas.

This hasn't changed people's minds for buying property here. Last year the 219 weather disasters caused $1.5 trillion in damages across the United States. Below is a graph showing how disaster costs have changed over the years.

Billy Grayson, the Executive Director for Center of Sustainability and Economic Performance said, "If you think that insurance is always going to cover you, you have to recognize insurance changes every year".

Hurricane Irma caused a lot of damage in Florida. $50 billion to be exact.

Arthur J. Gallagher, the chairman of a large real estate fund, and Alexandra Glickman, the director, pulled out of investing in Florida. Insurance costs were high. Maintaining the properties was costly. They were at high risk of flooding and mold.

There is nothing we can do to change natural disasters. They are a part of life. However, we can change how we prepare for and react to them. We should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.