Assignment: Creating a Risk Assessment

One particularly effective way to assess risk is the use of a hazard profile. Hazard profiles not only help emergency managers identify risk, it also helps them rank risks and determines their "threat level." This is important because it provides emergency managers with a list of what risks need to be addressed first. It is important not to merely focus on risks that have happened in the past. As communities expand and develop and advances in technology occur, new risks and threats emerge.

Similarly, astute emergency managers go beyond writing out lists of potential hazards. They take a holistic approach and account for items such as an area's topography, demographic makeup, and industrial infrastructure-all of which can increase a community's risk for certain types of hazards.

Finally, as you may have seen from the Hurricane Pam simulation in this week's Discussion, identifying risk is only part of the story. The risks need to be addressed and incorporated into emergency preparedness and mitigation efforts.

For this Assignment, review the media Risk Assessment and Hazard Analysis, and consider what may be needed for an effective risk assessment. Think about all the various impacts that hazards may have on communities. The community risk assessment and analysis you perform this week will also be used in your Final Project.

The Assignment (3-5 pages)

• Describe the community you selected for your Final Project.
• Describe the critical data needed for an effective risk assessment for your community.
• Using FEMA's Hazard Profiling Worksheet (in the Learning Resources), create a risk assessment and rate the level of risk in your community.
• Explain the impacts these hazards had or might have on the community.

Please submit your work with reference and citation.