Texas Community
Agreeably, Texas State forms a critical component of the society in the United States of America since it is the second largest in regards to the population statistics as well as the geographical extent. Taking a view of the demographics, Texas State has a population of about 28.7 million citizens according to the population survey of July, 2018. Again, the geographical area of Texas covers about 268,500 square miles. The state forms a political border with states; such as, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Indeed, the landscapes in Texas comprise of extensive plains and grasslands. Clearly, the climatic conditions in Texas vary from humid to arid based on the prevailing weather conditions in a prolonged period. Certainly, the hospitals form a critical infrastructure of the state where Houston Methodist Hospital serves as one of the busiest and well-established healthcare facility in the state. Politically, Texas State is headed by Abbott Greg as governor while Houston serves as the most densely populated city. Austin is known as the legitimate capital city of the state.
Risk Portfolio
Fundamentally, the risk of flooding remains a critical concern for the community in Texas, especially within the Austin section. The long rains and heavy downpour has been seen to wreck havoc to the citizens in the area: the government as well as local authorities have devised mitigation measures to manage the growing risk. In 2018, raging and powerful floodwaters caused damage to infrastructure through the destruction of an essential bridge that served transportation across the Llano River. As such, the community around has to be rescued and evacuated for the purpose of safety. The lower sections of Colorado River are part of the flood risk zones in Austin, Texas. In-depth research from online sources and conducting interviews with officials serving in the local authorities helped me to compile the flood risk elements in Texas State.
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Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Evidently, the community in Texas faces a myriad of risks that endanger life and safety of the people. These risks include: high crime rates in the cities; terrorism threats and attacks; accidents, especially automobiles. Bearing in mind the disparities income in the State of Texas, the level of crime has increased in the last five years. The youth and young adults have been the key participants in crime ranging from burglary, and armed robbery. However, the government is working on rehabilitation programs for teenagers and youth who have been caught in criminal activities. Terrorism continues to be a concern for the Texas community based on the mixed-race and multi-ethnic society: there has been terrorism attempts in major installations in Texas; such as; shopping facilities, malls. The administration under the leadership of Governor Greg has invested in issuance of grant-funding to organization working on managing the incidence of terrorism in the state. Road safety training and mitigation strategies have been instituted by the state authorities in Texas.
Houston Methodist Hospital markedly, Houston Methodist Hospital stands out as a critical infrastructure in Texas based on the role it plays towards the development and maintenance of a healthy community in the State of Texas. The facility was founded many years ago, 1919, as part of the community outreach initiative by the Methodist Church in Houston. Indeed, the hospital is a non-profit entity and has been continuously ranked as one of the best-performing medical centers in the United States based on the quality and standards of care given to the patients. The hospital helps in the provision of medical services to the Texas community and this keeps the society healthy and ready to serve in various capacities in the nation. It is also a referral and teaching facility for the United States since students from other states can access admission to the facility.
Outcomes and Effects
Undoubtedly, the outcome of the risks highlighted in the paper may be devastating to the critical installation in the community, Houston Methodist Hospital. To begin with, flooding results to drowning of citizens and this may result to death of the victims. On the other hand, the incidences of crime results to bloodshed due to the use of gun fire and injuries may be sustained by victims. Terrorist attacks cause havoc to the community whereby incidences such as mass shootings cause severe injuries and even death. Automobile accidents result to cases of death, trauma, and critical injuries that cause disability to the victims. Houston Methodist Hospital is on the receiving end of the consequences of the occurrence of all the risks highlighted due to the increased emergency cases for flood victims, people injured in robbery and criminal activities, severe injuries from gunshots from terror attacks, and critical injuries from car accident victims.
Cascading Effects
From the backdrop, the cascading effects are evident for the risks under review in the Texas community. The challenge of flooding has been taken up by the federal government in the sense that a multi-stakeholder committee has been established to monitor the incidences and occurrence of floods in the state. At the same time, the capacity of Houston Methodist Hospital has been enhanced for the purpose of strengthening its reach to the community. Disaster management frameworks and strategies have been rolled out by the federal government to manage the risks of terrorism as well as automobile accidents that have been on the rise. Again, crime mitigation strategies have been enhanced and adopted by the authorities in Texas
References
Barr, D. A. (2016). Introduction to US Health Policy: the organization, financing, and delivery of health care in America . JHU Press.
Grosh, M. E. (1994). Administering targeted social programs in Latin America: From platitudes to practice . The World Bank.
Ward, P. M. (2010). Colonias and public policy in Texas and Mexico: Urbanization by stealth . University of Texas Press.
