Jacksonville, a town in North Carolina, is prone to the coastal natural disasters that have strained the region for centuries. Tropical storms, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, drought, extreme heat, and landslides describe the realm of natural disasters that cripple development in the state. Hurricanes, however, are the most common natural calamity evident in the area. North Caroline is hurricane-prone, having suffered several hurricanes and subsequent destruction since the 19 th century. Hurricanes having recorded to strike the state include San Ciriaco, Outer Banks Hurricane, Hurricane Matthew, Hurricane Florence, and Hurricane Floyd (Zafiruddin, 2020). All the one hundred counties in North Carolina are affected by hurricanes and tropical storms on different scales due to different vulnerabilities due to terrain and geographical differences. On the flip side, North Carolina is less likely to experience earthquakes. Reports have confirmed that the state is at a shallow risk of earthquakes among the natural disasters that can strike the area.
When natural disasters occur in the state, the extent of damage to property, infrastructure, and loss of life is dependent on the type of natural disaster. Tropical storms and hurricanes being the most prone calamities in the area, they are also the most severe to life and infrastructure. Despite being quiet for the past few years, hurricanes destroy homes, power and phone line, and existing infrastructure. Roads become unpassable while power outages result. Emergency response protocols dictate evacuating the projected areas before occurrence and rebuilding once it is over (Domino et al., 2003). Like earthquakes in the natural disaster category, significant attacks in North Carolina are rare. Shootings, bomb threats, and terrorist attacks, both local and foreign, are not a concern in the area, with reports showing shallow risk to none at all. This is due to the area's population demographic and the diversity or lack thereof in most counties.
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North Carolina's susceptibility to natural disasters is dependent on global climatic conditions. Being a coastal state, global temperature and ocean character changes affect how hurricanes, tropical storms, and tsunamis occur. Wildfires, extreme temperature, and drought have also increased due to global warming and extreme weather conditions. The fatality and destruction rate of all these disasters is consistent and, in some cases, increase despite modern and advanced technology and support systems being in existence. This is due to individuals' rigidity to heed the warning and vacate high-risk areas (Hoyle, 2015). Local authorities and the national government have invested in support protocols and preparation mechanisms to mitigate the effects of natural disasters, which is a step in the right direction. This includes funding, mass education, structural and reinforced constructions, and relief areas for affected regions.
References
Domino, M., Fried, B., Moon, Y., Olinick, J. & Yoon, J. (2003, July 19). Disasters and the Public Health Safety Net: Hurricane Floyd Hits the North Carolina Medicaid Program. American Journal of Public Health , Volume 93, Issue 7, pp. 1122-1127. Doi: 10.2105/ajph.93.7.1122
Hoyle, A. (2015, Sep 8). N.C. ranks No. 5 for homes at risk of natural disaster, report shows. Retrieved from Triangle Business Journal : https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/real-estate/2015/09/n-c-ranks-no-4-for-homes-at-risk-of-natural.html
Zafiruddin, A. (2020, May 1). North Carolina County Vulnerability to Natural Disaster. Retrieved from ArcGIS : https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bb80dc2542cc460999ac4b20dbfa9899
