Fayetteville, North Carolina, located in the southeastern region of the state is the most vulnerable region when it comes to natural disasters. The town has continuously experienced serious course of events such as tornado outbreak in 2011, several flooding events from the Cape Fear River and local lakes, dangerous thunderstorms and hurricanes ( Observer, 2012) . Based on past researches such as one undertaken by five undergraduate students from university of North Carolina, the populations that are at the greatest risk in this area are those residing in flood plains near the Cape fear water, and those living in movable homes during occasions of tornadoes and severe weather.
Social vulnerability presents another risk in addition to the physical disasters. Some people including: Non-English speakers, the elderly, those with special needs, the homeless and military dependents are at the greatest risk because of their status. Added to physical and social susceptibility, the town faces challenges when planning for mitigation strategies due to its status as a military town, with Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force located adjacent to the city ( Observer, 2012 ). One of the challenges is that most residents have a conception that in case of a natural disaster, they can drive to the Air force and automatically receive food, water supplies and shelter ( Observer, 2012 ). This compounded by the fact that Fayetteville is mostly an automobile dependent city, where congestion in roads is a disaster, makes the idea of fleeing a midst catastrophe impossible ( Observer, 2012) . Also, residents do not prepare for tragedies simply because they believe that since they live in a military town with best trained solders and houses that supplies for emergency aids, any calamity arising will be handled immediately.
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The mitigation strategies have started with correcting these misconceptions, where the public service have made announcements on television and print media on what military can and cannot do during emergencies. Also, a notification system has been put in place to alert the residents of any impending danger for total preparation. Moreover, a plan has been structured to protect the community during the disasters by providing shelter, rescue efforts and supplies ( Observer, 2012) . What is more important is that there are plans to mitigate future occurrences by identifying the city’s most likely natural calamities, the most vulnerable populations and locations, enforcement of building codes and maintenance of current readiness policies. Integrally, these plans have been proven effective in the past and they are constantly updated to be contingent with any occurring danger.
Reference
Observer, F. (2012). Fayetteville, NC Vulnerability Assessment.
