GEOG 210 CU Local Hazard and Risk Assessment in British Colombia Discussion Paper
Question Description
The assignment is to be completed in three steps as follows:
1. Summary of hazard environment (~200 words): Step one requires you to compile an
assessment of the natural hazard environment of British Columbia, focusing on the part
of the region where you currently live. Identify the key natural hazards (~3-4 hazard will
suffice) that have the potential to impact the area where you live. You should include
only the types of natural hazards that are covered in the course (e.g. earthquakes,
tsunamis, floods, landslides, wildfires, etc.) and avoid focusing on the current Covid-19
health pandemic, as this is not a core course topic. Once you have identified these
potential hazards, prepare a table that includes the following information:
a. A short description of each hazard that you have identified and why it is
associated with this region specifically.
b. The type of hazard category that each type falls into (tectonic, hydrologic,
geomorphic, atmospheric)
c. An assessment of relative hazard impact (major, intermediate, minor) in relation
to the likely degree of disruption to your daily life
GEOG 210 Natural Hazards
2
2. Specific hazard and risk evaluation (~500 words): Choose one of the natural hazards that
you have identified as having the most potential to disrupt your daily life and undertake a
more in-depth hazard risk assessment.** Once you have selected an appropriate natural
hazard you will develop a risk assessment for this hazard that covers the following:
a. A description of the physical geography processes that cause the hazard to occur
in the region where you live.
b. A summary of the frequency and magnitude of this hazard in the past that helps to
assess the probability of a future event.
c. A description of the local geographic areas that have been affected in the past by
this type of hazard, or which have been assessed to be at risk of a future event.
You can include a hazard map here if one is available.
d. An analysis of how this type of hazard has affected people, infrastructures,
buildings, the environment or the economy in your local area in the past.
** Important note: In the next course assignment, you will develop a plan to help you
prepare for a hazard event of this type so choose carefully and make sure it is a type of
hazard that is relevant to where you live and that you are interested in exploring further.
3. Reflection on personal/ local geographic risk (~150 words): Based on your evaluation of
this hazard in step 2, write a summary paragraph that reflects on the potential impact that
you envisage such a hazard might have at a personal and community level. Here it is
important to relate this to a neighbourhood spatial scale and to your specific everyday
situation. The following scenarios are examples to help clarify the kinds of details that
are needed here and to help you think about how you can relate your own personal risk
assessment to your local setting:
possible risk and consider the disruption to your home and its surrounds.
inundation that would impede your ability to evacuate.
during an earthquake would be greater than for areas of stable bedrock.
storm surge might be a potential threat.
status of local landscape management to manage the wildfire risk or whether there are
fire-resistant structures in place that would protect your property.
In completing this part of the assignment, you will need to do some research about the
geography of the local area where you live in to see if there are any specific features that
make a hazardous outcome more likely than in other parts of the region. Please note that
you do not need to explain how you would prepare for these hazards; the objective is to
develop your understanding of your local hazard exposure setting and risk vulnerability.
GEOG 210 Natural Hazards
3
Referencing and resources
You should follow APA citation format for your assignment, including in-text citation (e.g.
author, date or short website title, etc.) and a reference list with full details of sources used at the
end of your document. See Capilano library for more details:
https://libguides.capilanou.ca/citeit/apa
The “Canadians At Risk” Report and B.C. Government “Know Your Hazards” resources (links
below), will help you to identify the diverse natural hazards that might be encountered in the
region, but you will need to do further research on the likely impacts of hazards most likely to
affect you and your local community. You might try searching for disaster planning information
for your specific hazard in your local community.
Canadians at Risk Report, 2010, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (Toronto ON)
https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/13…
Know Your Hazards, B.C. Government
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-responserecovery/
preparedbc/know-your-hazards
Grading Rubric
The project will be marked out of 10 points in line with how well you meet the criteria outlined
below. Marks will be deducted for late submission and for work that is not carefully edited in
relation to formatting, grammar or spelling. Work that is copied from another source without
proper attribution and citations will receive a mark of zero.
Marking criteria Points
Hazard summary follows the required table format and is accurate in relation
to correct identification of regional hazards, hazard categorization and
assessment of relative impact.
3
Accurate risk assessment of your selected hazard in terms of physical
processes at work, likely occurrence, relative magnitude and impacts based on
in-depth research and analysis of past events and current hazard knowledge.
Effective use of available hazard maps, diagrams or other images to show
local hazard probability or impacts.
5
Risk reflection summary is well-adapted to reflect personal situations and
local community settings rather than a generalised account. Shows thoughtful
consideration of the hazard in the context of personal risk exposure.
2
TOTAL 10 pts
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