I am glad that I took the (Un)natural Disasters course alongside both my nuclear power independent study and my ENVS 330 core course, Situating Environmental Problems and Solutions. This trio of classes was an excellent combination for the spring of my junior year, as I begin to prep for thesis. The goal of my independent […]
Teaching Disaster through Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima
Earlier this week I taught a class on nuclear disasters in the ENVS 311 (Un)natural Disasters class with Liz Safran. My goal for the class was to inform the students about specifics of the three major nuclear disasters to date, while also providing framework and a platform to discuss nuclear disasters in comparison to other […]
Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake: implications of Portland hazard demographics
Introduction Natural phenomena, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc., are often referred to as “natural disasters.” This phrase combines two aspects of natural phenomena: hazardous physical earth processes combined with the social effects of the event on human populations. Wisner et. al., defines disaster as, “a situation involving a natural hazard which has consequences in […]
Demographics of Portland Hazard Zones: where NOT to be during the Big One
Now that I have mapped the distribution of renters around college campuses, it is time to look at the possible hazards that those communities will likely face in the event of a subduction zone earthquake. Using data collected about the geological state of Portland, a hazards map was created by the state of Oregon to determine […]
Earthquake Evictions: renting near Portland college campuses
Whether or not you believe the subduction zone earthquake is going to hit the west coast, being vulnerable in a city during an earthquake is still a great concern, no matter where you are. With that in mind (and The Big One), our class is taking the time to look at communities surrounding college campuses […]