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- 4.6.3 Drought
- 4.6.4 Wildland Fire
4.6.2 Extreme HeatExtreme heat kills by pushing the human body beyond its limits. Under normal conditions, the body's internal thermostat produces perspiration that evaporates and cools the body. However, in extreme heat and high humidity, evaporation is slowed and the body must work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature. Temperatures that hover 10 degrees or more above the average high temperature for the region and last for several weeks are defined as extreme heat. Humid or muggy conditions, which add to the discomfort of high temperatures, occur when a "dome" of high atmospheric pressure traps hazy, damp air near the ground. Excessively dry and hot conditions can provoke dust storms. Most heat disorders occur because the victim has been overexposed to heat or has over-exercised for his or her age and physical condition. Other conditions that can induce heat-related illnesses include stagnant atmospheric conditions and poor air quality. In Pearland and the surrounding area, numerous heat-related deaths have occurred. The climate is humid subtropical, with hot summers and frequent, prolonged heat waves. Many of these deaths are likely to have occurred in more rural areas of Brazoria County (and thus outside the City of Pearland) where there are a greater number of homes without air conditioning. A member of the public highlighted that there was a prolonged heat wave in July of 1980 that affected the City. This event is not listed in the NCDC database of extreme events. Within the City of Pearland, Extreme Heat risks to people and property cannot be distinguished by area; the hazard is reasonably predicted to have uniform probability of occurrence across the entire City. As listed in Table 4-4, all people and assets are considered to have the same degree of exposure. To estimate potential dollar value of losses to existing building, the City of Pearland evaluated the prior loss data from the National Climatic Data Center, (http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/extremes.html). This data indicated that between 1950 and 2002, there were six extreme heat events that affected the entire County, to include the City of Pearland. None of these events caused any property damage. Due to the fact that there is no record of any historical building damage as a result of extreme heat, the estimated annual dollar value damage to existing or future buildings due to extreme heat is zero. 4.6.3 DroughtDrought is generally defined as a condition of climatic dryness severe enough to reduce soil moisture and water supplies below the requirements necessary to sustain normal plant, animal, and human life. In Texas, drought is often defined in terms of agricultural and hydrologic drought:
Texas is divided into ten climatic divisions that range from substantially heavy precipitation through semi-arid to arid climates. Most of Texas is prone to periodic droughts of differing degrees of severity. One reason is the state’s proximity to the Great American Desert of the southwestern United States. In every decade of this century, Texas has fallen victim to one or more serious droughts. The severe-to-extreme drought that affected every region of the state in the early to mid-1950s was the most serious in recorded U.S. history. In Pearland, drought periods were experienced in 1996, 1998, and 2000. The 1996 drought affected the entire state. Its impacts were greatest on major population centers, prompting water conservation and reduction measures over an extended period. The Texas Agricultural Extension Service projected a $4 billion statewide economic loss as a result of the 1996 drought. In the Southeast Texas area, damage from the extended drought reached record proportions as many crops were completely lost and large numbers of animals were sold because of lack of grass. In the Southeast Texas region, property damage was estimated at $10 million and agricultural losses were estimated at $100 million. Specific numbers for Pearland are not available. Within the City of Pearland, Drought risks to people and property cannot be distinguished by area; the hazard is reasonably predicted to have uniform probability of occurrence across the entire City. As listed in Table 4-4, all people and assets are considered to have the same degree of exposure. To estimate potential dollar value of losses to existing building, the City of Pearland evaluated the prior loss data from the National Climatic Data Center, (http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/extremes.html). This data indicated that between 1950 and 2002, there were nine severe drought events that affected the County as a whole, to include the City of Pearland. The nine events caused $23,000,000 in property damage across the entire County. There was no property damage as a result of drought reported for the City of Pearland. Due to the fact that there is no record of any historical building damage as a result of drought, the estimated annual dollar value damage to existing or future buildings due to drought is zero. 4.6.4 Wildland FireThe U.S. Department of the Interior has developed the Wildland Fire Assessment System Web site to communicate information to the public via the Internet. Web visitors can view real-time maps showing potential for fire on any given day, including satellite-derived "greenness" maps. Parts of Texas face major wildfire problems each year. The risk is increased and compounded by increasing development within the zone commonly referred to as the “urban-wildland interface.” Within this zone of natural landscape, buildings become additional fuel for fires when fires do occur. Most wildland fires are man-caused and occur in the interface of developed lands and forest and range lands. In particular, the dry conditions, high temperatures, and low humidity that characterize drought periods set the stage for wildfires. In 1998, in what is considered the worst wildfire in state history, wildfires throughout the State burned a total of 422,939 acres and threatened 4,031 structures. In Pearland, because there is little urban-wildland interface, there is limited risk for wildfires. The Mitigation Planning Committee staff determined that there have been no wildfires within the City in recent memory. A member of the public highlighted that there have been small brush and grass fires in the City over the past couple of decades. To estimate potential dollar value of losses to existing building, the City of Pearland evaluated the prior loss data from the National Climatic Data Center, (http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/extremes.html). This data indicated that between 1950 and 2002, there were no wild fire events that affected the County or the City of Pearland. Due to the fact that there is no record of any historical building damage as a result of wild fire, the estimated annual dollar value damage to existing or future buildings due to wild fire is zero. Directory: publications -> reports publications -> Quantitative skills publications -> Multi-core cpu and gpu implementation of Discrete Periodic Radon Transform and Its Inverse publications -> List of Publications Department of Mechanical Engineering ucek, jntu kakinada publications -> Sa michelson, 2011: Impact of Sea-Spray on the Atmospheric Surface Layer. Bound. Layer Meteor., 140 ( 3 ), 361-381, doi: 10. 1007/s10546-011-9617-1, issn: Jun-14, ids: 807TW, sep 2011 Bao, jw, cw fairall, sa michelson publications -> Sample disaster and emergency plan for alabama public libraries reports -> - reports -> Street nw edmonton, Alberta reports -> Subject: Telecom Decision crtc 97-16 Download 0.67 Mb. Share with your friends:
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