1Spring 2010

Professor Jennifer Mapes

Office: KAP 450COffice Hours: MW 10 am

–

11 am,or by appointmentPhone: 213-790-0743Email: jmapes@usc.edu

GEOG 260Lg: Natural Hazards

Most environments contain risk; many contain multiple hazards of both natural andtechnological origin. When conditions are right (or wrong) a disaster may occur. When eventsgo really wrong, a catastrophe may ensue. The 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia, andHurricane Katrina are recent examples of natural disasters that received global attention.Locally, Southern California is often under threat of earthquakes, wildfire, and debris flows.This course will consider both hazards and disasters from multiple angles; why they exist, whatmay trigger them, how to mitigate, respond and recover from them.Natural hazards do not affect all equally. Some places or groups are more at risk than others.This course is particularly interested in issues of social vulnerability and environmental justice;we will investigate how socio-economic status affects residents' ability to prepare for and reactto a natural disaster. Finally, as this course is in geography, the spatial aspect of how disasterswork will be emphasized, both in class discussions and the geospatially-based laboratoryexercises.

Course objectives

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Understand the complexity of how a disaster can occur, and the implications in termsof mitigation, response and recovery.

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Identify current emergency management techniques, including how an EmergencyOperations Center (EOC) works.

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Recognize that lessons learned from one disaster type can be applied to another.

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Learn geospatial techniques, including exercises using a geographic informationsystem (GIS).

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Provide enough background information, and skills, to be a good resource for anylocal area emergency management office.

Required texts

MCPHEE. CONTROL OF NATURE. (Required) ISBN: 9780374522599KELLER. NATURAL HAZARDS (Highly recommended) ISBN: 9780536509925

Course schedule

Dates Lecture Lab

What is geography? What are hazards?

Refer: Keller, Ch. 1

Mapping disastersHistoric disasters & vulnerabilityGeography of Katrina

Refer Keller, Ch. 9

Mitigation

Read: McPhee, Atchafalaya

Response & recovery

Review/Mid-term

Wildfires

Refer: Keller, Ch. 12

Debris flows

Read: McPhee, LA vs. the mountainsRefer: Keller, Ch. 6

Spring Recess: no class

Earthquakes

Refer: Keller, Ch. 2

Tsunamis

Refer: Keller/Ch. 3

Flooding

Refer: Keller/Ch. 5

Introduction

Jan. 12/14Jan. 19/21Jan. 26/28

Hurricane Katrina

Feb. 2/4Feb. 9/11Feb. 16/18Feb. 22/25

Hazards in L.A.

Mar. 2/4Mar. 9/11Mar. 16/18Mar. 23/25

Hazards beyond L.A.

Mar. 30/1 Apr. 6/8No lab meetingsLab techniquesLab 1: Katrina Recovery ILab 1: Katrina Recovery ILab 2: Google EarthLab 2: Google EarthLab 3: USCLab 3: USCLab 4: GISNo lab meetingsLab 4: GISLab 5: Katrina Recovery IILab 5: Katrina Recovery II

Dates Lecture Lab

Volcanoes

Refer: Keller/ Ch. 4Read: McPhee, Cooling the lava

No class (AAG conference)

Severe weather

Refer: Keller/Ch. 8

Conclusion/ReviewFinal exam: 2- 4 pm: SAL 101

Assessment

Lecture

Midterm Exam:20%Final Exam: 20%

The exams will be multiple choice, non-comprehensive, and scantrons will be provided. Akeyword list and in-class review session will be provided prior to the exam, but you must comeprepared to provide questions and answers. Questions will be primarily from lecture, however,most lectures will rely heavily on the required readings. The exams will not ask obscurequestions about the texts, but if you read about something AND hear it mentioned inclass...assume it is important.

Pop quizzes: 5% total

These quizzes are primarily to check to see that you're in class (and are paying attention).Theywill be easy! You'll be given 7 quizzes, your top 5 will count toward this grade.

Lab

Five labs: 8% each (40% total)

Each lab in this class will take two weeks to complete. You should be able to complete thelaboratory exercises in the time provided (2 hours +2 hours= 4 hours). The computer lab isonly available during this time. You MUST attend lab in order to submit your lab to be graded.Exceptions will only be granted for documented medical reasons. H1N1 absences must bedocumented as any medical excuse for missing lab.

Final poster/presentation: 15%

For your final project, you will conduct original research on a natural hazard, focusing onvulnerability, mitigation, response, or recovery, and present a poster to the class on the topic.You will need to work both in and outside of the classroom on this. To illustrate the data you