Why Humans Put Themselves in Harms Way - Research Paper Example

Outline A. Introduction 1. Environmental Geologist 2. Potential areas of employment B. Simulation process 1. Evaluations of three properties to obtain insurance rates 2. Flood Zone Maps 3. Baseline Flood Elevation C. Why humans put themselves in harms way 1. Attracted to bodies of water 2. Enjoy aesthetics of living by water D. Insurance policies 1. “All Perils” 2. Read Exclusions E. Conclusion 1. Students practice skills needed in real world work situation 2. Practice problem solving and critical thinking skills Abstract This 4 page paper does two things it evaluates the Hazard City scenario and gives information on the function of an environmental geologist. Introducing the concept of an environmental geologist and taking the reader through the steps of a geologist working in an insurance firm to determine the rates for three dwellings. Then brief looks at why humans put themselves at risk and insurance policies have their own language. The paper concludes with wrapping up the experience of doing Introduction Environmental geology is the study of geology as it relates to humans and the environment in which they live. There are many areas that an environmental geologist could find himself working in. Conservation, development planning, pollution control, even being a litigation witness, are all potential areas for employment for the environmental geologist. In the simulation provide to students the environmental geologist is evaluating hazard risk in order to determine flood insurance rates. Environmental geologist in this scenario is evaluating the risks based on location on the flood zone maps and elevation above sea level to determine the insurance rates to charge dwelling owners. Insurance companies print rate sheets that correlate to the zones and provide flood elevation, to consider whether or not the building has experienced flooding or not, or is at risk for future flooding. In the exercise for Hazard City three sites were chosen, evaluated and rates reported back to underwriters. Site 1 This is a single family dwelling with basement, site elevation on 852 feet located on the south side of Pearl Street. It has never ben flooded. It is in the Zone between the 100 year and 500 year boundaries. The 100 year flood boundary indicates that a building has a 1 chance in 100 of being flooded in any given year. The 500 Year boundary indicates that a structure has a 1 in 500 chance of being flooded in any given year. One the map provided this dwelling is in zone B and since it has no previous history of flooding, to rate the probability that the dwelling would be flooded the geologist has to evaluate the elevation against the baseline flood elevation. The base line shows in feet above sea level how high a 100-year flood would be, for this case it is 513 feet. Since the structures elevation is 852 the chance that it would be hit by as 100-year flood is minimal. The geologist would choose the rate per $100,000 of structure value to determine the rate; in this case the rate is $246. This is arrived at by reading the rate chart. The dwelling is valued at $100,000, so there is no additional math to acquire the rate for this home. Site 2 This home is a two-story wood frame home on Reberolle Street; it has no basement and is valued at $100,000. Its site elevation is 835, and previous flooding has been reported. This dwelling would fall in zone A, and would be at risk for a 100-year flood rating. Since it is above the baseline elevation the insurance rate would be $301. Site 3 The last structure evaluated in the exercise is a two-story wood frame single family dwelling without a basement, on a level lot, elevation is 910 feet. There is no record of previous flooding, and the structure value is $100,000. This structure is in zone C of the map and the rate for flood insurance would be $221. The environmental geological issue that is dealt with here is that flooding is a threat to those living around any body of water that could overflow its banks. Flooding causes health hazards as well as damaging property and dwellings. People transfer the risk of flood damage to insurance companies that provide flood insurance. Many mortgage companies require home owners that live within flood zones to carry flood insurance to protect their interests as well. Humans like Water People are attracted to the water for sporting, fishing, boating and swimming, and living near the water is a very attractive place to be in many circumstances. But the beauty of these areas comes with a risk. The risk is flooding; if the body of water is a coastal region then hurricanes become a risk factor. People living in Florida often have Hurricanes insurance, because they are frequently hit by hurricanes. There are other areas that a geologist would be useful in the insurance field. There are many types of geological formations that could be hazardous to populations. The environmental geologist would also benefit the city planners in locating arrears suitable for development that are at low risk for geological disasters. Insurance policy language Standard home owner’s insurance does not cover many environmental geological damages to a person dwelling. This makes understand the terminology in your policy imperative. All perils does not mean that everything that could damage your home. As an insurance buyer it is important to read and understand exactly what is excluded and what is included in the policy. (Geology.com) Many times people have thought all perils included the earthquake, flood or tornado only to find out acts of nature and God are excluded. Conclusion Hazards City is a factious place, but the scenario of buying flood insurance is a common occurrence in areas where people chose to live by waterways. Evaluating one’s own risk for loss should help one to see the value in Flood insurance. As an Environmental geologist working with insurance firms you see first hand the issues that arise from geological issues. The geologist becomes clearly aware of how many people do not really understand the risk of geological threats and pay no attention to exclusions in their policies. The exercise that students do in the Hazard city simulation, help students to learn various roles that environmental geologists have in the real world. Students are provided an opportunity to practice in a virtual environment problems solving, and critical thinking skills needed in the work environment after graduation. The situation practiced in Hazard City is like an on the job training experience. References Homeowners Insurance Does Not Cover Many Types of Damage, Earthquake; expansive soil, flood, hurricane, landslide and subsidence damage usually not covered! Geology.com, Retrieved July 23, 2010, From, http://geology.com/articles/homeowners-insurance.shtml Hunt, Charles B. "ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY, CONSERVATION, LAND-USE PLANNING, AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (Book)." Annals of the Association of American Geographers 61.3 (1971): 622-623. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 July 2010. http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=114&sid=aefa1f2b-45c9-4458-a036-ecef30f329b7%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=12953085 Read More