Hurricanes and Flood Zones Crimes Related to South Hampton Roads - Case Study Example

Hurricanes and flood zones crimes related to South Hampton Roads affiliation Hurricanes and flood zones crimes related to South Hampton Roads Abstract South Hampton region is near the coastal area and is prone to flooding due to the hurricanes experienced in the area. The flooding in the area is associated with crimes as the area is also one of the towns where crime rates have been high since the late 1960s. Crimes range from property to violent crimes in the south Hampton roads. The most prone individuals are the motorists who are stranded in the flooding areas. This case study investigates the hurricanes and flood zones crimes in South Hampton Roads in Virginia. In addition, it also gives measures that should be carried out to curb the crimes due to the flooding that occurs in the South Hampton Roads. Introduction Hampton is a liberated city in Virginia, where there are numerous cases of flooding more so in the South Hampton Roads that are brought about by the hurricanes and due to its proximity to the coastal region. The urban region of Hampton Roads comprises of ten cities and six counties in the southeastern Virginia. The region covers around 7500km2 of low-lying coastline land at the convergence of the Nansemond, James, and Elizabeth rivers with the Chesapeake Bay. It is home to around 1.5 million individuals and it contains deeply established, densely inhabited coastal fronts, making it a suitable case study for understanding the possible impacts of the hurricanes and the flooding to the crimes in the South Hampton Roads regions. South Hampton has a total region of 8.0 square miles and has a population density of 100 people per square mile, according to the 2010 census. The floods are formed when a hurricane moves near or over a coastal margin, and it produces a storm surge that brings about flooding in the low-lying regions. Hurricane storm surge is caused due to the interaction of the wind shear stress and atmospheric pressure depression on the surface of the water. Explicitly, the extreme low-pressure at the middle of a hurricane raises the water underneath it, creating a dome of water that the storm winds push onto dry land. The progressing surge combines with the typical tide to form hurricane storm tides. Additionally, wind-driven waves are placed over the storm tides. These storm tides together with the wind-driven waves lead to severe flooding in the coastline regions (Kleinosky, Yarnal, & Fisher, 2007). There are numerous crimes that are linked to the flooding of the South Hampton Roads where the jobless youths take advantage of the desperate motorists who need help. Additionally, the cars that are left in the waters are also stolen to be sold at cheap prices. This paper will investigate the rate of crimes in the South Hampton region and how they are related to the hurricanes and the flooding of the South Hampton Roads. Discussion While South Hampton region is struggling with weather related events, the crime rates in the region are also a major concern that is affecting the city. The crime rates in South Hampton are 97% higher than the average national crime rates in the United States. For each 100,000 individuals, there are 16.78 everyday crimes that take place in South Hampton. The crimes range from property to violent crimes. Violent crimes include assault, robbery, rape, and murder while the property theft include motor vehicle theft, burglary, and theft. Additionally, there are also crimes of auctioning the flooded cars at cheap prices by dishonest dealers. The homicide rates in the South Hampton Roads have stayed flat or dropped since the 1990s. According to the report by the Virginia State Police, the proportion of severe criminal events was down by 4.5% in 2013. The state experienced a crime fall rate from 5,111 incidents per 100,000 individuals in 2011 to 4,882 incidents in 2013. Moreover, in South Hampton Roads, the crime rate drop was a more unassertive 3%. This region had a crime rate that was way above the average rate of the statewide crime. Burglary cases in 2008 were in 113 cases compared to 792 cases per 100,000 people in the whole of the United States. In the year 2010, there were 115 cases of burglary in South Hampton compared to 753 cases per 100,000 individuals in United States. In 2011, the cases were at 123 and in the U.S. the cases were at 751 (Low, 2001). Moreover, the theft cases in South Hampton in 2008 were at 113 cases per 100,000 and the overall cases in the U.S. were at 2,340, in 2009, the cases in South Hampton increased to 341 and in overall they decreased to 2,221. In 2010, South Hampton theft cases were at 115 compared to 2,155 cases per 100,000 people in the United States, but in 2011, the cases experienced a large increase in the number of theft cases that grew to 736 cases per 100,000 while the U.S. had 2,115 incidents. However, the cases plummeted to 122 in 2012 and 2,094 cases in the whole of United States. The town crime rates are experiencing a fluctuating trend as seen in the above figures but are plummeting with time. In 2011 crimes that are high in the region are mainly theft which comprise of 86% of the overall crimes and burglary is at 14%. This is conflicting as compared to 2008 to 2010 where the theft and burglary cases were both at 50% (Stansfield, 2014). A report by the Justice Department indicates that there has been a sharp drop in murders in the last twenty years, specifically in urban areas. The overall rate of murder went down to 4.8 incidents per a population of 100,000 in the year 2010. This is the lowest ever number to be witnessed since the 1960s. Moreover, Norfolk’s murder rate plummeted by 55% since the year 1991, in 2010, the police department investigated only 14 murder cases, this number was half lower than the normal years all through the 1960s where the number of homicides went up to 36 cases. The rural and suburban communities in the area experienced a steady and less drastic drop over that period. The flooded roads in South Hampton are linked to numerous crimes that are caused by the flooded roads in the region. To begin with, there are structured crime activities whose main aim is to target those vehicles that have been swamped with the flood water during the hurricanes and the owners left them there since they could not rescue them and are waiting for the rescue teams to pull them out of the water. These cars are pulled out of the water by the thieves who act as risk management personnel, but their main aim is to sell those cars to dishonest dealers who want to sell them to innocent buyers and make quick cash. The burgles clear any evidence that could indicate the car had been soaked in water for a long time and also the scammers change the title documents of the car or form other fake ones so that the owners are not able to identify their stolen cars, and no one can be able to trail the car. Cars that have stayed in the water for long are not suitable to be put back on the road as the majority of their parts have oxidized, and it may not function well on the roads. This act of selling roadworthy vehicles more so stolen ones is against the law, and there should be measures to curb this illegal vice. One of the measures that should be taken to minimize this crime is by ensuring each and every car is thoroughly inspected by an independent mechanic and also the car should be lifted to monitor the undercarriage for any signs of it being a soaked car. Additionally, the identification number of the car should be trailed by one of the organizations that provide the registration numbers so as to ensure it is genuine. Also, pay attention to the musty or moldy smells and the floorboard must be checked for water stains or water residue. Furthermore, the high unemployment rate and the low wages in the South Hampton region is also a major cause that increases the crime rates in the area. The unemployed youths take advantage of the flooded roads and the stranded motorists who are desperate for help to carry out their illegal activities. They sometimes act as a rescue team or a risk management team to convince the motorists and in the process steal from them their belongings. Additionally, the female motorists may be victims to rape as the youths may take advantage and rape them in their cars. Also, murder cases in the flooded roads are also high as some motorists are murdered, and the murderers run away with their belongings and their car to sell them at cheap prices. So as to mitigate crimes in the region that are brought about by these serious weather events, motorists should be educated on how to identify the rescue teams or the risk management personnel so as to avoid falling into the hands of thieves and murderers. Secondly, security in the area should be increased. According to Wilson et al., (2010), the number of police officers and other law enforcement employees in the year 2008 was at 1 police officer per 1000 residents, however in 2012 the number went up to 2.44 representing 2 officers per 1000 population. Nevertheless, this number is small, and there should be an increase to 4 to 5 officers per 1000 residents so as to strengthen the security in the region. For another thing, critical amenities for the elderly, poor and the vulnerable people should be put in place, and proper development planning needs to be carried out to stop flooding of the South Hampton Roads. Thirdly, the United States government should decrease the unemployment rate in the region so that the number of unemployed youths will be lower thus reducing the crime rates. Additionally, the wages paid to the youth should be increased so that they may not be tempted to involve themselves in other illegal activities so as to meet their daily needs. If all this are to be achieved then, we are likely to experience a very low rate of crime in the South Hampton region in the present and future days. Conclusion Concisely, this paper talked about the vulnerability of the residents of South Hampton more so the motorists using the South Hampton Roads that are prone to flooding to property and violent crimes. The cases of crimes in the region are said to be way above even the national average crime rate, and the majority of the crimes are due to the unemployment rate and low wages. The flooding of the roads acts as an opportunity for the unemployed youths to carry out their illegal activities so as to be able to sustain themselves. Due to these, measures need to be put in place to curb future cases of crime due to the flooding. Additionally, Critical facilities for the elderly, poor and the vulnerable people must be in place, and good planning needs to be done to prevent flooding of the South Hampton Roads. Although the crime rates are decreasing according to statistics, the rate of plummeting is not even as sometimes there is an increase and decrease. Therefore, more and more should be done to make South Hampton a crime free zone. References Kleinosky, L. R., Yarnal, B., & Fisher, A. (2007). Vulnerability of hampton roads, Virginia to storm-surge flooding and sea-level rise. Natural Hazards, 40(1), 43–70. Low, S. M. (2001). The edge and the center: Gated communities and the discourse of urban fear. American anthropologist, 103(1), 45-58. Stansfield, R. (2014). SAFER CITIES: A MACRO‐LEVEL ANALYSIS OF RECENT IMMIGRATION, HISPANIC‐OWNED BUSINESSES, AND CRIME RATES IN THE UNITED STATES. Journal of Urban Affairs, 36(3), 503-518. Wilson, S. M., Richard, R., Joseph, L., & Williams, E. (2010). Climate change, environmental justice, and vulnerability: an exploratory spatial analysis. Environmental Justice, 3(1), 13-19. Read More