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4 . 0 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION , VULNERABILITY , AND RISK <br /> The purpose of this chapter is to describe the hazards facing Indian River County <br /> in terms of potential impact , vulnerability , and loss . The hazards faced in Indian River <br /> County fit into three general classifications : natural , technological , and societal hazards . <br /> Natural hazards include floods , hurricanes/tropical storms , tornadoes , thunderstorms , <br /> lightning , wildland fires , muck fires , extreme temperatures , soil/beach erosion , severe <br /> droughts , seismic hazards ( including earthquakes , sinkholes , and dam and levee failures ) , <br /> agricultural pests and diseases , and epidemics . Tsunamis are not addressed in this plan <br /> because of the low probability of occurrence . According to the State Natural azard <br /> Mitigation Plan , only four tsunamis have impacted Florida since 1886 . Technological <br /> hazards include radiological accidents , power failures , hazardous materials a M.cidents , <br /> transportation system accidents , wellfield contaminations , communication fail ires , and <br /> unexploded military ordnance . Societal hazards include terrorism and sabotage , civil <br /> disturbance , and immigration crises . <br /> The hazard identification subsections for each hazard describe the hazard and <br /> provide historical events and impacts if available . When available , maps are rovided to <br /> illustrate the location and extent of the hazards . Disasters are classified by the magnitude of <br /> their effect. The recognized classification system is as follows ( Indian River County <br /> Department of Emergency Services , 2002) : <br /> • Minor Disaster: Any disaster that is likely to be within the response <br /> capabilities of local government and results in only minimal need for State or <br /> Federal assistance . <br /> • Major Disaster: Any disaster that will likely exceed local capabilities and <br /> require a broad range of State and Federal assistance . The FEMA will be <br /> notified , and potential Federal assistance will be predominant) <br /> recovery-oriented . <br /> • Catastrophic Disaster: Any disaster that will require massive Slate and <br /> Federal assistance , including immediate military involvement , Federal <br /> assistance will involve response as well as recovery needs . <br /> The vulnerability assessment for each hazard describes the community assets <br /> and potential impact for each hazard . A community' s vulnerability depends on the extent of <br /> the hazard exposure and the value of potentially vulnerable assets . Higher risk areas with <br /> higher potential damage warrant mitigation practices that are more extensive . Communities <br /> in this situation may rely on land use and site design rather than on relatively imple <br /> measures such as building codes and hardening existing structures . Other fa fttors that <br /> influence vulnerability and are important for communities to consider when selecting <br /> mitigation practices are for pre-disaster mitigation , the amount of undevelopec and <br /> underdeveloped land , and in the case of post-disaster mitigation , the amount of developed <br /> land within the community ( FDCA , 2003a ) . There are three types of vulnerability — <br /> individual , social , and biophysical . Individual vulnerability describes the susceptibility of a <br /> person or a structure to potential harm from hazards . Social vulnerability describes <br /> demographic characteristics of social groups that make them more or less susceptible to the <br /> adverse impacts of hazards . Biophysical vulnerability examines the distribution of <br /> hazardous conditions arising from a variety of initiating events such as natural hazards , <br /> `�'' chemical contaminants , or industrial accidents ( Cutter, 2001 ) . <br /> 4- 1 <br />