Define Goals and Objectives Essay Example

Define Goals and Objectives Essay Define Goals and Objectives Overview: â€Å"What are goals and objectives? † Goals are general guidelines that explain what you want to achieve in your community. They are usually long-term and represent global visions such as â€Å"protect public health and safety. † Objectives define strategies or implementation steps to attain the identified goals. Unlike goals, objectives are specific, measurable, and have a defined completion date. They are more specific and outline the â€Å"who, what, when, where, and how† of reaching the goals. Where are we now? Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Step 6: Step 7: Step 8: Step 9: Identify hazards and risks Define goals and objectives Identify alternatives for solving problems Select evaluation criteria Select feasible mitigation strategies Prepare a draft plan Prepare final plan Implement plan Monitor and periodically revise plan â€Å"Why do we need to identify goals and objectives? † Plans and actions based on clear goals and objectives are more likely to succeed in meeting the community’s needs. Vassar, Michigan 1998/99 Mitigation Planning Initiative Goals u u u Reduce flood losses. Improve response and recovery. Enhance community confidence. Objectives u Establish on-going floodway acquisition land-use program. u Rezone floodway to reflect current uses. u Develop a written Flood Response Recovery Plan. Accomplishments (Mitigation Strategies Being Implemented) u A floodway is being converted to a riverside park and recreation area. u Homes in the flood fringe are being raised above the 100 year elevation. u Remaining homes in the floodway are being removed. u Community spirit has been renewed. 68 2/03 We will write a custom essay sample on Define Goals and Objectives specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Define Goals and Objectives specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Define Goals and Objectives specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Typical goals might include, but are not limited to, the following: †¢ Minimize damage to public and private property †¢ Maintain essential public services †¢ Provide adequate warning time to residents in affected areas †¢ Promote economic development †¢ Manage growth/development †¢ Acquire open space and park land †¢ Preserve housing stock †¢ Maintain a positive community image Goals will not be achieved if they exist in a vacuum or compete with other community goals. Hazard mitigation has a far greater chance for success when its goals are effectively integrated into other community goals. Combining goals in this manner can lead to a â€Å"win-win† situation where everyone benefits. A mitigation component may â€Å"tip the scale† to allow a marginal but beneficial project to move forward. Objectives are developed to help achieve goals by dividing them into manageable components. For example, â€Å"eliminate flood damage† would be a goal. A supporting objective could be â€Å"adopt a zoning ordinance prohibiting new development in the floodplain. † This objective establishes a policy that prohibits building in an area vulnerable to a natural hazard. Successful completion of multiple objectives is needed for each individual goal. Some objectives may themselves have components that can be expressed as action steps, but it is vital to eventually identify in the plan all the details that will guide and encourage concrete actions to be taken. Prioritizing goals and objectives Once you have identified the goals and objectives, prioritize them so local officials can better focus their attention on developing alternatives. Summary Developing clear goals and objectives will help your community clarify problems, issues and opportunities in hazard mitigation as well as other areas. Well-articulated goals and objectives are more likely to succeed. An important part of developing goals and objectives is raising community awareness of the relationship between community development practices and the community’s level of hazard vulnerability and risk. Also, raising citizen awareness can help gain support for ongoing mitigation planning efforts. 69 2/03 Step 3 Identify Alternatives for Solving Problems Overview Often, there are different ways that objectives can be met, each of which may have pros and cons, costs and benefits. Brainstorming sessions will be useful for suggesting possible mitigation strategies, which are called alternatives until they are narrowed down to one strategy that can receive widespread support. The narrowing-down process will be covered in Steps 4 and 5. First, alternatives must be generated that may address each of the most important hazards in your community, as identified by the hazard analysis produced in Step 1, and to accomplish the goals and objectives identified and defined in Step 2. Where are we now? Step 1: Identify hazards and risks Step 2: Define goals and objectives Step 3: Identify alternatives for solving problems Step 4: Step 5: Step 6: Step 7: Step 8: Step 9: Select evaluation criteria Select feasible mitigation strategies Prepare a draft plan Prepare final plan Implement plan Monitor and periodically revise plan Key Point Five Basic Hazard Mitigation Approaches u Strategy #1 – Modify the Hazard to remove or eliminate it. Modification will reduce its size or amount, or control the rate of release of the hazard. Examples include cloud seeding, slope planting (to reduce erosion), and stream widening or modification to improve water flow. Strategy #2 – Segregating the Hazard to try to keep the hazard away from the people. This is often accomplished in floodprone areas through the construction of structural protection measures such as dams, levees, floodwalls, etc. that redirect the impacts of a flood away from people and developed properties. This can be a highly effective strategy but also very expensive. Care must be taken to maintain structural solutions over time. Risks could be compounded if development continues behind a structure that is allowed to deteriorate! Strategy #3 – Preventing or Limiting Development in locations where people and structures would be at risk. This approach seeks to keep the people away from the hazard and includes a variety of land use planning and development regulation tools, such as comprehensive planning, zoning, floodplain management ordinances, capital improvements planning, disclosure laws, and the acquisition and relocation of hazard-prone properties. When properly applied, this strategy can be highly effective in promoting safe, sustainable development. Strategy #4 – Altering Design or Construction to make it less vulnerable to disaster damage. Also known as interacting with the hazard, it focuses on engineering structures to withstand potentially destructive impacts. Examples include elevation above flood levels, wind bracing, wet and dry floodproofing measures, and insulation of utility lines. Strategy #5 – Early Warning and Public Education to ensure that the public is aware of potential hazards, and that proper warning and communication systems are in place to save lives and protect property. 70 2/03 u u u u The text box on the preceding page presented five basic hazard mitigation approaches. Within that basic framework are numerous tools that can be used to help solve hazard-related problems and concerns. Some of those tools will now be described. Common Hazard Mitigation Tools Corrective Measures When structures and communities are located in hazardous areas, corrective measures are directed at working with current conditions. Examples of corrective measures include: 1. Acquisition: Public acquisition and management of lands that are vulnerable to damage from local hazards. Following acquisition, land uses more appropriate to the degree of risk may be chosen. Public acquisition has been achieved by: a) purchase at full market value; b) purchase at less than full market value through such methods as foreclosure of tax delinquent property, bargain sales, purchase and lease back, etc. ; c) donation, through reserved real estate, donation by will, donation and lease back; d) leases; and e) easements. Relocation: Permanent evacuation of hazard-prone areas through movement of existing hazard-prone development and population to safer areas. The two common approaches to relocation are physical removal of buildings to a safer area with future use of the vacated area limited to permanent open space, and replacing existing land uses with others that are less vulnerable to the hazard. Redevelopment: Rebuilding damaged areas in such a way that future damages are reduced and economic viability is improved. An example of this approach would be the redesign of deteriorated urban areas using renewal authorities and funds. Modifications: Modifications can be made both to a site and to a structure. Examples include landscape grading, or retrofitting existing structures to be damage resistant (i. e. , floodproofing existing buildings, adding structural braces to buildings to improve earthquake or wind resistance, etc. ) 2. 3. 4. Public Works Measures This category covers the most commonly known engineering measures used to contain or redirect natural hazards away from development and affected populations. Examples of these types of measures include: 1. Structural Protection Measures: Construction of measures that directly protect people and property at risk (in Michigan, primarily from flood hazards). Examples include dams, reservoirs, dikes, levees, seawalls, bulkheads, revetments, high flow diversions, and spillways. Land Treatment: Measures which are intended to reduce the intensity of hazard effects by modifying the natural environment. Examples include reforestation, contour plowing, grading, and soil stabilization. 2. Planning and Regulatory Measures Government has the power and resources to guide and influence the location, type, and amount of development within a jurisdiction. The tools of this development management are contained in the communitys plans, regulations, public facilities and taxation measures, in addition to land acquisition policies which were discussed previously. 1. Plans: Land use plans specify the planned location of types of development activity, including commercial, industrial, and residential. As a hazard mitigation tool, plans can also identify hazard areas such as floodplains, fault zones, landslide and high-erosion areas, and hazardous waste sites. Land use plans can guide concentrated development away from these hazard areas by designating them for open space or other low density uses. Zoning: Zoning ordinances are used to regulate the use of land and structures to ensure the public health, safety, and general welfare. Hazard areas such as floodplains can be zoned as low density districts. Hazard areas can also be identified in other zoning districts where special performance standards may be applied to development. 71 2/03 2. 3. Regulations: Certain regulations, such as subdivision regulations, place requirements and standards for the conversion of raw land into building ites. These types of regulations can require floodproofing of such facilities as water and sewer lines, and storm drains. The subdivider can be required to prevent environmental degradation (e. g. using cluster developments) and mitigate hazards (e. g. retention basins). Development in high-hazard areas can be prevented or protected by requiring elevation or floodproofing. The regulations may also require that hazard information appear on deeds for lots within the development. Environmental regulations also provide an opportunity to accomplish hazard mitigation. Since sensitive areas are protected by these regulations, mitigation can be accomplished when this protection reduces hazard impacts, and when the protection guides new development away from these areas. 4. Codes: Building codes protect lives and property by setting standards for construction materials, techniques, and design procedures. Both performance codes and specification codes can be valuable hazard mitigation tools when used to require protection of new construction (or substantial redevelopments). Housing and sanitary codes establish minimum standards, one for occupancy and the other for waste disposal. Special standards may be established for hazard-prone areas. Disclosure: Hazard mitigation goals can be accomplished by requiring sellers and real estate brokers to inform prospective buyers about the vulnerability of buildings and lots to specific hazards. Moratoria: Ordinances or regulations can be applied to delay rebuilding after a disaster until mitigation priorities have been established. This can be done either before, or immediately following a disaster. Development Rights: This type of regulation or policy may prevent development in hazardous areas by purchasing the development rights from the seller. The land can then be maintained as open space, or leased back for agricultural purposes. Another option is to transfer the development rights to another location that is safer. By increasing densities in the safer location in exchange for decreased densities in the hazard zone, both sellers and developers can realize a profit while accomplishing hazard mitigation at little or no cost to government. Open Space Planning: By employing some of the same strategies as for acquisition of developed properties, jurisdictions can lessen the potential for natural hazards by acquiring vulnerable undeveloped areas. 5. 6. 7. 8. Persuasion and Encouragement Other mitigation strategies are available to discourage new development in hazardous areas and encourage practices which are consistent with mitigation goals. These include: 1. Incentives: Financial incentives and disincentives, such as taxes, mortgage standards, and insurance credits can be used to conform with mitigation objectives. An example of a disincentive would be the denial of loans to would-be borrowers who cannot show that hazard-related standards are being met. Location: Leading by example, such as a clear and consistent government policy aimed at preventing the location of public buildings in hazardous areas, may discourage private development in these locations. An extension of this policy would be the denial of public services, such as water, power, and sewage into these areas. Finding alternatives to repairing or rebuilding damaged public facilities which service hazard-prone areas may also set an example for the private sector. . Public Education and Awareness Public awareness programs are necessary to periodically inform and remind people about an areas hazards, and the measures necessary to minimize potential damage and injury. Tools in this category include: 1. 2. Public Relations: Providing general information or establishing public consensus can be accomplished through a formal or informal pu blic relations program. Public Information: Information about hazards or mitigation efforts can be disseminated through the media. 72 2/03 3. 4. 5. Public Hearings: The public may obtain information and express opinions about mitigation efforts at public forums run by appropriate government agencies. Surveys and Polls: Government agencies or other organizations can gather information about public support for mitigation efforts. Public Education: Learning experiences, such as workshops and seminars, may be used to communicate hazard mitigation information to special target audiences. Incorporating alternatives into a plan Perhaps one of the best ways to identify alternatives for solving hazard-related problems is to display the information in table format. For example: City of Vassar, Michigan. GOAL: Reduce flood losses to the fullest extent possible. OBJECTIVE(s): Reduce losses associated with Cass River flooding. RANGE OF ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS: ALTERNATIVE 1 Acquire floodway buildings/properties. ALTERNATIVE 2 Elevate floodway buildings/properties. ALTERNATIVE 3 Wet floodproof floodway buildings/properties. ALTERNATIVE 4 Dry floodproof floodway buildings/properties. ALTERNATIVE 5 Dredge/widen the Cass River to increase water flow. ALTERNATIVE 6 â€Å"Relocate† the Cass River by altering its present course. ALTERNATIVE 7 Build a floodwall or dike levee to protect floodway buildings/properties. ALTERNATIVE 8 Join the National Flood Insurance Program to provide limited financial relief for flood victims. ALTERNATIVE 9 Do nothing and absorb flood losses as they occur. One of the alternatives that should be included in your communitys assessments is a do nothing alternative, such as the last item in the table above. An alternative of this kind will help people understand the current risks from the hazard, and the need to take action of some kind to mitigate the impacts of that hazard. In some cases, people may need some ideas with which to propose alternatives that may help mitigate local hazards. On the following pages is an extensive list of mitigation strategies for the many hazards that have been identified in the state of Michigan. To continue reading about the hazard mitigation planning process, turn to page 84. 73 2/03 POSSIBLE MITIGATION STRATEGIES – BY HAZARD Each hazard has a list of associated mitigation strategies. In front of each strategy are boldface letters that represent specific groups or organizations that are pertinent to implementing the described mitigation-related activity. Up to three categories are listed for each mitigation strategy. Here is a list of the code letters and what they refer to: B Business owners managers (including site developers and builders and government administrators whose activities are similarly associated with the selection, design, and operation of specific sites performing economic or community functions) C Public Citizens and those who provide educational services or marketing campaigns to them E Emergency management coordinators and related persons (LEPCs, incident commanders, etc. F First-responders (law enforcement, fire fighters, medical services, other response services at all levels) I Insurance agencies industry, including the NFIP L Elected officials and Legislators N Non-profit organizations and government departments which support them or have similar concerns (welfare provision, environmental protection, etc. ) O Building Officials and other inspection, regulation, and code enforcement Officials (health, fire, e tc. P Planning departments, consultants, officials, engineers, and others involved in similar activities guiding long-term development patterns and conditions in a community, a larger area, or at development sites R Researchers, engineers, architects, etc. involved in the study and design of human environments and support infrastructure; also includes public works, utility providers, and others dealing with infrastructure design, development and maintenance (Road Commissioners, Drain Commissioners, etc. Civil Disturbances (prison or institutional rebellions, disruptive political gatherings, violent labor disputes, urban protests or riots, or large-scale uncontrolled festivities) E, F B, F, R E, F B, P Law enforcement training, staffing, and resource provision. Incident anticipation and planning, and video documentation of events for later study and use. Local law enforcement mutual aid, and support from the Michigan State Police and National Guard. It is possible that design, manage ment, integration, and lowered density of poor or blighted areas may reduce vandalism, crime, and some types of riot events. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a field of planning that deals with this. B, C, I Insure structures and property in risky areas. B, E Developing site emergency plans for schools, factories, office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, correctional facilities, stadiums, recreation areas, and other appropriate sites. O, P Design requirements for schools, factories, office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, correctional facilities, stadiums, recreation areas, etc. that take into consideration emergency and security needs. Drought R L B, C R P, R B, C, I Storage of water for use in drought events (especially for human needs during extreme temperatures). Measures or ordinances to prioritize or control water use (especially when needed to fight fires). Encouragement of water-saving measures by consumers (especially during irrigation and farming). Anticipation of potential drought conditions, and preparation of drought contingency plans. Designs and plans for water delivery systems that include a consideration of drought events. Obtaining agricultural insurance. Earthquakes – (biggest Michigan threats would be to pipelines, buildings that are poorly designed and constructed, and shelving, furniture, mirrors, gas cylinders, etc. within structures that could fall and cause injury or personal property damage) L, O B, C B, C, I P, R C Adopt and enforce appropriate building codes. Use of safe interior designs and furniture arrangements. Obtain insurance. Harden critical infrastructure systems to meet seismic design standards for lifelines. Encourage residents to develop a Family Disaster Plan which includes the preparation of a Disaster Supplies Kit. Extreme Temperatures C, L, N Organizing outreach to vulnerable populations during periods of extreme temperatures, including establishing and building awareness of accessible heating and/or cooling centers in the community, and other public information campaigns about this hazard. C, E, L Increased coverage and use of NOAA Weather Radio. 74 2/03 L, O Housing/l andlord codes enforcing heating requirements. C, L, N Special arrangements for payment of heating bills. Fire Hazards Scrap Tire Fires B, L, O Policies for regulated disposal and management of scrap tires, and enforcement of regulations related to them (separation of stored scrap tires from other materials; limits on the size of each pile; minimum distances between piles and property lines; covering, chemically treating, or shredding tires to limit mosquito breeding; providing for fire vehicle access to scrap tire piles; training employees in emergency response operations; installation of earthen berms around storage areas; prevention of pools of standing water in the area; control of nearby vegetation; an emergency plan posted on the property; storing only the permitted volume of tires authorized for that site). P Proper siting of tire storage and processing facilities (land use planning that recognizes scrap tire sites as a real hazard and environmental threat). E, F Local awareness of scrap tire risk, training and preparedness of responders. F Law enforcement to prevent illegal dumpi ng of tires at the site. B Pest-control measures for mosquitoes and other nuisances around scrap tire yards. Structural Fires L, O Code existence and enforcement. B, R Designs that include the use of firewalls and sprinkler systems (especially in tall buildings, dormitories, attached structures, and special facilities). C Public education and school programs (especially about the use of stoves, heaters, fireworks, matches/lighters, etc. ) B, C, O Landlords and families can install and maintain smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Install a smoke alarm on each level of homes (to be tested monthly, with the batteries changed twice each year). Family members and residents should know how to use a fire extinguisher. B, C, O Proper installation and maintenance of heating systems (especially those requiring regular cleaning, those using hand-loaded fuels such as wood, or using concentrated fuels such as liquid propane). B, C Safe and responsible use of electric and space heaters (placed at least 3 feet from objects, with space near hot elements free of combustibles). B, E Developing site emergency plans for schools, factories, office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, correctional facilities, stadiums, and recreation areas, and other appropriate sites. C Safe use and maintenance/cleaning of fireplaces and chimneys (with the use of spark arresters and proper storage of flammable items). Residents should inspect chimneys at least twice a year and clean them at least once a year. C Posting of fire emergency telephone numbers in accessible places. B, C, O Safe installation, maintenance, and use of electrical outlets and wiring. C Education and practice of safe cigarette handling and disposal (also candles, fireworks, campfires, holiday lights) L, O, P Measures to reduce urban blight and associated arson (including CPTED? ). B, F, O Proper workplace procedures, training and exercising, and handling of explosive and flammable materials and substances. B, C, O Pre-planned escape routes and fire alert responses. E, F Improved and continuing training for emergency responders, and provision of equipment for them. B, C, O Defensible space around structures in fire-prone wildland areas. F, R Proper maintenance of power lines, and efficient response to fallen power lines. B, P, R Transportation planning that provides roads, overpasses, etc. o maximize access and improve emergency response times, and evacuation potential, for all inhabited or developed areas of a community (not just designing for the minimum amount of road capacity to handle normal traffic volumes in the community. ) This includes transportation acce ss within developed sites (shopping malls, stadiums, office commercial parking lots, etc. ) E, F Control of civil disturbances and criminal activities that could lead to arson. B, C, F Enforced fireworks regulations. C, F Elimination of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories through law enforcement and public education. B, C Condominium-type associations for maintaining safety in attached housing/building units or multi-unit structures. B, C, I Obtaining insurance. C Encourage residents to develop a Family Disaster Plan which includes the preparation of a Disaster Supplies Kit. Wildfires B, C, O Proper maintenance of property in or near wildland areas (including short grass; thinned trees and removal of lowhanging branches; selection of fire-resistant vegetation; use of fire resistant roofing and building materials; use of functional shutters on windows; keeping flammables such as curtains securely away from windows or using heavy fire-resistant drapes; creating and maintaining a buffer zone (defensible space) between structures and adjacent wild lands; use of the fire departments home safety inspections; sweeping/cleaning dead or dry leaves, needles, 75 2/03 B, C, L B, F, N C C C C B, C B, C, N C R F, R E, F N, P, R B, C, L F, L, O E, L B, N, R B, N, P B, C, O B, C, R B, C B, C B, C, O B, C, P F, P, R B, C, I C, I C, E, L wigs, and combustibles from roofs, decks, eaves, porches, and yards; keeping woodpiles and other combustibles away from structures; use of boxed or enclosed eaves on house; thorough cleaning-up of spilled flammable fluids; and keeping gar age areas protected from blowing embers). Safe disposal of yard and house waste rather than through open burning. Use of fire spotters, towers, planes. Keep handy household items that can be used as fire tools; a rake, axe, hand/chainsaw, bucket and shovel. Install and maintain smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Install a smoke alarm on each floor of buildings and homes. Test monthly and change the batteries two times each year. Teach family members how to use the fire extinguisher. Post fire emergency telephone numbers. Organizing neighborhood wildfire safety coalitions (to plan how the neighborhood could work together to prevent a wildfire). Residents should plan several escape routes away from their homes by car and by foot. Use of structural fire mitigation systems such as interior and exterior sprinklers, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers. Arson prevention activities, including reduction of blight (cleaning up areas of abandoned or collapsed structures, accumulated junk or debris, and with any history of flammable substances stored, spilled, or dumped on them). Public education on smoking hazards and recreational fires. Proper maintenance and separation of power lines. Ask the power company to clear branches from power lines. Efficient response to fallen power lines. Training and exercises for response personnel. GIS mapping of vegetative coverage, for use in planning decisions and analyses through comparison with topography, zoning, developments, infrastructure, etc. Media broadcasts of fire weather and fire warnings. Create and enforce local ordinances that require burn permits and restrict campfires and outdoor burning. Mutual aid pacts with neighboring communities. Prescribed burns and fuel management (thinning of flammable vegetation, possibly including selective logging to thin out some areas. Fuels cleared can be given away as firewood or chipped into wood chips for distribution. The creation of fuel breaks (areas where the spread of wildfires will be slowed or stopped due to removal of fuels, or the use of fire-retardant materials/vegetation) in high-risk forest or other areas. Keeping roads and driveways accessible to vehicles and fire equipment—driveways should be relatively straight and flat, with at least some open spaces to turn, bridges that can support emergency vehicles, and clearance wide and high enough for two-way traffic and emergency vehicle access (spare keys to gates around property should be provided to the local fire department, and an address should be visible from the road so homes can be located quickly). Enclosing the foundations of homes and buildings rather than leaving them open and the underside exposed to blown embers or materials. Safe use and maintenance/cleaning of fireplaces and chimneys (with the use of spark arresters and emphasis on proper storage of flammable items). Residents should be encouraged to inspect chimneys at least twice a year and clean them at least once a year. Proper maintenance and storage of motorized equipment that could catch on fire. Proper storage and use of flammables, including the use of flammable substances (such as when fueling machinery). Store gasoline, oily rags and other flammable materials in approved safety cans. Stack firewood at least 100 feet away and uphill from homes. Avoid building structures on hilltop locations, where they will be at greater risk from wildfires (in addition, hillsides facing south or west are more vulnerable to increased dryness and heat from sun exposure) and use of proper setbacks from slopes (outside of the convection cone of intense heat which would be projected up the slope of the hill as a wildfire climbs it). Have adequate water supplies for emergency fire fighting (in accordance with NFPA standards). For residents, identify and maintain an adequate outside water source such as a small pond, cistern, well, swimming pool or hydrant; have a garden hose that is long enough to reach any area of the home and other structures on the property; install freeze-proof exterior water outlets on at least two sides of the home and near other structures on the property. Install additional outlets at least 50 feet from the home; consider obtaining a portable gasoline powered pump in case electrical power is cut off. Obtaining insurance. Including wildfire safety information in materials provided by insurance companies to area residents. When Wildfire threatens, residents should be instructed to carry and listen to battery-operated radios for reports and evacuation information, and follow the instructions given by local officials. Cars should be backed into garages or parked in an open space facing the direction of escape, with doors and windows closed and the key in the ignition. Garage windows and doors should be closed but left unlocked. If residents have time, they can take steps to protect their homes by closing windows, vents, doors, venetian blinds and heavy drapes; removing 76 2/03 ightweight curtains; shutting off gas at the meter; turning off pilot lights; opening fireplace damper; closing fireplace screens; moving flammable furniture into the center of the home away from windows and sliding-glass doors; and turning on a light in each room to increase the visibility of homes in heavy smoke. Outside, residen ts can seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals, turn off propane tanks, place combustible patio furniture inside, connect the garden hose to outside taps, set up a portable gasoline-powered pump, place lawn sprinklers on the roof and near above-ground fuel tanks, wet the roof, wet or remove shrubs within 15 feet of the home, and gather fire tools. C, E, L Residents should be instructed on proper evacuation procedures, such as wearing protective clothing (sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves and a handkerchief to protect the face); taking a Disaster Supplies Kit; and choosing a route away from fire hazards. C Encourage residents to develop a Family Disaster Plan

4 Books That Show You How to Write

4 Books That Show You How to Write 4 Books That Show You How to Write 4 Books That Show You How to Write By Mark Nichol No, that headline doesn’t read â€Å"Four Books That Tell You How to Write.† The verb is show, and that’s exactly what I mean. This post does not list writing guides, but if you want to learn how to create a memorable reading experience, follow the excellent examples below. Note that this is not a definitive list of the most exemplary books; it’s just four I’ve read recently that have fascinated me and made me think, â€Å"Gee, I wish I had written that† (and I can think of no better testimonial than that). 1. How to Distract People from the Fact That Your Book Is Educational by Making Them Laugh Book: In a Sunburned Country (Bill Bryson) Bryson, in this book and many others, sets out to entertain people and does so with great flair (and success). But he also loves to share his knowledge (and his passion for knowledge) with readers, and enhances nutritious information with tasty toppings of humor and whimsy. This book about his travels through and insights about Australia (a nation that, given its environment, is even more improbably successful than the United States) delights as it informs. Bryson has also written or edited books about science (A Brief History of Nearly Everything and others), language (The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way and others), and more, and even when his work doesn’t live up to expectations (At Home: A Short History of Private Life), it’s still fun and fascinating. 2. How to Top Off an Engrossing Story About Exploration with an Ironic Twist Book: The Lost City of Z (David Grann) Few tropes stir the romantic adventurer in us as much as a jungle-exploration saga, and this book, based on the archetypal expedition into Green Hell from which popular culture has derived many of its notions about the subject, does the larger-than-life topic proud. The author retraces the steps of legendary Great White Explorer Percy Fawcett (allegedly an inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Professor Challenger), who, accompanied only by his son and the younger Fawcett’s best friend, set out to find evidence of a great civilization in the Amazonian jungle. The members of the expedition never returned nor, apparently, did many other adventurers who sought glory by attempting to discover both Fawcett’s fate and the object of his quest. Grann concludes this mesmerizing tale with a wry realization about the expedition’s goal that’s just too good for any but the most adept Hollywood treatment. 3. How to Debunk a Myth with an Even More Compelling Story Book: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War (Nathaniel Philbrick) Philbrick peels away the facile fiction about Thanksgiving by booking readers passage on a sorely overcrowded one-hundred-foot-long sailing ship with a hundred passengers and more than two dozen crew members and integrating these additional travelers, through commanding scholarship and vivid writing, into the historic settlement the colonists formed against all odds. The story of their harrowing, heartbreaking first winter and their fumbling attempts to get along with their native neighbors, and an accurate account of their day(s) of thanks, stripped of schoolbook holiday hoo-haw, is refreshing. This account is framed by details about what led a band of religious dissidents and assorted â€Å"Strangers† (split about evenly in numbers) to unite in this venture, and by chapters chronicling the tragic misunderstandings and missteps that led to war between their descendants and their erstwhile indigenous allies. Tied together seamlessly, these episodes describe in a nutshell the story of the United States. 4. How to Make Being a Dork Seem (Momentarily) Cool Book: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (Joshua Foer) Foer, the brother of the editor of the New Republic and of novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, holds his own against the literary accomplishments of his older siblings with this absorbing account of how he immersed himself in the highly esoteric world of memory masters and well, I won’t spoil it for you. Chancing on information about people who demonstrate prodigious memorization skills in competitions they train for with the intensity of Olympic athletes, Foer decides to try it out for himself, and takes us along for the ride. Along the way, we meet the man who inspired Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man, as well as purported savant Daniel Tammet, whose memorization wizardry Tammet himself (perhaps disingenuously) attributes to autism, in addition to various mental athletes who seem to be exactly the type of poorly groomed, socially inept geeks you’d expect to find devoting much time and effort to a seemingly useless skill. But Foer also shares fascinating facts and history about memorization, and though he soon retires from his short career as a memory-competition participant, advocates the techniques he learned as tools any amateur will find beneficial in life. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterOne Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation

Small bus assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Small bus assignment - Essay Example Thus, it can be said that founding Urban Decay is a next step after leaving Cisco Systems. The idea of Sandy Lerner turned into the opportunity with the fact that it was attractive to customers (multicolor appearance) as appeared in traditional times. Also, she managed to find a passionate teammate in her business, Wende Zomnir. The applicable root of opportunity in this case is the change of the one feature in already existing product. In the given case, the idea to add new colors in already existing cosmetics made this business successful in that time. The future for Urban Decay as an independent player is not clear, because the idea to use different colors in cosmetics seems to lose its actuality. Nevertheless, the nature of this opportunity has a potential to develop, because our world is full of colors. In addition, women want to use cosmetics to be unique and beautiful. So, current successful sale activity and depending on L’Oreal Cosmetics is a reasonable choice for this