hazards that Texas and Texans face and what the disaster may entail. Texas is subject to a lot of different hazards or types of weather events that can cause damage and disruption of normal services. We're going to discuss the seven main hazards that Texas faces. Hazard number one is hurricanes. A hurricane is described as a tropical cyclone that has organized thunderstorms. A hurricane is always classified by its wind speed and once it reaches a sustained wind of 74 miles per hour it's classified as a hurricane. Anything under 74 miles per hour and it would be classified as a tropical storm. We typically see the effects of a hurricane along the coastline of Texas. However, if a hurricane path is ever headed towards Texas more inland may experience some rain or sustained flooding from the storm. Hurricanes typically cause damage through wind speed and flood waters. The second hazard is flooding itself. Flooding is the most common disaster in Texas. It's the thing that happens most across the entire state. Flash flooding specifically happens often and when a flood happens by heavy rainfall in a short period of time which means there might not be a lot of warning or preparation time. It's important to note that while the water itself is a hazard that things in the water can also be contaminated and can cause a health risk. The third hazard is wildfires. A wildfire is classified as a fire that burns out of control in a natural area like forests, grasslands, or prairies. While we see these all over Texas it's important to note that the fire is a danger and so is the smoke. Texas is also at the end of Tornado Alley which means that we do see some forms of tornadoes. A tornado is described as a violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm all the way to the ground. Tornadoes are typically seen in the northern part of Texas but can happen towards central Texas. And then there's thunderstorms. A thunderstorm is any form of storm that includes heavy rain, lightning, and loud thunder. It's important to remember that while you may not be able to see it every thunderstorm produces lightning and lightning can be a hazard in itself. Texas, while not super often, does also experience winter storms which is a combination of heavy snow, blowing snow, and or dangerous wind chills. It's important to note that things like road conditions can typically get a lot rougher when a winter storm occurs due to the snow and ice accumulation. And finally, Texas sees a lot of extreme heat. Extreme heat is defined by a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above at least 90 degrees for at least two days. And while this happens extremely often in Texas and we may think we're used to it, extreme heat is a hazard and needs to be prepared for. Heat and extreme heat is actually responsible for the highest number of annual deaths among all weather hazards. Now that we know what types of disasters exist in Texas, in our next module we'll talk about how do you prepare and what should you think about when you're preparing for a disaster.

Texas hazards

hurricanes

flooding

wildfires

tornadoes