A new database lets users search any US ZIP code, city name, or address to find out about extreme weather conditions like hurricane or wildfire exposure and other environmental industrial hazards such Superfund sites, neighborhood Brownfields, or problematic nuclear reactors.
Type in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to find out that Three Mile Island 2, a nuclear reactor located on the Susquehanna River, was only operational for 90 days before it was shut down by major accidents on March 28, 1979. It also shows that it is less than 12 mi from the Pennsylvania capital.
AreaHub.comThe aggregates and pulls in regularly updated, current data about natural hazards and human-made disasters. To help consumers, researchers, businesses and others make informed decisions about risk, it was founded by William Pence, Ph.D. Pence was the chief operating officer of WebMD, chief technical officer at AOL and chaired Cornells College of Engineering Advisory Board before his death in 2020.
It is fundamentally moral to support people’s right to know about local hazards that could pose a threat to them or others they care about. Katherine McComasProfessor of Communication at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She conducts risk research and serves the website’s risk advisor. It is important that people are able to understand the risks and how to respond.
Lauren Chambliss is a senior lecturer in communication (CALS) and contributes content to AreaHubs Knowledge Center.
Chambliss stated that Katherine and I were both thrilled to contribute to a website dedicated to science-based data. This website could translate complex information into an easily accessible format. It’s for people who want to learn more about the ever-changing climate and environmental picture in the areas where they live, work, and play.
AreaHub has explanation notes on earthquakes. Natural gas pipelines. Floods. Radon. Understanding air quality. There is also a podcast. Climate Clear.
McComas stated that AreaHub was what attracted me to it from the beginning. Its founders’ commitment to doing so, McComas added. This is to alert people about a hazard and give them the tools to make informed decisions on how to respond.
Alison Gregory (the company’s president and co-founder) stated that a rapidly changing environment means increased environmental risk, which in turn raises society’s need to be informed about potential increases in environmental hazards.
She said that the first step to being prepared is to be conversant about the climate and environmental hazards in your area.
Gregory stated that once you have a clear understanding of your area’s risk, you can consider mitigation options and take steps for your family to reduce or prevent exposure to hazards. We want to empower individuals and businesses so that they can make wise and healthy decisions.