The Trends In Globalization

The Trends In Globalization Globalization is a process of connection between the people, companies and governments from different countries. It is a process of international trade, financial market and technological development in the world. It influences the environment, political principle, economy, personal perspective and values, and culture. Technological advances and mass transportation lead people to get closer, travel more frequently and increase international cooperation that gives more opportunities to investors and businesses to expand their global markets. Thomas Friedman described in the video that personal computers and internet are the important drive to globalization. Internet performs as a tool to connect people from different nations. The need for travel is decreasing because of growing use of real-time conferences and online tools on the Internet. Globalisation gives opportunities that more organisations expand their businesses in competitive market. They can spend less operating costs and produce the variety of products and services by using diversification of resources. It effectively reduces the cause of organizational risk and interest payments in different situations. Deregulation is a major factor to boost competition and maintain a free trade. When government and industry associations deregulate the particular rules, companies can find better providers and offer cheaper and better quality of products for customers. In addition, comparative advantage leads the economic growth and does a lot of trade together, so both countries can produce goods efficiently, increase profits and satisfy the demand of goods for numbers of people. Globalisation helps developing countries to develop their economy and improve their standard of living. International organisations set up companies and factories which create a lot of job opportunities for the poor in developing nations. Thomas Friedman said that companies go global for markets and labour. Now the change is that globalisation is led by individuals. Individuals can move to another countries as well as use Internet to receive and send information. Identifying Forces Driving Globalization (1079 words) According to the publication from United Nations ESCAP, globalisation is defined as the culture which influences economy and business in the world. It is the motive force which increases the cooperation and communication across different countries. Economists assume that globalisation leads to develop the global market. Historians see globalisation is dominated by global capitalism. Sociologists believe that global movement of people, goods, and ideas change lifestyle and social values of everyone in the society. For the political scientist, they say that state sovereignty is eventually taken away by the globalization. There are some driving forces which accelerate the integration of regions and nations through economic development. Trade International trade had become the significant drive of globalization after the Second World War. Protectionism was introduced during this period. Government restricted the international trade in order to protect local farmers and businesses from external competition. It consisted of import tariffs, quotas, subsidies or tax reduction to local enterprises and state intervention until liberalization was emerged. World Trade Organization drives global economic integration and promotes world peace more deeply. World Trade Organization was established by the member states in 1995. The aim is to discuss trade agreements, settle trade disputes and comply with trade rules. It helps open the global free trade as well as protect all members in trade environment. GATT is a multilateral agreement which eliminates the trade barriers and reduces tariffs among member states. Capitalism was also introduced in Western world in 19th and 20th centuries. It is a current economic system which everyone can enter the market and provide goods and services. Through the selling process, they can either lose money or gain profits. Capital and assets are owned by entrepreneurs. Government has no right to control the flow of market. Finance The free market increases the frequency of international trade. Companies from developed countries offer resources and capital to developing countries in order to help them improve their poverty and boost their economy. It is also called foreign direct investment which means companies invest through buying a company, a merger or an acquisition of the company in another country. A lot of companies outsource the production. They cooperate with suppliers under the contract. Then suppliers hire labour to produce goods such as electronics, automobiles, textiles and garments in factories which avoid the high production costs, taxes, labor costs and utilities for companies. The risk of failure will be decreased in results of suppliers train labor equipped with specialized skills. Companies engage in new technology, goods and services. International production networks have emerged in the global market from the US since the 1960s. It was rapidly developed especially in East and Southeast Asia. Because of numerous multinational corporations faced high labor costs and import products increase while they had to provide cheap products against other competitors, MNCs has started to adopt outsourcing which forms global supply chains in Asia. They set up different regional offices and factories in a few of Asian countries. Developing countries in Asia rely on technologies from Japan, The US and EU countries for production. China, a global assembly centre, is the leading country in international production networks. And China exports the most in the world as well. In addition, ASEAN was created by countries in Southeast Asia since 1967. The aim is to increase the economic growth and achieve the free trade agreements with neighborhood countries. Recently, the economic crisis affects ASEAN that the foreign direct investment is decreasing in some Asian countries. According to ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan (The Jakarta Post, August 10, 2011, Global debt crisis to affect ASEAN, P.1), a lot of investors are from European Union, which comprises 22% of total foreign direct investments. ASEAN needs to keep their motivation and strengths. Communication It is impossible to open the international market without information technology, which has been rapidly improving the communication between people in the world. Internet and telecommunications are beneficial to the trade and financial industries. Companies enable to contact customers from different countries immediately and do transactions accurately. People can receive the knowledge and new ideas coming from other nations and also influence other people to make progress in different aspects. Using Internet is beneficial to companies that they can save time and cost. They also offer 24 hours services and online payment, reach their customers instantly and track products accurately. People can use mobile phone to make long-distance calls via the satellite technology and use Internet by accessing broadband data connection. Nowadays, these technologies are commonly used in businesses. Transport Transport is indispensable to boost the global market. Different means of transport can be used for delivering. In order to facilitate the development of logistics, people had invented large ships which contain very large capacities. It helps increase economic efficiency. Countries link closer by roads and highways. Compared to the earliest time, people went on an expedition and rode horses to other nations for trading. They can use cars and trucks to arrive different places now. Air freight has become the essential transport mode. It saves time and minimizes the damage and risk. For example, flowers, vegetables, meats, frozen food and some computer parts must export to other countries by plane. According to Boeing (Boeing, n.d. , World Air Cargo Forecast, P.1), air freight is widely used but it slowly grows due to the economic crisis and high fuel prices. People change to use more vehicles and ships which can reduce fuel costs. Using air transport influences by different factors such as exchange rates, air service agreements and other restrictions for the importing countries. However, ship transport is still the most major transport for delivering abroad. Since industrialization developed especially in Asia in the 1980s, using the ship transport has increased significantly. Boeing stated that it carried 8.8 billon tonnes while air freight had only 43 million tonnes in the world in 2011. The maritime transport is mostly used for bulk items such as oil and grains, and most dry products go for air transport. As shown, we see that these five driving forces have deeply affected the globalisation. Global trade boosts the development in finance, communication and transport. At the same time, they help the trade easier and gain more opportunities in businesses. Internet and telecommunications are modern technologies which allow connecting between suppliers, retailers and customers from different nations in results of the productivity and sales increase. Innovative technology and human skills improve gradually, so that people have better lives than the old times. Identifying Different Responses to Globalization (1043 words) According to the report from European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, globalisation is related to European integration. Economic integration has been growing in the European Union since the enlargement of EU and the single market was created. Now the EU has 27 member states, which expands the economic development and increases the cooperation between Western Europe and Eastern Europe. As a result, both eventually improve the poverty especially in Eastern Europe, increase GDP and create more business and job opportunities. Nevertheless, economic integration causes some companies lose places in the competitive market. This part will be analyzed responses of globalisation among member states, institutions and individuals. Eurobarometer has investigated public views over globalization in 15 member states between 2003 and 2006. In 2003, 63% of interviewees from member states said that they approved the development of globalization while 29% of them opposed it. In 2006, only 42% of people thought that the globalization had positive impact and 44% of those believed that it had negative one. It seemed the fact that perspectives over globalization were more negative. In addition, another survey showed that more people who thought globalization intervened in the market share and job opportunities for companies. The main concerns were some employers lost jobs to those from low-income European countries and had more mergers and acquisitions of local companies. For example, most of the people in Poland believed that globalisation led their country to open borders and encourage numbers of migrations. However, young people still worried about the high unemployment rate. Employer responses to globalisation Many private organisations have optimistic attitudes towards globalization. They think that policy measures help maintain the competitiveness such as tax reduction and labour law. Looking into a few of countries, employer organisations have different responses. The Confederation of British Industry says that domestic companies gain more profits via exporting to fast-growing countries. Reform and low-cost production are their long-term strategies for business. In the Netherlands, the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers says that a good business environment is necessary for globalisation including the balance of labour market and salaries. The division of labour is also essential which means production industry needs employees equipped with specialised skills and high value-added work needs professional workers who have more creative ideas. In Finland, the Confederation of Finnish Industries explains that the impact of globalization comes from the way that private enterprises and government react. Companies gain profits from enhancing their competitiveness in the foreign market, also they help increase the GDP of developing countries in results of growing the demand for their Finnish goods or services. The General Confederation of Italian Industry states that local companies rely on the international market. Government engages in encouraging them to develop exports and promote their products in overseas. Increasing the competitiveness needs government and private enterprises to conduct internal procedures rapidly, improve the infrastructure and minimize costs. Trade unions responses to globalization Trade unions agree that globalisation is the existence of process. They concern that it will worsen the social values and working conditions. Therefore, trade unions monitor based on social policies and communicate with European Works Councils. There are a few examples of different countries. Trade unions in Belgium insist that Europeanization is connected to globalisation. They promote the equality and solidarity. In 2007, they asked the government to conduct social and economic policies at European level. They also purposed to increase more professional jobs and continued expanding the market at global level. However, globalization has bad effects on privatization. In Germany, trade unions say that globalization brings the economic growth and employment opportunities. Some companies find the assistance from trade unions due to problems of relocation abroad. Regarding to similar situations, trade unions would look up the international labour guidelines and other agreements. They will also contact with European and global works councils. Government should set up RD while companies should improve the quality of products, strengthen the training for the staff and commit to innovation. In Austria, trade unions express that the large companies should build the head offices in its own country because the economic growth does not only involve in the relocation in target countries, effects of supplier industries and other services should be taken into account. For example, trade unions purposed the government to avoid the relocation abroad and have mergers and acquisitions by foreign enterprises. Institutional responses to globalization Government enforces policies to resolve impacts on globalisation including relocation and foreign companies take over the local ones. Both damage domestic market and cause further consequences. Government intervenes in the relocation appropriately in order to reduce serious effects which occur in the country. It encourages domestic companies to invest the production in its country such as using political pressure, subsidizing the cost of production and making mutual agreements. Government also creates good business environment for local companies including accelerating administrative procedures, offering tax reduction and boosting foreign countries to invest in its country. The backup support is important, particularly giving financial assistance to unemployed workers and providing job opportunities for them. There are some examples of government prevents the relocation abroad. In Sweden, Saab, an automobile company, decided to relocate its production from Western Sweden to Germany. Government agreed on offering 10 million euros fund to Saab. Afterwards, the fund was used to develop RD research, which improved car technologies, convinced Saab successfully to locate the production in the country and prevented to cut the workforce. A lot of local and foreign companies left their businesses in Malta and relocated them in developing countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and China. It was hardly convince them to keep the production due to higher labor costs in its country. Government did not intervene in it instead of encouraging foreign investors started up the high value-added industries. However, Denim Services, a local clothing company, decided to relocate its production. Then the government helped search an investor for Denim Services but it was not successful, in turn 1,200 staff lost jobs. As shown, we understand that globalization influences the EUs economy in positive and negative ways. Some employers, trade unions and governments express their concerns and others welcome the foreign direct investments. Each stakeholder should reach when globalization has serious damage on its economic development. Current Trends in Globalization According to the report from World Trade Organisation, international trade began after Second World War. Then it grew slowly because of the inflation and high fuel prices. In order to rebuild the market, the US executed the program called The Marshall Plan. They offered $13 billion to help create economic integration and eliminate trade conflicts in Europe. According to Herman Van der Wee (Robin Hogg and Max R. Hall, 1986, Prosperity and Upheaval: The World Economy, P.44), It gave a new impetus to reconstruction in Western Europe and made a decisive contribution to the renewal of the transport system, the modernization of industrial and agricultural equipment, the resumption of normal production, the raising of productivity, and the facilitating of intra-European trade. Afterwards, the US appeared the currency crisis. In 1971, they halted the link between dollar and gold which was known as the Bretton Woods system. It helped stabilize the economy. The US also started adopting floatin g exchange system. Because of the developing countries faced high interest rates and a big hit in debts in the 1980s, the foreign direct investment had been introduced. International trade could be divided into three groups. The first group was West European countries were in favour of the liberalization of market and they obeyed GATT and capitalism. The second group was the Soviet Union, Eastern bloc and China advocated the trading system under communism which meant all companies were owned by the state. The last group was developing countries called for political independence from 1946 to 1962, but government still intervened in the market in order to protect local enterprises. As a result, the developing countries in last group enabled to expand more trades than the first two groups. Afterwards, East Asian countries abolished the third trading system because the economy had improved and international trade grew significantly. As the following table, it shows that the trade had a high growth at 8.2% between 1950 and 1973 after the end of Second World War due to the value of money rose. During this period, European integration increased the trade between different countries more frequently. The innovative technologies developed rapidly which increased opportunities to expand exports. Japan developed the ship industry successfully followed by Asian Newly Industrialized Economies grew in the economic development, namely Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Thailand and Singapore and Malaysia. They mainly exported textiles, electronics and computer products. Then the trade in Japan went down and it was gradually replaced by NIEs and China. Nowadays China dominates the export market, mainly relies on the production of goods. The US started the international trade in the 1950s. They developed automobile industry together with Canada and signed mutual agreements in 1965. Unfortunately, the exchange rates were not stable for exports causing many companies lost profits. Exporting oil to Middle East also lost a lot of money. In 1993, they created North American Free Trade Agreement, but it failed to resolve the downfall of exports. However, Soviet Union, Western Europe, North America and Japan comprised with 70% of world trade while 80% of it was from NIEs in 1993. In industrial countries, the demand for agricultural products increased from 40% in 1955 to 60% in 2006. On the other hand, the need for fuels and mining products slightly decreased by 10% in 1955 and 2006. In the developing countries, clothing and textiles grew to about 68% and 55% respectively between 1983 and 2006. Office and telecom equipment was one of the major export products, which continued increasing to nearly 53%. On the contrary, the demand for automobile products remained at the bottom. Therefore, developing countries supply about two-thirds of clothing products to other countries while about one-half goes for textiles and office and telecom equipment. http://www.ehow.com/about_4780798_advantages-doing-business-online.html http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/who_we_are_e.htm http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/what_we_do_e.htm http://www.investorwords.com/2182/globalization.html http://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/10/globalization-developed-countries.asp#axzz2CVHQVb9c http://economics.about.com/od/globalizationtrade/l/aaglobalization.htm 18/11 http://www.ehow.com/about_5076380_deregulation.html 18/11 www.unescap.org/pdd/publications/regcoop/ch1.pdf 18/11 http://www.unescap.org/tid/publication/tipub2624-chap1.pdf 25/12 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/08/10/global-debt-crisis-%E2%80%98-affect-asean%E2%80%99-sooner-or-later.html 25/12 http://www.boeing.com/commercial/cargo/wacf.pdf 25/12 http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2008/07/en/1/ef0807en.pdf 26/12 www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/anrep_e/wtr08-2b_e.pdf 26/12 www.books.google.nl/books?isbn=0520058194 29/12

The Driving Force Behind Macbeth Essay

Throughout the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth takes part in many self-destructing acts driven by many external forces, among which the witches’ prophecies are most influential. The three weird sisters initially led him to believe he is soon to be the king of Scotland. The idea the witches planted in Macbeth’s head, â€Å"all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!† (I, iii, 50), began his conceded way of thinking. With this new false knowledge, Macbeth’s conscience begins to disintegrate and he decides that he must do anything to fulfill his destiny to be king. Ironically, this highly respected warrior who once was the king’s most loyal knight, suddenly is becoming a malicious animal willing to rip away the life of any person or thing impeding him from achieving his potential greatness. One main contribution to this change in priorities is the knowledge gained from the witches of Banquo’s sons becoming heir to the throne. T his is viewed as a threat to his success, providing an incentive to carry out the murder of Banquo and Fleance, which was the goal of the witches. When thinking of ridding of Banquo, Macbeth declares to himself, â€Å" Which in his death were perfect† (III, i, 115). This gives him a false sense of security knowing that he no longer has to compete for the throne. To complete this act all morals are put aside, parallel to his original decision to promote his self desires above all else. Of the three apparitions presented by the witches, one concerned with the disloyalty of Macduff seals Macbeth’s fate; leading him to take drastic measures against Macduff and his family. When going to carry out this act, Macbeth states, â€Å" This deed I’ll do before this purpose cool† (IV, I, 161). This shows that he feels urgency to commit the murder in a timely matter, before he has the chance to think twice. Although murdering an entire family would seem absurd to an average person, Macbeth finds no wrong in it, as he can only focus on becoming king. The predictions that the witches have led the naà ¯ve Macbeth to believe are the main influences that lead him deeper into his inevitable, corrupted future of self-destruction and denial.

Joe Lieberman Profiles in Courage

Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman According to John F Kennedy, from his book Profiles in Courage a person who â€Å"In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience – the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men – each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. (246)† is a profile in courage. Joe Lieberman an independent democrat has made many controversial actions towards the impact of his career (Condon).Lieberman a Connecticut Senator was elected in 1988, has made some controversial decisions in his career (Gunzburger). The ongoing war in Iraq is a commonly debated topic Lieberman, unlike his political party’s views, supported the troops in Iraq wishing they stay (Adyanthaya). In the most recent presidential election Joe Lieberman sided with Republican nominee John McCain much to the dislike of the Democratic Party (Caliborne and Hovell). His most recent action is his beliefs towards the healthcare bill (Condon).Senator Lieberman has gone against his political party risking his popularity and support from his people. The War in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a very controversial topic of how to approach a way out. Joe Lieberman has supported relieving Iraq of Saddam Hussein before George W. Bush was even elected president for his first term (Adyanthaya). Lieberman, in 1998, co-sponsored the Iraq Liberation Act. Unanimously the Act passed the Senate and made a change to the power of the government in Iraq official U. S. policy.Many people in the Democratic Party changed their opinion of the Iraq Liberation. Joe Lieberman went against his party supporting the Act (Adyanthaya). Many of Lieberman’s supporters were against America being involved in Iraq. Lieberman has been a target of political attacks based on decisions and beliefs (Adyanthaya). An article in the New York Times has describe d him as â€Å"an increasingly unwelcome figure within his party. † Lieberman’s beliefs and decisions have led his party to rule him out and may have started to ruin his political career.In 2000 he was the Democratic Party’s nominee for Vice President. In the 2006 senate election Lieberman was faced with a challenger for the upcoming election (Caliborne and Hovell). To make Lieberman’s matters worse The Daily Kos the single most popular liberal website at the time, was looking for donations to help Lieberman’s challenger Ned Lamont. Ned Lamont won the Democratic vote over Lieberman in the 2006 primary Senate Election (Burns). Lieberman came back and won as an Independent. In 2007 Lieberman was a supporter of Vice President Cheney’s plan for the war in Iraq.Lieberman appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation . There Senator Lieberman stated â€Å"I think we’ve got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians t o stop them from killing Americans in Iraq. And to me that would include a strike over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back to Iraq to kill out soldiers (Porter). † Once again Lieberman went against his Democratic Party supporting the Republican opinion on the war in Iraq.In the 2008 presidential election Joe Lieberman made his stand supporting Republican nominee John McCain. In 2007 Lieberman decided to endorse McCain because he considered him to be â€Å"the most capable to be commander in chief†¦, and the most capable of uniting the country so that we can prevail against Islamic extremism† said an aide of Lieberman (King and Bash). Lieberman’s aide also insured that the senator doesn’t see this as a â€Å"commentary on or an endorsement of the Republican Party, only the person (King and Bash). † Many people who know and respect Senator Lieberman are unhapp y with his decisions.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated â€Å"I have great respect for Joe, but I simply have to disagree with his decision to endorse Senator McCain (King and Bash). † When founder and CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council Al From, found out about Lieberman’s choice he said that â€Å"I am very saddened by senator Lieberman’s choice, and profoundly disagree with it. We need a Democratic president in 2008. (King and Bash)†, In response Lieberman said that â€Å"I know that it’s unusual for a Democrat to been endorsing a Republican. Lieberman also added that â€Å"Political Parties are important in our country. But they’re not more important than what’s best for our country, they’re not more important than friendship. † McCain said that â€Å"I think it’s courageous when anyone crosses party lines to support a candidate from another party, the easiest thing for Joe to do would have just h ave sat on the sidelines in this campaign (Caliborne and Hovell). † The most current topic Joe has dealt with is the heath care reform bill.Senator Lieberman states that he has been â€Å"opposed to a movement-created, government-run insurance company (Grim)† In August of 2009 Lieberman believed that we have to put of the health care reform until the economy is out of recession (Noah). In October the bill that contained no public option passed the committee with every Republican opposed with the exception of Olympia Snowe (Grim), Lieberman stated that he will not support it â€Å"the way it is now. (Noah)† He also said that he will join a Republican filibuster against healthcare reform if it did contain public option.Lieberman said he’s â€Å"opposed a public option because of the potential burden it could place on taxpayers (Condon). † Democrats however made a public option that would be funded by premiums in place of federal funds (Condon). Health care options have yet to be finalized and Lieberman’s decisions are yet to be determined. â€Å"Being a Republican is important. Being a Democrat is important. But you know what’s more important than that? The interest and well-being of the United States of America (King and Bash),† he has said and has exactly done.In Lieberman’s opinion he has made decisions on the interest and well-being of the country (Caliborne and Hovell). He has stood up for what he believed in, gone against many of his supporters and against his own political party. What else does Lieberman have to do to become a Profile in Courage? Works Cited Adyanthaya, Anil. â€Å"RealClearPolitics – Articles – Profile in Courage? Not John Murtha. † RealClearPolitics – Opinion, News, Analysis, Videos and Polls. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . Alter, Jonathan. Alter: Lieberman, Health Care, and Hurt Feelings | Newsweek Voices – Jonathan Alter | Newsweek. com . † Newsweek – National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment and more†¦ | Newsweek. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . Burns, Alexander. â€Å"Ned Lamont could ‘opt in' vs. Joe Lieberman – Alexander Burns – POLITICO. com. † Politics, Political News – POLITICO. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . Condon, Stephanie . â€Å"Joe Lieberman Says He'll Block Reid's Health Care Bill – Political Hotsheet – CBS News. Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News – CBS News. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . Grim, Ryan. â€Å"Lieberman Willing To Sink Health Care Reform†¦ But He Would Really Hate To Do It (AUDIO). † Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . Gunzburger, Ron. â€Å"Politics1 – Profile of Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT). † Politics1 – American Politics, Elections, Candidates & Campaigns.N. p. , n. d. W eb. 12 Dec. 2009. . Kennedy, John F.. Profiles in Courage. New York: Harper & Bros, 1956. Print. King, John, and Dana Bash. â€Å"Lieberman: McCain can reunite our country – CNN. com. † CNN. com – Breaking News, U. S. , World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . â€Å"Lieberman Throws Support Behind McCain – Political Radar. † Political Punch. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009.

Floods and Flooding

River and coastal flooding are the most frequently occurring natural disasters and are increasing in occurrence. Floods, once purely known as acts of God, are being rapidly enhanced by the works of humans. What Causes Floods? A flood occurs when an area that is normally dry gets submerged in water. If a flood happens in an empty field, then the damage from flooding may be relatively mild. If the flood happens in a city or a suburb, then flooding can cause catastrophic damage and take human lives. Flooding can be caused by many natural things, such as excessive rainfall, extra snow melt that travels downstream, hurricanes, monsoons, and tsunamis. There are also manmade features that can cause flooding, such as burst pipes and dam breaks. Why Are the Number of Floods Increasing? Humans have spent thousands of years trying to curb flooding in order to protect farmland and   homes. Dams, for instance, are built to help regulate the flow of water downstream. However, there are some man-made features that are aiding flooding. Urbanization, for instance, has reduced the earths capability of absorbing excess water. With extra neighborhoods comes an increase in asphalt and concrete-covered surfaces. which cover the once open fields. The earth underneath the new asphalt and concrete can then no longer help absorb the water; instead, water running over the pavement collects quickly and easily disrupts storm drain systems. The more pavement, the more likely a flood will occur. Deforestation is another way that humans have helped increase the potential for flooding. When humans cut down trees, the soil is left without roots to hold down soil or to absorb water. Again, the water builds up and causes flooding. What Areas Are Most at Risk for Flooding? Those areas which are most at risk for floods include low-lying areas, coastal regions, and communities on rivers downstream from dams. Flood waters are extremely dangerous; a mere six inches of swiftly moving water can knock people off their feet, while it takes just 12 inches to move a car. The safest thing to do during a flood is to evacuate and seek shelter on higher ground. It is important to know the safest route to a safe location. A 100-Year Flood Floods are often given designations as a hundred year flood or twenty year flood, etc. The larger the year, the larger the flood. But dont let these terms fool you, a hundred year flood does not mean that such a flood occurs once every 100 years; instead it means that there is a one in 100 (or 1%) chance of such a flood occurring in a given year. Two one-hundred year floods could occur a year apart or even a month apart -- it all depends on how much rain is falling or how quickly the snow melts. A twenty-year flood has a one in 20 (or 5%) chance of occurring in a particular year. A five-hundred-year flood has a one in 500 chance (0.2%) of occurring in any given year. Flood Preparedness In the United States, homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. If you live in a flood zone or any low-lying area, you should consider purchasing insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. Contact your local insurance agent for more details. You can be prepared for flooding and other disasters by assembling a disaster supplies kit. Take this kit with you if evacuating: A portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries (know the appropriate radio station to listen to during a disaster)Flashlights and extra batteriesFirst aid kit and manualEmergency food and waterNonelectric can openerEssential and prescription medicationsCash and credit cardsSturdy shoesExtra clothes and beddingFood and supplies for pets