The following information is one example of how you can get started on Assignment #1. You do not need to follow this format…it’s just one approach of many possibilities!

Example Title: A comparison of two disasters: the 2010 Haiti earthquake vs. the 2011 Japan earthquake

Introduction & overview (including overall ‘thesis/main argument’)

Para 1: In January 2010, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti. A year and 2 months later, on March, 2011, a much bigger earthquake devastated northern Japan. Although both earthquakes happened on a weekday in the afternoon, there is little similarity between two events and how two countries have recovered. The Haiti earthquake was the biggest quake to hit the island in 200 years. It occurred in the vicinity of the northern boundary where the Caribbean plate shifts eastward in relation to the North American plate. The earthquake had an intensity of X on the Mercalli scale and a magnitude of 7.0. Many aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater were recorded after the quake. The primary impact from the earthquake includes deaths, injuries, building damages and economic damages .Over 300,000 people were killed and 1 million people were homeless. Also, 250,000 homes and 30,000 other buildings and over 60% of government were destroyed or badly damaged. The economic damages were estimated to be $7 billion to $14 billion.
Para 2: tell the reader what your report covers (the “roadmap” that guides the reader). Hint at your main conclusions, but don’t give everything away! (e.g. this report will demonstrate that, despite very different human dimensions of hazard vulnerability, two different earthquake disasters resulted in very similar levels of human casualties, and radically different levels of economic damages).

2010 January Haiti earthquake
2011 March Japan earthquake
Physical description of the hazard event intensity, X magnitude, 7.0 duration, 30-40 sec geographic extent, Coastal area complexity, secondary hazards, liquefaction and landslides intensity, IX magnitude, 9.0 duration, 6 mins geographic extent, Coastal area complexity, secondary hazards, tsunami, nuclear leakage
Impacts
deaths, 300,000
injuries,