Wichita, Kansas is a medium-sized city, with a population of just over 372,000 inhabitants (www.city-data.com, 2011) in the heartland of America and was founded in 1870 at the crossroads of the rivers of Arkansas. The railroad arrived in 1872 and began the flow of beef and grain from the region eastward. Today the city is known for another modern transportation feat: aviation. The first Cessna Comet airplane was built there in 1917 (www.wichita.gov, 2011). There are currently many airports and landing fields in the surrounding area, including McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita Mid-Continental (main terminal) and regional airports, Colonel James Jabara and Augusta Municipal Airport. Currently, Wichita's four largest aircraft manufacturers are Boeing Co., Cessna Aircraft Co., Bombardier Learjet Inc., and Raytheon Aircraft Co. (www.city-data.gov, 2011). Due to the city's location along the Arkansas River and the predominant aviation industry in the area, two of the most likely risks that the city faces are severe flooding and a major accident at one of the airports. An Internet search revealed very little about either hazard that has hit Wichita in the recent past, but what has emerged is that the city is prone to severe thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes. The most recent series of storms and tornadoes to make their way through Kansas occurred in May 2011, leading to a request by Kansas Governor Brownback for a presidential disaster declaration (Kansas Addict General, 2011). This storm system did not cause widespread damage in Wichita, although according to the website www.city-data.com, two tornadoes that hit the area were: • On 4/26/1991, a Category 5 tornado (max. wind speed 261-318 mph) tornado 17.1 miles away from Which...... middle of paper...... city's high risk and vulnerability to storms and tornadoes. References: Bissell, R. (2010) . Catastrophic preparedness and response course, Session 6 – Social and economic issues. Accessible at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/crr.aspCity-data.com. (2011). Wichita, Kansas. Accessed 09/27/2011 at http://www.city-data.com/city/Wichita-Kansas.htmlCity of Wichita. (2011). The history of Wichita at a glance…. Accessed 9/27/2011 at http://www.wichita.gov/Residents/History/Kansas Addict General's Office, (2011). Kansas receives federal disaster declaration. Accessed 9/27/2011 at http://kansastag.gov/press_release_detail.asp?PRid=889National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), (2001). Tornado climatology in the United States. Accessed 9/27/2011 at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadoes.html#deadly