A special edition of Issues is titled On the Front Lines of Change: Reporting from the Gulf of Mexico. Several articles dealing with findings from research on past Gulf Coast disasters.
On the Front Lines of Change: Reporting From the Gulf of Mexico
New book available as a free download from the National Academy of Sciences: Community-Driven Relocation: Recommendations for the U.S. Gulf Coast Region and Beyond. (Note the book is 584 pages, but summary is available.)
“Between 1980 and mid-2023, 232 billion-dollar disasters occurred in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, with the number of disasters doubling annually since 2018. The variety and frequency of storms have exacerbated historic inequalities and led to cycles of displacement and chronic stress for communities across the region. While disaster displacement is not a new phenomenon, the rapid escalation of climate-related disasters in the Gulf increases the urgency to develop pre-disaster policies to …”
From HSToday: Preparedness Grants are Key to Resilience.
“On April 16, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced more than $1.8 billion in funding for eight fiscal year 2024 preparedness grant programs. These announcements are widely known, broadly disseminated, and make a measurable difference to the safety and security of our nation. Yet, there are still some State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments who have not yet applied for and leveraged these fundings in meaningful ways. This may be the most important thing you read this year. As with most things, sometimes it helps to break things down into the foundational issues of Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How. And stick with this through the How. It is easier than you may think.”
From HSToday: PERSPECTIVE: The Subversive Manipulation of Crowds: Understanding the Doctrine Guiding Unrest in U.S. Streets
“The Israel/Hamas conflict is stimulating growing unrest across the nation. Although the conflict in Gaza is the current motivation for protest, unrest in major U.S. cities is a recurring dynamic. And while causes may differ, the formula employed to incite unrest follows a standard “playbook” that has proven effective dating back over three-quarters of a century. Although dated, these methods have proven effective over time and have been more recently revalidated by elements such as ANTIFA in the earlier portion of this decade. These methods are now being employed by pro-Palestinian/anti-Israeli protestors in a relatively uniform manner, so their increasingly violent manifestations should be anticipated. As we enter this latest stage of unrest, Law enforcement personnel should be aware of this playbook to better anticipate the methods of agitation employed to incite violence.”
From the WashPost: The Drowning South; The new face of flooding. An excerpt:
Human-caused climate change is driving an acceleration of sea level rise globally, largely because of the faster melting of the globe’s giant sheets of ice. Scientists do not know for certain why this region is experiencing a surge in sea levels beyond the global average, but one theory is that naturally occurring ocean currents are moving ever-warmer ocean water deep into the Gulf. This warm water expands and causes seas to rise. This comes on top of sinking land, which has long exacerbated sea level rise in the region.
From the GAO: FEMA: Opportunities Exist to Address Mission Challenges and Increased Workload. ( March 2024)
From GovExec.com: Under-resourced FEMA would see new commitment to growing workforce under bipartisan bill. The agency has struggled to keep pace with new and increased demands. (April 2024.)
New FEMA Report: Climate Adaptation Planning Guidance for Emergency Managers.. (81 pp).
The Climate Adaption Planning: Guidance for Emergency Managers (this guide) is intended to help state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) emergency managers incorporate climate adaptation into emergency management planning efforts. It discusses climate science in the context of disaster preparedness and explains how emergency managers can help communities develop effective climate adaptation strategies.Communities may use different terminology around climate resilience and climate adaptation efforts, but for the context of this guide, the terminology will be subsequently referred to as “climate adaptation planning.
From CMBC: Here’s why FEMA has spent about $4 billion to help destroy flood-prone homes
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has spent around $4 billion assisting in the purchase of about 45,000 to 50,000 damaged homes since 1989, according to A.R. Siders, director of the University of Delaware’s Climate Change Science and Policy Hub, who analyzed FEMA’s data in 2019.
These homes have been marred by floods to the point where the homeowners decide to move away. To encourage homeowners not to sell to new buyers and stop what Siders calls “that terrible game of hot potato,” FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program supports local and state governments in purchasing the homes, demolishing them and turning the property into public land, in what are called floodplain buyouts.
From Homeland Security Today: Biden-Harris Administration Offers $295 Million to Boost Community Resilience Against Climate Change. President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to Fund States’ Abilities to Make Structures Safer and More Resilient
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has announced that 16 states and one Tribal Nation are eligible for a total of up to $295 million in funding for flood resilience through the fiscal year 2023 Swift Current funding opportunity, made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“These allocations, thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, will help provide more funding for flood-prone communities as they continue to grapple with the climate crisis,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Flooding is only getting more frequent and severe. In just a few months since the application period opened, FEMA is speeding up funding in places that need to reduce flood-risk the most.”
Recovery Diva 