From the Wash Post, this disheartening article about the low job satisfaction scores of federal agencies.
Federal Morale At All Time Low
Reply
Reauthorization of NEHRP
CRS report on the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program. Dec. 2018.
The federal government has supported efforts to assess and monitor earthquake hazards and risk in the United States under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) since 1977. Four federal agencies responsible for long – term earthquake risk reduction coordinate their activities under NEHRP.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Federal Emergency Management Agency and
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).On November 27, 2018, Congress passed the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 and sent the bill to President Trump on November 29. The 2018 NEHRP reauthorization act largely leaves the overall program structure in place, but modifies some of the intents and purposes of the original legislation, such as removing references to the goal of earthquake prediction, and substituting instead the goal of issuing early warnings and earthquake alerts. The new law also authorizes appropriations for NEHRP activities for each of the four NEHRP agencies through FY2023.
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UN Report on Understanding Risk
New Report from the UN: Understanding Risk; Proceedings from the 2018 Understanding Risk Forum. Direct link to full text of the report (160 pp.).
Looking for Information
The Diva is gathering background information on the impacts and effects of Hurricanes Florence and Michael. If you are a practitioner or researcher engaged in research for either of these major events she would like to chat with you.
[Contact: cbrubin@yahoo.com]
Recovery Without End
From Emergency Management magazine: Long-Term Recovery Never Ends for Some After Natural Disasters. Many victims of natural disaster find themselves left out of the recovery often relying on the generosity of others to bounce back. Nonprofits and others provide assistance, but the process is difficult to navigate.
How Insurance Companies Use Technology
Insurance companies are more pro-active than many of us would have guessed. See: Technology shapes insurance companies’ response to wildfires
Billion Dollar Disasters
Billion-dollar disasters on the increase in United States
As the atmosphere continues to warm, we are seeing more and more billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the United States. Thru September, there had already been 11 such events in the Lower 48 according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. This number will likely rise once the final calculations are completed for Hurricane Michael and the California wildfires. If these two disasters wind up being added, we will have a total of 13 billion-dollar disasters for the year, making it one of the worst years in U.S. history, behind only 2017, 2011 and 2016. For perspective, the average year sees about six billion-dollar disasters.
New GAO Report on Disaster Contracting
2017 Disaster Contracting: Action Needed to Better Ensure More Effective Use and Management of Advance Contracts. GAO-19-93
More Trouble in Paradise (CA)
Insurer goes bust from Camp Fire with millions in claims unpaid. How will it affect Paradise homeowners?
Here is more information about the insurance co. from the CA State Insurance Office.
Thanks to Laurie Johnson for these citations.
“Restoring Lifeline Services”
FEMA and its emergency management partner organizations today released Philip Mann’s PrepTalk “Public Works & Emergency Management: Restoring Lifeline Services,” the fourth PrepTalk release from the Sept. 6, 2018 symposium. Mann is the Public Works Director for Gainesville, Florida. He is the past Chair of the American Public Works Association’s (APWA) Emergency Management Committee and is APWA’s representative to the Public Safety Advisory Committee working on the FirstNet project.
In his PrepTalk Mann shares a career’s worth of public works experience, including response and recovery from many disasters. Mann explains that the lifelines managed by a public works department are essential to “allow the community to survive” before and after a disaster. These systems include transportation; supporting utilities to restore power and communications; water for homes, businesses, and fire suppression; waste and stormwater management; and solid waste management including debris removal.
