From the blog Disaster-Zone.com, this account of U.S. Recovery System from Jerry Quinn.
A Consultant’s Assessment of U.S. Recovery System
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New Study on Buyouts
From HSWire: With Coastal Waters Rising: First-Ever National Assessment of FEMA Buyouts. Some excerpts:
Now, a new study by a team involving University of Delaware researcher A. R. Siders is the first to examine nationwide data on FEMA’s buyout program. “Managed retreat through voluntary buyouts of flood-prone properties,” a study led by University of Miami’s Katharine J. Mach, was published today in Science Advances.
“It’s amazing to me that this program has existed for 30 years and no one has done this research,” said Siders, an assistant professor of Public Policy and Administration and Geography who is also affiliated with UD’s Disaster Research Center. “There are several great case studies of buyouts, but no one has looked at the whole program, the whole country, and that gives a different perspective.”
Disaster Fatigue in Japan
Fukushima, Beaten Down by Nuclear Disaster, Takes Big Typhoon Hit, Some facilities that had been damaged in 2011 were hit again over the weekend in a region of Japan that can never seem to catch a break.
Flood Prone Property Buy Outs
From BloombergNews: FEMA Bought 44,000 Flood-Prone Homes. They May Have to Buy Millions More. Few Americans have voluntarily sold properties to the government to avoid future flood damage. That’s likely to change.
Recovery in FL Panhandle
Devastation Endures in Panhandle After Hurricane Michael. A drive through Mexico Beach tells visitors all they need to know about what happened in the small coastal town: large empty slabs of land, no gas stations, no sit-down restaurants and lots of food trailers set up.
New GAO Report on FEMA and Wildfires
Wildfire Disasters: FEMA Could Take Additional Actions to Address Unique Response and Recovery Challenges.GAO-20-5: Published: Oct 9, 2019.
Hurricane Michael Recovery
The aftermath of other big storms like Sandy and Katrina have made it clear that the recovery process takes years to complete, with the burden falling on local nonprofits once the sense of urgency outside the immediate area dissipates.
In the largely rural Florida counties where Hurricane Michael hit hard, a few nonprofits are leading the way with rebuilding efforts that bring local religious congregations, businesses, governments and independent organizations together. These new networks are coordinating efforts by national, regional and local organizations that bring their own expertise and resources.
GAO Report on PR Electric Grid Recovery
Puerto Rico Electricity Grid Recovery: Better Information and Enhanced Coordination Is Needed to Address Challenges
GAO-20-141: Published: Oct 8, 2019.
Rebuilding After a Flood?
Rebuilding is often the worst response to floods, in SC and across US.
Thanks to Chris Jones for the citation.
Rethinking Recovery
From the NY Times: After a Caribbean Hurricane, the Battle Is Where, or Even Whether, to Rebuild. When Hurricane Irma crushed Saint-Martin two years ago, the French state vowed swift assistance. Aid has flowed in, but a fight has followed about recovery plans, exposing racial and class tension. Two excerpts:
Storm Exposes Social, and Racial, Fault Lines. Hurricane Irma made clear that natural disasters not only obliterate structures and lives; they can also expose deep socioeconomic fault lines. In Saint-Martin, a long simmering discontent — loaded with racial and class tension — is on the verge of boiling over.
The Takeaway: As storms become more destructive, hurricane recovery is as much about rethinking as it is rebuilding.
