From HuffPost: Climate Change Comes Home To Roost In North Carolina
Breached swine lagoons. Overflowing coal waste ponds. Sewage in the streets. The hellish aftermath of climate-fueled Hurricane Florence.
Climate Change and H. Florence
Reply
U.S. Flood Risk Underestimated
FEMA has radically underestimated how vulnerable Americans are to flooding
Research claims that official estimates lowballed the risk by, uh, about a factor of three.
The Role of Philanthropies
What does a more thoughtful disaster response look like? Recovery after an event like Hurricane Florence takes years, but most donations stop after two months. A new coalition wants help companies plan their giving to match real, on-the-ground needs over time.
H. Florence Articles and Resources – updated daily
Sept. 20:
CSX Railroad Fought A North Carolina City’s Desperate Attempt To Prevent Devastating Flooding. Now, entire neighborhoods in Lumberton are under water for the second time in as many years.
Hurricane Florence reveals flaw with Saffir-Simpson scale
FEMA chief considered quitting as feud with Homeland Security secretary boiled over. The ongoing drama at FEMA.
A bit of humor from the NYTimes: See this piece by Gail Collins on the response so far.
Sept. 19. Millions of chickens and thousands of pigs died in Florence in North Carolina
Sept. 18: More headaches as Florence’s waters overtake toxic pits and hog lagoons
Sept. 17: WSJ: Big Storms Leave Small Marks on the U.S. Economy. Studies show business slows during and after hurricanes hit, but rebuilding leads to a boost in economic activity.
Five Things That Must Change After H. Florence. One is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
Sept. 16: Recovery Issues for Small Towns.
Misery Ahead for Large No. of NC Homeowners Without Flood Insurance.
Special note: The Washington Post has removed its limit on articles re Florence, so even if you are not a subscriber to the digital edition you can read them.
Sept. 14:
Facing heat for 2017, FEMA ramps up hurricane prep for Florence. Note that the last paragraph suggests the really hard part will be the recovery.
An opinion piece from the Washpost . It is Time to Declare the White House a Disaster Area.
Hurricane Florence’s Unusual Extremes Worsened by Climate Change, Scientists Say. Researchers estimate the storm’s rainfall forecast is 50 percent higher because of warmer oceans and more moisture in the atmosphere brought by global warming.
Another article on North Carolina’s failure to deal with sea level rise.
___________________________________________________
From the NYTimes, this interesting article on the pending governmental efforts to deal with H. Florence. See: Hurricane Florence Is a Formidable Test for FEMA and Trump.
Note that the firm ESRI is offering a number of useful services, according to fellow blogger Eric Holdeman. See his blog posting titled An Esri Library of Maps and Apps Tracking Hurricane Florence.
From the WSJ on 9/13: Thousands of Homes in Florence’s Path Lack Flood Insurance. Coverage rates have fallen over past five years even as coastal development in the Carolinas has increased.
The Diva would add that research has shown that the root cause of the country’s escalating number of weather- and climate-related disasters is not necessarily a rise in the frequency or intensity of these events but the increasing exposure and vulnerability of populations that lie in their path. See this article and map in the NYTimes that shows the increase of population in vulnerable areas.
Special Needs and Evacuation Issues:
- From Kaiser Health News: As Hurricane Nears, Officials Scramble to Protect Seniors From Florence.
- When It’s Time to Evacuate, Cities Struggle to Help Those Who Can’t Drive
- This Reason Prevents Thousands from Evacuating – poverty.
Thanks to Chris Jones for the citation.
Volunteer Efforts in the Carolinas
The Diva has been impressed with the many “spontaneous” volunteer efforts in the aftermath of H. Florence:, such as the Cajun Navy and Chef Jose Andres (World Central Kitchen). Re the last mentioned, see: He served 3.6 million free meals in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Now he’s feeding people hit by Florence.
Example of private sector co. donating its services. See: Hurricane Florence evacuees can find free lodging through Airbnb
Also impressive have been the emergency compacts among states and the mutual aid systems the utility companies use.
Care of Pets After a Disaster
From the Sierra Club: What Happens to Animals During Natural Disasters?
Who’s saving pets and how—and ways to protect your animals
Result of Relatively Few Flood Ins. Policies
From the WSJ, see: Florence Is a Tragedy for Homeowners, Not Insurers. The tropical storm has brought more water than wind, an important distinction for the insurance industry
Pushback from GWU re PR Death Statistics
Dr. Lynn Goldman, Dean of the GWU School of Public Health, wrote the following in the Wash Post today: We calculated the deaths from Hurricane Maria. Politics played no role.Her concluding paragraph:
The federal government and charities have provided tremendous resources to Puerto Rico, and we are proud of the hard work of the local citizens and leaders, federal responders and volunteers who risked their own lives to pitch in and help. What was lacking was adequate planning and preparedness for such a horrific storm. No one administration or political party is responsible for why we still don’t prioritize preparedness even though we are increasingly threatened by large hurricanes. By identifying the preventable causes of these deaths, we can save lives the next time a fierce storm hits. And this is especially important as Hurricane Florence grinds up the Carolina coast, leaving a deadly trail in its wake.
Mitigation Considerations for the Recovery Process
From Ed Thomas, President of the Natural Hazards Mitigation Association:
A link to some materiel the NMHA has developed to assist all involved in navigating the well-intentioned, costly, yet truly Byzantine way we do disaster recovery in our Nation.Build Back Safer and Smarter (5 pp.).
News Reporters Taking Risks
While watching live news coverage of H. Florence on CNN yesterday, I noticed only one reporter was dressed properly: Martin Savidge was wearing a helmet, a life jacket, and safety glasses. All of the others were hatless, wearing a co. ballcap, or had their hair blowing in the wind! ( My guess is Savidge got hurt in a previous assignment!)
