Wildfire Resilience Investment Needs to Be in the Billions. A report by The Nature Conservancy says that investment over the next decade needs to be in the neighborhood of $5 billion to $6 billion to mitigate the effects of the number and intensity of wildfires across the country.
From the WashPost: Survivors of California’s deadliest wildfire haunted as new blaze nears: ‘I can’t do it again’ Former residents of Paradise hoped their new home would keep them safe. But this summer’s blaze threatens once again.
From the Wash Post, The Basics of Wildfires.
From HSNW: Coastal challenges: High-Tide Flood Risk Is Accelerating, Putting Coastal Economies at Risk
The frequency of high-tide flooding along the U.S. coasts has doubled since 2000, and it’s expected to increase five to 15 times more in the next 30 years. Already, areas at risk from sea level rise have seen decreases in property values, particularly where cities and homeowners haven’t taken steps to increase flood resilience. Insurance premiums are beginning to increase to reflect actual risk, and bond ratings are increasingly being tied to the resilience efforts of communities.
From Bloomberg Law: Killer Heat Waves Warrant FEMA Action Under New Authority
More people die of extreme heat in the U.S. each year than from floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes, but FEMA devotes very few resources to address heat events. Columbia Law School’s Michael B. Gerrard says FEMA has the authority to do more in advance to lower heat-related death tolls, like funding local cooling centers and helping plant more street vegetation in urban areas.
From the HSDL: A Guide to Building Private-Public Partnerships
From TheConversation: As coastal flooding worsens, some cities are retreating from the water,
Cities all along the U.S. coasts have seen high-tide flooding days increase. In 2021, the U.S. coasts are projected to see an average of three to seven high-tide flooding days, rising to 25-75 days by midcentury, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns in its annual high-tide flooding outlook, released July 14, 2021.
From Grist: Flood me once, shame on me. Flood me twice, shame on FEMA?
A 20-year-old law would have made communities more resilient to climate change. FEMA didn’t enforce it.
