The report, Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Strategy, is now public.

So far, I have seen a list of 122 news articles about the report.  And a few press releases. I am most interested in the reactions of the organizations that will be working through the issues and promising made in the report, such as the Association of State Floodplain Managers and the American Planning Association. I welcome additional links from readers. Here are 2 so far:

• See ASFPM press release here.
• Statement from property insurance organization.

The Association of State Floodplain Managers has a nice webpage containing many resources re Hurricane Sandy.

We all are awaiting the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Strategy report, from Sec. Shaun Donovan of HUD.  It is supposed to be released tomorrow.

A significant new report was just issued by the Union of Concerned Scientists; it is titled Overwhelming Risk; Rethinking Flood Insurance in a World of Rising Seas. Both the full report (30 pp.) and an executive summary are available for download on that site.

This document is worth keeping as a basic primer on coastal flooding, floodplain management, and flood insurance.  The authors are quite blunt about the risk, as you will see from these excerpts from a Congressional Quarterly article, titled Scientists Call for Higher Federal Flood Insurance Rates:

A group of scientists joined the ranks this week of those opposing congressional efforts to continue subsidizing coverage under the federally run flood insurance program. In a 30-page report (PDF), the Union of Concerned Scientists laid out data on the global rise of sea levels and the increasing frequency of catastrophic storms.

Americans are unlikely to prepare for the kind of flooding that lies ahead, the organization warned, if the Federal Emergency Management Agency does not start charging higher rates for flood insurance.

“We urgently need to reform our insurance system so that it can help us manage these risks effectively, even as we invest in measures to slow global warming and sea level rise and prepare for their impacts,” the report said. “Reforming our insurance system to reflect this growing exposure can help communicate the true risks to coastal communities so they are motivated to take protective steps.”

Congress enacted just such an overhaul of the National Flood Insurance Program last summer, signing off on language that required FEMA to raise premium rates to reflect each property’s actual risk of flooding and to remap areas that are at higher risk than before. In recent months, though, lawmakers from coastal states have been trying to delay those rate increases by adding amendments to various bills on the move this session and introducing stand-alone

The article is titled These Cities Are the Safest Refuges From Natural Disasters, though the  selection is based on past disasters.  I hope no one moves with the expectation of a disaster-free life!!

See also another article about some scientific work underway to quantify some risks in the U.S. and Canada.  Here is the link to: New Research Program Aims to Quantify Wind, Tornado Risk in Canada and the U.S.   Thanks to Franklin McDonald of York Univ. in Toronto for sending me this link.

One has to admit that with graphics and a lively style of writing, the first mentioned is more engaging.

Most of the documents I mention deal with community or neighborhood recovery, but this one provides practical personal assistance.  See: The Red Guide to Recovery; A Resource Handbook for Disaster Survivors. This 155 page guide, available in a handy paperback format, was prepared by a veteran in the construction and restoration business.  The guide includes chapters on securing and protecting property, displacement and relocation, disaster relief and financial assistance, insurance, home inventory, avoiding disaster scams and more.

The Red Guide Costs $19.95.  Additional details about the handbook as well as several related resources are available free on the Red Guide website.  Please order this book directly from the publisher at the website noted and mention that the Recovery Diva sent you!

This article provides an interesting discussion of a topic that has received far too little attention. See:  Disaster recovery in housing a multidisciplinary approach.  A few excerpts:

As the Mississippi Gulf Coast approaches the eighth anniversary of the landing of Hurricane Katrina, a look at the recovery and the impact of federal dollars that assisted the recovery seems warranted. In particular, how those federal disaster dollars have been administered and expended in the housing sector offers an interesting look into the manner in which a multidisciplinary team approach to disaster recovery can work

.The notion that the disciplines of accounting, law, auditing, engineering, environmental science and business management should be the key components in planning, implementing, executing and closing out a disaster recovery program in Mississippi had its genesis in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Then Gov. Haley Barbour recognized that the influx of billions of dollars of federal disaster recovery funds into the state required particular oversight — “disaster oversight.”

I would be interested in hearing from folks working the Superstorm Sandy recovery about any oversight efforts going on in NY. and NJ.