Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – 5 years later

Some recent takes on the aftermath of the BP Oil spill:

From the Economist magazine, their account of what has been learned in the past five years.

From the Huffington Post: Deepwater Disaster: Five Years On

Five years after the BP blowout that killed 11 workers and dumped millions of barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration has proposed exposing Atlantic and Arctic waters to the risk of a similar disaster. Under a proposal by the Obama administration, oil and gas activity could begin in those waters as early as 2017. That would take us in exactly the wrong direction, exposing these waters to the risk of a catastrophic spill, expanding an inherently hazardous industrial operation at sea and locking the next generation into mountains more of the dangerous carbon pollution that’s driving climate change. It’s time to turn this ship around — before it’s too late.

And from Bloomberg: The BP oil spill cleanup isn’t a disaster.

A more dispassionate account of the spill’s legacy would emphasize several contrasting but not contradictory realities. Independent investigations and court rulings have blamed the intertwined negligence of BP and its contractors, Transocean and Halliburton, for the debacle, which killed 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon rig. A federal judge found that the spill released 3.19 million barrels of crude. The corporate actors—chiefly BP, the majority owner of Macondo—deserved condemnation and got it. Yet as bad as the environmental and economic damage

From CNN: What We Still Do not Know About the BP Oil Spill.

Survey re Messages to People with Disabilities

Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy is conducting an important survey on Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) designed to gauge the accessibility and usefulness of the messages. The number one goal of this survey is to “ensure the same timely and effective access to alerts and warnings for people with disabilities.” Please take a moment to participate in this survey and use your input to improve accessibility during emergencies. For full details and instructions on the survey, review the official announcement below.

Take the 2015 Wireless Emergency Alert Survey! Wireless Emergency Alerts can be received on cell phones across the country. These alerts are automatic, provide AMBER alerts, and weather emergency notifications. Unlike text alerts you may receive from your city, county, or institution, you do not have to sign-up to receive WEA messages.
Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy is interested in your level of awareness of WEA messages. This survey will also help us understand how accessible and useful you think they are. Your responses will be used to craft recommendations for improving the system that sends WEA messages and the mobile/cell phones that receive WEA messages. This research is being funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate.

As an incentive for taking our 2015 WEA survey you will have a chance to win one of two $100 Amazon gift cards! If you wish to take the survey over the phone, please email Salimah LaForce or call her at 404-894-8297.

Effects of Disasters on Corporations

From Fortune magazine:  How much do natural disasters really cost corporate America?  Sales growth of supplier firms directly hit by a natural disaster drops by around five percentage points, according to a study. Some details:

So the key question is: When a shock — like a natural disaster or financial crisis — hits a supplier, what really happens to the firms in that network? Is there a spillover effects? To address this issues, we studied the transmission of shock caused by natural disasters in the past 30 years in the U.S. within the supply chain of publicly traded firms. We analyzed a sample of 2000 large corporations and 4000 of their suppliers.

Updates on Earthquake Actions in NZ

As many readers know, the Diva has been tracking the progress of the city of Christchurch, NZ after the two major earthquake a few years ago because it is a useful example of the reconstruction and recovery of a central business district.

Thanks to one of my Kiwi friends, Ian McLean, here are  some recent articles about earthquake matters in NZ:

Wellington Business Owners Get a Sticker Shake Up.

Earthquake-Prone Buildings List.

Earthquake Strengthening Help a Moral Duty.

Quake Insurers Could Face Legal Action

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New book from the NAS

Healthy, Resilient and Sustainable Communities After Disasters.
New book from the NAS. Free download, but it is 550 pages! Some details from the abstract follow:

In the devastation that follows a major disaster, there is a need for multiple sectors to unite and devote new resources to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, the provision of health and social services, the restoration of care delivery systems, and other critical recovery needs. In some cases, billions of dollars from public, private and charitable sources are invested to help communities recover. National rhetoric often characterizes these efforts as a “return to normal.” But for many American communities, pre-disaster conditions are far from optimal. Large segments of the U.S. population suffer from preventable health problems, experience inequitable access to services, and rely on overburdened health systems. A return to pre-event conditions in such cases may be short-sighted given the high costs—both economic and social—of poor health. Instead, it is important to understand that the disaster recovery process offers a series of unique and valuable opportunities to improve on the status quo. Capitalizing on these opportunities can advance the long-term health, resilience, and sustainability of communities—thereby better preparing them for future challenges.

Two Outcomes of Oil Fracking

recoverydiva's avatarRecovery Diva

#1- Earthquakes.  In the current issue of the New Yorker magazine is this article about the arrival of man-made earthquakes in OK, thanks to the oil extraction processes now being used there. See: How to make an Earthquake.

#2 – Health Problems.  From the Washington Post, see: Rise of deadly radon gas in Pennsylvania buildings linked to fracking industry

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