Climate Change: Activities of Selected Agencies to Address Potential Impact on Global Migration.  The report urges Dept. of State to take action:

Climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, which could drive people around the world from their homes.

We found that, while the State Department, USAID, and DOD haven’t focused on the link between climate change and migration, State identified migration as a risk in one of its climate change risk assessments in early 2017.

However, State later changed its approach and no longer provides clear guidance to its staff on how to assess climate change risks. This may prevent it from identifying and addressing climate change as a factor in human migration.

We recommended State provide its staff with this guidance.

From the U.S. Climate Alliance: New Governors’ Resilience Playbook; a 27 page handbook.

There are some useful data and charts regarding numbers and losses from disasters in recent years. Interesting that state officials are urging others to take action.

From the NYTimes: ‘It’s Making Us Less Prepared’: Shutdown Slows Planning for Hurricanes and Other Disasters

For experts who make a living forecasting hurricanes, storm season is a year-round worry. When the tropics are calm, as they are now, researchers dive into data, analyze results, improve scientific models and train state and local officials on the latest technology that can help them make lifesaving decisions.

But the partial government shutdown — the longest in United States history — has brought much of that fieldwork and instruction to a halt. Most researchers have been furloughed, and training academies and courses have been canceled, with no makeup dates in sight.

From the Wash Post: Shutdown is Steadily Devouring U.S. Government websites.

From NextGov: Shutdown Takes Numerous Government Digital Services Offline.

The Diva is working on a new book and she is concerned with the problems authors are having with federal websites.  She is sure many authors and researchers have noticed.

A fascinating analysis with compelling graphics: see The ecological disaster that is Trump’s border wall: a visual guide. New sections of wall will cut through a Texas wildlife refuge and the habitat of beautiful cats.

NOAA team sees Florence and Michael storm surge devastation first-hand
Did storm surge watches & warnings make a difference?

The shutdown will harm the health and safety of Americans, even after it’s long over

As the shutdown draws on, it increasingly weakens the government’s ability to protect Americans down the road, long after federal workers are allowed to go back to work. Many of these effects are largely invisible and may feel intangible because they don’t currently affect specific individuals. However, the shutdown poses a very real threat to preparedness for future emergencies, such as natural disasters and disease outbreaks. It also damages the government’s ability to recruit and retain the experts needed to work at the cutting edge of public health.

Here’s How the Shutdown Hurts Government Contractors

California storms threaten mudslides in communities hit by fires. Evacuation orders have been issued as storms could unleash flows of mud, boulders and debris.

The other set of stories unfolding have to do with the holdup of disaster relief by the President and the furlough effects. More to come on this topic.