From GovTech: Florida Seniors Left Vulnerable Because of Generator Rules
Florida changed regulations to require backup generators and enough fuel to maintain comfortable temperatures at all 3,749 nursing homes and assisted living facilities statewide in case of power loss. Only some complied.
See U.S. Emergency Management in the 21st Century; from Disaster to Catastrophe, Claire B. Rubin and Susan L.Cutter, editors. Routledge Publisher, Dec. 2019.
The site contains an abstract, table of contents, and a discount coupon for early purchase.
So far the Diva has not seen any analysis of whether the two badly damaged Bahama Islands will have to be emptied of residents and debris and/ or what might be done to raise the standards for rebuilding and repairs.
There is a worrisome precedent. See this article about the problems Barbuda is having with recovery: Bardudans are Resisting Disaster Capitalism Two Years After Hurricane Irma?
Sept. 9: One useful article on the topic of long term recovery comes from RAND. See: Hurricane Recovery in the Bahamas: Turning Good Intentions into Good Decisions
From the Office of the Inspector General at DHS: FEMA’s Longstanding IT Deficiencies Hindered 2017 Response and Recovery Operations
Some useful research from the UK: Study reveals links between extreme weather events and poor mental health.
Direct link to the report is here: Flood- and Weather-Damaged Homes and Mental Health: An Analysis Using England’s Mental Health Survey
Thanks to Chris Jones for the citations.
From the Guardian: For the Bahamas, hurricanes like Dorian are now an existential threat. No one could have anticipated this ferocity. Climate crisis means our islands need the world’s help to ward off extinction
Late breaking news from NYTimes on 9/5: As Disasters Multiply, Billions in Recovery Funds Go Unspent. Some excerpts:
The Trump administration is sitting on tens of billions of dollars in unspent recovery money meant to help Americans recover from disasters, leaving people less able to rebound from the effects of Hurricane Dorian and other storms.
As of June 30, the government had spent less than one-third of the $107 billion provided by Congress following the hurricanes and wildfires of 2017 and 2018, federal data show. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which received $37 billion — more than any other agency — had spent less than $75 million.
Please take a look at the comments, since they come from folks who have worked in the field.
From the Diva: what I wish the governor had read: The science, skill – and luck – behind evacuation order calls, by Prof. Susan Cutter, University of SC.
Editorial from the Miami Herald, offering a model for recovery to the Bahamas: We Will Rebuild helped Miami-Dade recover after Andrew. It can work in the Bahamas after Dorian, too
From Govtech, this article about fully staffing shelters for a major disaster event.
Recovery Diva 