Post Disaster Commitments Announced.

Lots of interesting news items about resilience from the National Academy of Sciences.

National Institute of Standards and Technology: Community Resilience Center.

Climate Resilience: DOD Needs to Assess Risk and Provide Guidance on Use of Climate Projections in Installation Master Plans and Facilities Designs

From TheHill: Democrats grill FEMA over inflated payments for Hurricane Maria. The title is not clear in that this article covers several mis-statements not overpayments for Puerto Rico.

Interview in HSToday with author of new book: “Out of the Worldwind” Valuable Lessons on Supply Chain Resiliency

Out of the Whirlwind is a new book by Philip J. Palin that offers a unique perspective on disaster response, resilience, and recovery. It tells the story of how pre-existing supply chains for food and fuel roared back in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria’s catastrophic hit on Puerto Rico. The book tells this story through a combination of data, analysis, and narrative. Implications for future catastrophic events are strategically obvious and operationally challenging.

Update:  As of 6/21 here is Part II of this book interview.

The Diva has ordered a review copy. If you are interested in reviewing this book for this blog, please let me know.

From the Houston Chronicle: As hurricane season begins, 95 percent of Harvey flood protection damage unrepaired

Free Online Course on Drone Applications in Emergency Management

Univerity of MD University College, in collaboration with edX, has developed two MOOCs on the Fundamentals of Drones and Autonomous Systems. These MOOCs are open to everyone and provide an affordable and flexible way to obtain new knowledge and expertise that may be relevant to your current program. This is an exceptional opportunity to learn about the increasing use of drones, the latest applications of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in emergency management, public safety, homeland security, and the potential risks that UAS pose to safety and privacy.

Both courses are scheduled to be launched on July 1, 2019.

No previous knowledge of drones or flight experience is required. The MOOCs are free, but there is also an opportunity to upgrade to a paid version that comes with an official certificate upon completion. For more information please visit https://www.edx.org/professional-certificate/umuc-usmx-drones-and-autonomous-systems

From the NYTimes: Even as Floods Worsen With Climate Change, Fewer People Insure Against Disaster

Article from The Hill: Why Will FEMA Spend as Much in Past Two years as in Previous 37?  Article by Brock Long, former FEMA Administrator.  An excerpt:

It’s time to think differently about funding disasters and to stop politicizing them. The dedicated public servants inside FEMA know how to reduce costs and mitigate disasters, but they need Congress to listen to them and act. Doing so will reduce the complexity of future disasters. Reinsurance and catastrophic bond concepts, coupled with pre-disaster mitigation dollars, will ultimately reduce disaster costs in the future. Until then, costs will continue to rise in the future and unnecessary disaster politics will reign.