U.S. Virgin Islands Recovery: Status of FEMA Public Assistance Funding and Implementation.

GAO was asked to review the federal government’s response and recovery efforts related to the 2017 hurricanes. This report describes (1) the status of FEMA’s Public Assistance program funding provided to the USVI in response to the 2017 hurricanes as of October 1, 2018, and (2) the USVI’s transition to implementing the Public Assistance alternative procedures in the territory. GAO reviewed program documents and data on obligations and expenditures as of October 1, 2018, and interviewed officials from FEMA and the USVI regarding the Public Assistance program specifically and disaster recovery efforts more generally. GAO also conducted site visits to the USVI islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John.

GAO is not making any recommendations in this report, but will continue to monitor the progress of the USVI’s recovery as part of its ongoing work.

Hurricane Resilience Still an Elusive Goal. Officials from several southeastern North Carolina communities told stories in Raleigh this week about lives still disrupted, damage still unrepaired, and residents moving away to other places on higher ground

From The Fayetteville Observer, N.C. / February 22, 2019

2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment
Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5140. By: John W. Ewert, Angela K. Diefenbach, and David W. Ramsey

From the WashPost: Eight years after Fukushima’s meltdown, the land is recovering, but public trust is not

Eight years after an earthquake, tsunami and one of the most severe nuclear accidents in history, the Japanese prefecture of Fukushima is getting back on its feet. Officials say the area’s fruits and vegetables are fine to eat. So is the catch from the Fukushima fishing boats.

Radiation levels in the prefecture’s capital city, Fuku­shima, are comparable to the super-safe readings in places such as Hong Kong and London, monitors say. And a massive decontamination effort is still underway.

But facts and spreadsheets supplied by the government are one thing. Rebuilding trust among locals may be significantly harder, thanks to a culture of coverups and denials that contributed to the nuclear accident and continues to dog Japan’s efforts to restart its nuclear industry, experts say.

Several comments on this new panel:

Trump’s Pick To Lead Climate Panel Once Compared CO2 To Jews In Nazi Germany. William Happer will reportedly lead the new Presidential Committee on Climate Security.

Washington Post: White House to Set up Climate panel.

Adversarial’ reviewers recruit climate skeptics

From HuffPost: Meet The Ostriches Under Consideration For Trump’s Anti-Science Climate Panel. The list includes people who have called climate science a “cult” and claimed Earth benefits from burning fossil fuels.

Since the Diva obtained this document on Feb. 13th, the same day that Administrator Long resigned, she is not sure if this guidance will change when a new administrator takes over. But it is interesting to read at the present time. See FEMA Administrator Guidance. 

In this document there is a reference to Lifelines, but the figure is missing.Here it is:  Lifeline Information Sheet

A Health Information Exchange for Disasters. CA disaster victims benefit from system used in LA.

From USA Today. Trump to Nominate Jeffrey Byard as New FEMA Administrator.