Insurance companies are more pro-active than many of us would have guessed. See: Technology shapes insurance companies’ response to wildfires
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Author Archives: recoverydiva
Billion Dollar Disasters
Billion-dollar disasters on the increase in United States
As the atmosphere continues to warm, we are seeing more and more billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the United States. Thru September, there had already been 11 such events in the Lower 48 according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. This number will likely rise once the final calculations are completed for Hurricane Michael and the California wildfires. If these two disasters wind up being added, we will have a total of 13 billion-dollar disasters for the year, making it one of the worst years in U.S. history, behind only 2017, 2011 and 2016. For perspective, the average year sees about six billion-dollar disasters.
New GAO Report on Disaster Contracting
2017 Disaster Contracting: Action Needed to Better Ensure More Effective Use and Management of Advance Contracts. GAO-19-93
More Trouble in Paradise (CA)
Insurer goes bust from Camp Fire with millions in claims unpaid. How will it affect Paradise homeowners?
Here is more information about the insurance co. from the CA State Insurance Office.
Thanks to Laurie Johnson for these citations.
“Restoring Lifeline Services”
FEMA and its emergency management partner organizations today released Philip Mann’s PrepTalk “Public Works & Emergency Management: Restoring Lifeline Services,” the fourth PrepTalk release from the Sept. 6, 2018 symposium. Mann is the Public Works Director for Gainesville, Florida. He is the past Chair of the American Public Works Association’s (APWA) Emergency Management Committee and is APWA’s representative to the Public Safety Advisory Committee working on the FirstNet project.
In his PrepTalk Mann shares a career’s worth of public works experience, including response and recovery from many disasters. Mann explains that the lifelines managed by a public works department are essential to “allow the community to survive” before and after a disaster. These systems include transportation; supporting utilities to restore power and communications; water for homes, businesses, and fire suppression; waste and stormwater management; and solid waste management including debris removal.
A New Take on EM History in the U.S.
Article in Wash. Post on Dec. 4: How the federal government became responsible for disaster relief. The Alaska earthquake that put Washington in charge of natural disasters.
As readers know, the Diva is an emergency management history buff. This article adds an interesting element to the emergence of the federal government in emergency management, but I think there are many other factors that contributed as well. Reference: Emergency Management; the American Experience, 1900-2010.
Webinar: Dr. Lucy Jones on Dec. 6
Coming up this Thursday in Washington, DC at the Carnegie Institution for Science: Dr. Lucy Jones. Their website will carry the broadcast. Scientist to discuss how we can adapt — and improve our survival — to future natural disasters
Opinion re Climate Change
Opinion piece from Paul Krugman, in the NYTimes: The Depravity of Climate-Change Denial; Risking civilization for profit, ideology and ego.
Please Help Support this Blog
Please consider a donation to this blog in December. The Diva donates her time and pays for the website, but needs to purchase technical services in order to maintain the site and remove dead links. Just use the Donate Now button in the right hand column of the homepage, just under the picture.
Alaska Earthquake
The Anchorage Earthquake Was Terrifying. But the Damage Could’ve Been Much Worse.
Experts said that while the quake was significantly less intense than the one in 1964, which was magnitude 9.2, its limited destruction was the result of the region’s growing smarter and much more resilient in the years since. Anchorage was much better prepared for a major earthquake; other cities may not have fared so well.
The Diva looked for TV coverage of the earthquake, but there was little to see over the past few days. News of the G20 Summit and the death of Pres. Bush got all the attention.
