From the NYTimes, In New York, Drawing Flood Maps Is a ‘Game of Inches’
As FEMA revises the maps to account for climate change, deciding who is in the flood zone will be a battle with millions of dollars at stake.
Boston’s Rendezvous with Climate Destiny; A coastal winter storm shows one of America’s oldest cities what sea-level rise really means.
Update: I just found this article in Ensia (thanks to Homeland Security Wire) with some details re scientific research on the issues in Boston. With storms intensifying and oceans on the rise, Boston weighs strategies for staying dry. A multi-billion-dollar seawall is among climate adaptation options under consideration for the iconic coastal city.
Thanks to Peg Blechman for this information.
Dated January 2018, FEMA just released this new guide, title Local Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide. It is 217 pages long and includes details for implementation of the recent decision by FEMA to fund some actions taken by houses of worship. [It does not seem to be on the FEMA website yet.]
Comments are invited.
The worse is not yet over for many Northeastern states, but here are some photos of the damage so far. Imagine a powerful storm that brings snow, ice, very cold temps and coastal flooding! See these photos as of Jan. 4th. [Thanks to Elaine Sudanowicz for the citation.]
2017 Saw A Record High Of Insurance Claims Due To Natural Disasters; They amount to about $135 billion.
Disasters Affected 8% of U.S. Population in 2017, FEMA Notes in Review of Historic Year.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supported 59 major disaster declarations and 16 emergency declarations in 2017, a year during which unprecedented disasters affected more than 25 million Americans, almost eight percent of the U.S. population.
In its year-end review, FEMA notes it was a record busy year for FEMA employees and for state and local emergency responders across the country, as well for the federal flood insurance program, which FEMA manages. Thousands of emergency workers remain engaged in recovery efforts including in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
From the New Yorker: A Floating House to Resist the Floods of Climate Change.
South Florida’s Real Estate Reckoning Could Be Closer Than You Think.
Hurricane Irma showed just how vulnerable South Florida—and some of the nation’s most expensive real estate—is to climate change.
It’s Been One of the Worst Years Ever for Billion-Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters.
“There have been at least 15 weather and climate disasters in the U.S. this year that resulted in losses of more than $1 billion each. That’s one short of the record set in 2011.”
Some dramatic photos from some of the disasters that occurred in 2017.
Recovery Diva 