Drought-stricken California only has one year of water left, Nasa scientist warns
As backup supply dwindles, [scientist] says state has about one year of water left and calls for a more ‘forward-looking process’ to deal with crisis
Folsom Lake in California
The Diva got lots of useful examples and citations from readers, such as:
After reading an article about the proposed use of shipping containers for affordable housing in Washington, DC, I asked one of my readers who is an architect for his view about the feasibility of using them for post-disaster housing. The original article, with some mention of the use of container housing in NY, is here.
In reply to my question, architect Don Watson offered the following:
“Cargo architecture” has made afoot hold. Using the units does not necessarily reduce costs. The Wash. Post article describes such accurately. New York City Emergency Planners have used the approach for disaster temporary housing….”temporary housing” is a misnomer….the units cost as much as convene final construction. But an advantage is that they can conceivably be built more rapidly as factory modules. It is the factory module technology that makes them quick to assemble on site. Thus part of solution. A few samples:
• New modular disaster relief housing prototype developed...[Jul 07, 2014 • As of January this year 1,300 families were still living in temporary housing … shipping containers versus modular housing.]
• Designing for Disaster: Which is better, modular or ship [May 21, 2013 • Another look at the question of what is the best way to build good housing].
Include Climate Change in Disaster Planning, FEMA Says.
Federal funds that help communities brace for emergencies will stop being provided to states if they ignore threats posed by climate change in their disaster planning.
Newly issued guidance on mitigation from FEMA.
From the NYT on March 13, FEMA to Review All H. Sandy Flood Claims.
As noted by reader, James Fossett:
* * * this story from the New York Times which reports on an on-going dispute where it’s been alleged that engineering reports of flood damage were doctored to minimize federal flood insurance payouts. While disputes over what’s flood damage and what’s not seem endemic to recovery programs—they crop up in FEMA’s Public Assistance program as well—the fact that they’re still going on more than two years after Sandy doesn’t speak well for our ability to manage the recovery process.
See comments below.
Update on March 16: As many as 147,000 claims have to be reviewed!
In both the U.S. an Canada, a spate of recent accidents/disasters have raised questions about the transport of oil by rail. See: Spate of Oil Train Derailments Raising New Alarms About Safety.
And also this editorial in the NYTimes: Dangerous Trains, Aging Rails.
It has been 4 years since the trifecta of disasters in Japan. Here are some photos of Japan’s Disaster Recovery.
Update: And here is a narrative account from the Japan Times.
Thanks to Franklin McDonald for points out this URL.
Dan Aldrich sent me this link to his paper (36 pp), written for the World Bank. It is about recovery experience in Japan.
Abstract: This project draws on multiple constructs, including elder empowerment, community bonding, social capital, and community resilience. Using qualitative and quantitative data we argue that: (1) Empowering elders changes the way they feel about their role in their community (2) Creating the Ibasho Café (both physical and social infrastructures) with elders in a leadership role increases the community bonding among the members of all ages (3) A strong sense of community bonding increases the level of social network and community participation, enhancing the sense of belonging and trust, and developing reciprocity between neighbors (4) An enhanced sense of social capital strengthens the community’s resilience so it is better prepared to withstand future natural disasters and the impacts of global aging
Full paper is available at http://works.bepress.com/daniel_aldrich/28/
Knowing how long and difficult the recovery process can be, it is always nice to get some positive news about a recovery experience. See: Quakes Spark Industrial Evolution in Christchurch.
Thanks to John Coleman for this link.
Recovery Diva 