Thanks to intrepid journalist Larry Pearce, here is a copy of the latest newsletter from the Canadian Risk and Hazard Network. [I have the utmost respect for anyone who can survive a Canadian winter!] A copy of the 45-page newsletter is Special Feature -Winter 2014.
Note: Larry welcomes news articles, so consider sending him an article about your projects or research.
This is a topic we rarely talk about. Not only do the victims get tired of trying to get assistance but those people whose job it is or who make voluntary efforts to help victims of a disaster get fatigued also. See this article about compassion fatigue in the post-Sandy environment.
Last March, I posted an article from a NZ Red Cross official about her personal experience with burn out after the Christchurch earthquake. That post can be found here.
I invite your comments and any experiences you care to relate.
Additional Thoughts From the Diva: I think that the trend toward increasing use of young, inexperienced people as FEMA Corps staffers and more reliance on volunteers by the Red Cross is going to result in a many more people experiencing not only fatigue but distress from their disaster duties. Are their sponsors/employers prepared to help them deal with it, before and after deployment?
New 20-page report on drought from the Congressional Research Service. Thanks to Bill Cumming for the link.
See analysis by Eric Holdeman in his blog too.
As was noted in the articles about the H. Sandy recovery proceeding far more slowly than most would like, the same thing is true in Christchurch.
Thanks to Ian McLean of New Zealand for this link to an updated account of the recovery process in Christchurch. Although the article is based heavily on an interview with the former mayor, Bob Parker, Ian noted that much of what Parker had recommended to city officials was not mentioned and that 10 of his recommendations were never acted upon.
Here are three recent articles about how slowly the recovery is proceeding in NYC. And of course NJ is having its own set of problems rebuilding. Here are two takes on the NYC situation:
(1) City is slacking on Hurricane Sandy aid for homeowners: report
Of the 19,920 people who applied for the Build It Back program, none have seen construction work start and only 110 had signed a deal on aid as of last month, according to data analyzed by the Alliance for a Just Rebuilding.
(2) Build It Back Has ‘to Do Better’ at Releasing Sandy Funds, Mayor Says
And here is an account of the problems in NJ:
Gov. Christie Blames Slow Sandy Recovery on Federal Governmentg
A pending proposal explained by Congressional Quarterly on March 4, 2014
With federal disaster aid squeezed by federal spending limits, a bipartisan push has emerged to offer a new type of tax-exempt savings account to help families finance more of their own disaster preparation and recovery costs. Sens. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla., and Mark Begich, D-Alaska, are leading the drive for a bill (S 1991) to allow families to make deductible contributions of up to $5,000 annually to disaster savings accounts to help pay for needs and rebuilding after tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and other disasters. A companion bill (HR 3989) is being offered in the House by Reps. Dennis A. Ross, R-Fla., and Mike McIntyre, D-N.C.
S 1991 – A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow individuals a deduction for amounts contributed to disaster savings accounts to help defray the cost of preparing their homes to withstand a disaster and to repair or replace property damaged or destroyed in a disaster.
HR 3989 – A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow individuals a deduction for amounts contributed to disaster savings accounts to help defray the cost of preparing their homes to withstand a disaster and to repair or replace property damaged or destroyed in a disaster.
My personal take on this is that the idea sounds good intellectually; but practically, I doubt that many individuals or organizations would actually put money aside for future events.
Amazing before and after pictures of a lake in CA.
After a week of personal practice with resilience and recovery, the Diva is back in action. Almost back to normal. e.
From the Homeland Security Digital Library, this reference to a potentially useful site. See National Preparedness Toolkit.
NIST has convened a series of workshops engaging a broad network of stakeholders to help develop the Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems (Guide), with a focus on the role that buildings and infrastructure play in ensuring community resilience.
These workshops were held to support the continuing development of the Guide. The first workshop was held on April 7, 2014 at the NIST Gaithersburg, MD campus. Following workshops were held at locations throughout the country to engage a broad range of stakeholders and their experiences.
After receiving feedback from stakeholders NIST has released Volume I and II of the Guide.
The Community Resilience Planning Guides and related materials are available from https://www.nist.gov/el/resilience/community-resilience-planning-guides
Recovery Diva 