Author Archives: recoverydiva

Review of Resilience Report by the NAS

Posted on by
5

English: The Keck Center of the National Acade...

The Diva recently completed a review of the report “Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative,” issued by the National Academy of Sciences in late 2012. The review is included in the March/April issue of Environment Magazine.  Some excerpts:

From an intellectual standpoint, I believe the study findings and recommendations are commendable and credible. The report provides a substantial foundation for the formulation of mandates and funding streams to achieve resilience national. My concerns are practical ones, relating primarily to governance, as discussion in Chapter 7….

I see resilience as paramount going forward. Currently, there are no mandates ( legislative, regulatory, or directive) or funding streams for resilience activities in the main federal agencies responsible for emergency management. It remains to be seen who would be help accountable for efforts to accomplish, measure, document, and evaluate examples when they occur.

Here are the links to the full text versions of reports mentioned above:

Update on This Blog

Posted on by
2

About a month ago, I began the process of asking for support for the blog from readers. To date 8 people have responded, which is nice, but more would be welcome.

Regarding content, you may find it interesting to know that the most popular topics covered recently in the blog postings (based on the page view hit count) are as follows:

FEMA
Hurricane Sandy
Floods/Flood Damage
Mitigation
Earthquakes
Natural Disasters and Climate Change
Sequestration

In the four years that I have been writing the blog, I have published 645 postings, which have received almost 59,000 views.  What remains to be done is some analyses of the postings and most popular topics so that future postings can be planned that will  be of  interest to the readers.

Update on Recovery Efforts by HUD, FEMA, and the Red Cross re H. Sandy

Posted on by
Reply

 

I was wondering what HUD is doing re Hurricane Sandy, given the fact that the Sec. of HUD has been given the lead role for recovery for the first time in history. The agency has a page of its website devoted to Hurricane Sandy, but I was disappointed at the results. I was hoping to see some discussion of a strategic approach to recovery , progress to date, or some of the future concerns for the two states where the most damage has occurred, NY and NJ.  But the majoring of the postings have to do with foreclosure rules and details about the CDBG program.

I did find some information about how HUD allocated the initial round of  CDBG money to 6 states affected by H. Sandy. See this article on Feb. 12. If readers know of any more informative sources about HUD’s efforts, please let me know.

There is a website for the HUD Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, but the info is about 2 months old. .

Thanks also to a reader for this source: U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. Dec. 5, 2013. Setting Up the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force. It contains the testimony of Craig Fuguate, DEMA Director, and  and Sec. Donovan of HUD. Fugate discusses the National Disaster Recovery Framework on pages 6-8 of his testimony.Donovan discusses his lead role on recovery on pages 4-5 of his testimony.

__________________________________

OTHER EFFORTS  – THE RED CROSS:

Here are some details re recovery efforts by the American Red Cross, as of March 2.

NJ Plans Mediation of Disputes Between Consumers and Insurance Companies

Posted on by
Reply

One of the impediments to recovery often is due to disputes between homeowners or business owners and insurance companies.  We saw that after H. Katrina and we saw it more recently in Christchurch, NZ.  This artiele explains a pending action by Gov Christie of N.Y.  NJ Plans to Set up Mediation of Disputes with Insurance Companies . Some excerpts:

New Jersey’s Department of Banking and Insurance is setting up a mediation program to give consumers the chance to settle insurance disputes without the time and expense of litigation. The department currently is seeking proposals from companies to provide mediation services, and interested firms have until March 7 to submit a bid.

The program would sit an experienced mediator between policyholders and their insurance companies in order to review the case and assist in settlement discussions. Similar efforts were undertaken with success in Gulf Coast states after hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed the region in 2005, Kenneth Kobylowski, commissioner of the insurance department, said yesterday.

More Resources on Floods – from ASFPM

Posted on by
Reply

Forum 4 – 2013 – Gilbert F. White National Flood Policy Forum
Human Adjustments in Coasts – Adaptive Management in Response to Changing Hazards, Risks, and Ecosystems

The 4th triennial assembly of the ASFPM Foundation Gilbert F. White National Flood Policy Forum was held on February 19-20, 2013, at George Mason University’s Arlington VA Campus. This Forum will address “Human Adjustments in Coasts – Adaptive Management in Response to Changing Hazards, Risks, and Ecosystems”. One hundred invited experts – the brightest minds on flood policy, law, governance, engineering practice, biological sciences, transecting disciplines, sectors, landscapes, and US regions – spent a day and a half developing recommendations on approaches the nation can use to adjust human occupancies and management of the coasts. These suggestions should prove instructive to decision makers at all levels of government as we prepare the nation for increased coastal population, diminishing resources, and increased storms and risk. A background paper about the Forum topic is below, along with the Program Agenda.

Lifting a Town – a dramatic approach to floodproofing

Posted on by
Reply

Lifting a Town to Escape the Next Storm

But four months after Hurricane Sandy almost obliterated downtown Highlands, an unlikely idea with one enormous historical antecedent seems to be taking hold here: Don’t just raise the buildings. Raise the town.

After all, officials in the modest, largely working-class community note, something quite similar was done, with the most rudimentary technologies, to save Galveston, Tex., which was raised as much as 17 feet after more than 6,000 people perished in the great hurricane of 1900. Yes, even the proponents here concede, it will be a long shot to persuade the federal government to spend more than $25 million to raise Highlands’s downtown 10 feet as a permanent solution to flooding, storm damage and rising seas.

Flood Mitigation Efforts in Other Countries

Posted on by
Reply

QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA

The U.S. is not the only country trying to think ahead and find ways to mitigate future flood damage.  Queensland has experienced many devastating floods in recent years and is working to anticipate and aboid future flood damamges. Here are two sources of more information about their present efforts:

News Clip :http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/councils-be-given-protection-stop-flood-developmen/1758559/

Government Report: http://www.premiers.qld.gov.au/publications/categories/reports/assets/gov-response-floods-commission-inquiry.pdf

One more article, citing additional reports that explain the Australian approach to flood management. Feb. 15.

UNITED KINGDOM

Article covers several decades of flood experience in the U.K.

_____________________________________________

Thanks for Chris Jones for point out these resources to me.