For many of us the annual conference of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado/Boulder was a “must attend” event for many years. For those of us who did not make it this year, I give my sincere thanks to Dr. Lori Peek, Director of the Center, for sharing the online sources for the keynote and plenary sessions recently completed at the Center’s annual conference.

Keynote

1. Ethics at the End of the World:

Plenaries

2. Making the Moral Case for Mitigation:
3. Measure What Matters—Social Vulnerability, Equity, and Planning for Resilience:
4. State of Emergency—Resource Commitments and Compassion in an Age of Extremes:
5. Ethical Obligations to Current and Future Generations of the Natural Hazards Workforce:
6. Closing Comments:

From HSToday: DHS S&T Awards Funds to PNNL to Research the Future of Emergency Management. S&T and PNNL will work with emergency management practitioners, technologists, futurists, and others to develop concepts, requirements, and vision for next-generation EOCs.

“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded $1.67 million to the Department of Energy (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to conduct research on strengthening and reimagining the future emergency response structure. Tactical actions will focus on advancing next generation emergency operation centers (EOCs), supporting state, local, tribal, territorial emergency managers to enhance communication and coordination, improving response capabilities during emergencies, and aiming to reduce societal and economic costs of disasters.”

The Diva is not familiar with the Pacific Northwest National Lab, but I hope they have the connections to engage in the broad project described.

From The Conversation: Extreme heat is particularly hard on older adults – an aging population and climate change are putting ever more people at risk

This article gets into the reasons why.

From the WashPost: For Florida’s Hurricane Ian survivors, extreme heat is a ‘second disaster. ”  The state’s record-breaking weather shows how compound climate events hurt the most vulnerable.

Why California and Florida Have Become Almost Uninsurable.

Climate change is an obvious factor, but the states’ governments share a large part of the blame.

From the WashPost: The best tech to have in a natural disaster. From the right backup battery to a radio when the internet is gone, here are tech tips for your emergency kit.

This site is 13 years old and maintains an archive of postings.  Recently the Diva paid a specialist to do the semi-annual check of the URLs. Please use the Donate Now button in the right hand column of the homepage to provide support for this update. We want this site to be a unique and up-to-date source of information. Thank you.

We welcome company or organizational donors as well as individuals.

From Axios: FEMA set to run out of money before peak hurricane season
“The federal government’s disaster relief fund is on pace to run out of money at the height of both the hurricane and wildfire seasons, a top official warned this week.

Why it matters: Government funding emergencies aren’t new, but the climate crisis has sent the number of costly natural disasters soaring, stretching the Federal Emergency Management Agency thin at the worst time of year.

What they’re saying: “We can no longer speak of a ‘disaster season’ — we now face intensified natural disasters throughout the year, often in places that are not used to experiencing them,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told a House subcommittee Thursday.

Criswell said that in 2010, FEMA had 108 declared disasters to support. A decade later, the number jumped to 315.
“Our mission has not changed, but our operating environment has,” she said. “And with that, comes the challenge of ensuring that everyone who qualifies for FEMA assistance is able to access that help.”

From the Wash Post: Why a $90 million push could help U.S. buildings withstand climate disasters. Funding from the infrastructure law comes as climate disasters batter the nation, and gives Biden another chance to use climate carrots instead of sticks

From Bloomberglaw, an article that provides an historic account of FEMA.
See: FEMA Stretched Beyond Climate Response as Disasters Balloon