From the WashPost: Atmospheric Rivers Won/t End CA Drought.

Research shows how climate change reduces snow packs and how extreme spring temperatures lead to drier summers.

From the Guardian:California’s rainstorm hell ‘among the most deadly disasters in our history’ More details on the impacts.

Majority of disabled people never go home after disasters.  Excerpts from the report:

Advocates have been trying for years to draw attention to the harsh conditions that people with disabilities face after natural disasters. Now federal data shows that the suffering is worse than anyone could have imagined.

Census Bureau data released Thursday shows that people with disabilities are far more likely than anyone else to face major hardships including displacement from their homes due to a major disaster.

If they evacuate, people with disabilities face dangerous levels of isolation, squalid living conditions, shortages of food and water and electricity, and permanent dislocation, an E&E News analysis of the data shows.

Thanks to Jessica Hubbard for this citation.

From HSToday: Record Drought Gripped Much of the U.S. in 2022, a Year of 18 Billion-Dollar Disasters. Hurricane Ian was the most costly event of 2022 at $112.9 billion, and ranks as the third most costly hurricane on record (since 1980) for the U.S., behind Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Harvey (2017).

From CNN:  California’s dilemma: How do you harness an epic amount of rain in a water-scarce state? Let it flood, scientists say

From the Congressional Research Service: Options for Making Flood Insurance More Affordable (39 pp).

The Diva wishes her readers a healthy and happy new year. This new year will be the 13th year of producing this site!

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From TheConversation: Homes that survived the Boulder County fire hid another disaster inside – we turned them into labs to study this urban wildfire health risk.

Just out, this 5 page report from the Congressional Research Service: Recent Funding Increases for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance