From HSNW: Disasters Around the World Are Linked by the Same Root Causes. “Three root causes affected most of the events in the UNU analysis: burning fossil fuels, poor management of risk and placing too little value on the environment in decision-making.”
Inaction On Climate Change Is Greatest Threat To Health, 220 Medical Journals Warn
Runaway climate change risks “catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse,” the editorial reads.
The Diva thinks this kind of warning is compelling!
From the HSDL: 9/11: Twenty Years Later
The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States provides opportunities for sober reflection on the events of that day, gives us pause to dissect what has ensued over the last twenty years, and encourages us to examine what is currently happening today as a direct result of those attacks, all of which remains central to “why we do what we do.” The Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) began as a database in support of professionals conducting research and studies through the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s programs, which focus on training and informing those in the homeland security enterprise. In the wake of September 11, 2001, the Department of Homeland Security was created to better prepare for and prevent future attacks on American soil. Almost two decades later, the HSDL has grown significantly as our focus has expanded to meet the evolving needs and areas of study pertaining to homeland security.
In honor of the last twenty years, here are some highlights from resources collected in our library related to the September 11th attacks and the after-effects.
From Scientific American: Fix Disaster Response Now. Emergency management leaves out vulnerable groups and is poorly prepared for worsening climate-related disasters
Biden Taps FEMA Official to Lead Afghan Resettlement Efforts as Agency Deploys Thousands in Ida Response. Agencies are sending employees throughout the United States and around the world in a scramble to tackle multiple crises at once.
Note the replies from readers who know Bob Fenton.
Not quite on the main topic of recovery, but an interesting and worthwhile article that is open access: Interdisciplinary Theory, Methods, and Approaches for Hazards and Disaster Research: An Introduction to the Special Issue. Authors are Lori Peek and Seth Guikema
From the GAO: Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Homeland Security
See the 33 page report for details of the Emergency Preparedness and Response section of the report.
From the WashPost, this article about a new threat: Tennessee floods show a pressing climate danger across America: ‘Walls of water’.‘Climate change has come barging through the front doors of America.’ An excerpt:
Inland flooding is the leading cause of death associated with tropical cyclones in the past 50 years, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On average, damage from inland floods costs more than any other severe weather event. It’s a problem from the mountains of western North Carolina, where Tropical Storm Fred killed five people last week, to the streets of Dearborn, Mich., where heavy rains have repeatedly overwhelmed the sewer systems and destroyed homes.
Recovery Diva 