Effects of Multiple Disasters in PR

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From the WashPost: Puerto Rico earthquake aftershocks again rattle coastline as residents deal with disaster after disaster.  An excerpt:

The fallout from the worst disaster in Puerto Rico’s history and last summer’s political convulsions that resulted in upheaval and the ouster of a governor has left a population traumatized and distrustful of government at all levels. The hurricane, the resultant struggle for survival, the unsettled governance and now days of strong quakes have deteriorated the emotional and mental health of some of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens of the United States.

From USAToday, this article: 950 earthquakes have hit Puerto Rico so far this year. Why? Blame it on an ‘earthquake swarm’

Australian Fires -the Worst Has Yet to Come

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Australian Fires: The Worst Is Yet to Come.

Recent droughts, fires, and extreme heat indicate that Australians have more at stake in the effort to reduce global emissions than perhaps any other developed country. At the same time, Australia benefits economically from emissions – it is the world’s largest exporter of coal and the third largest exporter of carbon from fossil fuels (after Russia and Saudi Arabia), according to a recent report by the Australia Institute. Australia faces some tough decisions. The world will be watching closely how they choose to proceed.

For more information and a list of ways to help the Australians with their record setting fires go the the U.S. Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

Delay in Disaster Funds for Puerto Rico is Deadly Serious

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From the WashPost: Hit by devastating earthquakes, Puerto Rico still waiting on billions for hurricane relief.  Democratic lawmakers raise new concerns about the Trump administration’s use of disaster funds.

According to this CNN article, the Dept of HHS has declared a Public Health Emergency in Puerto Rico. PR also got a Presidential Emergency Declaration.

More on the Australian Fires

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From the BBC news: Australia fires: A visual guide to the bushfire crisis. Thanks to Ian McLean for the citation.

Update on Jan.6 from CNN: Smoke in Australia’s capital is so bad that the agency responsible for emergency management shut down

Update on Jan.7:  Number Of Animals Feared Dead In Australia’s Wildfires Soars To Over 1 Billion. Ecologists at the University of Sydney and WWF Australia estimate that a billion is a conservative figure.

 

“Australia is Committing Climate Suicide”

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From the NYTimes: As record fires rage, the country’s leaders seem intent on sending it to its doom.  Two excerpts:

And yet, incredibly, the response of Australia’s leaders to this unprecedented national crisis has been not to defend their country but to defend the coal industry, a big donor to both major parties — as if they were willing the country to its doom. While the fires were exploding in mid-December, the leader of the opposition Labor Party went on a tour of coal mines expressing his unequivocal support for coal exports. The prime minister, the conservative Scott Morrison, went on vacation to Hawaii.

In 1996 successive conservative Australian governments have successfully fought to subvert international agreements on climate change in defense of the country’s fossil fuel industries. Today, Australia is the world’s largest exporter of both coal and gas. It recently was ranked 57th out of 57 countries on climate-change action.