Army Corps Under Fire From Flood Victims Amid Storm Surge. The Army Corps of Engineers has been struggling on two fronts — taming America’s rain-swollen rivers, and taming the fallout from mass water releases and breached levees.

Usually we are concerned with the destruction after extreme weather events, but this year there are some front end concerns. From the Wash Post: Extreme weather is pummeling the Midwest, and farmers are in deep trouble

Update: One more article on the extreme flooding in midwest.

From Homeland Security Today: PERSPECTIVE: Three Against the Rest of Us on Disaster Aid Package. Some excerpts:

Strong oversight, thorough follow-through, firm accountability, tough questions and transparent accounting are all basics that should be part of any disaster aid package. But so should be the promise that disaster aid will be there when it is needed. In the case of these congressmen, they are emblematic of a culture of indifference when the disaster victim is someone other than oneself.

That’s something I hope their constituents will remember during the next election cycle, or at least something they will think of if a disaster were to come through their communities and federal assistance intended for them was halted by three obscure congressional members looking for attention.

Disasters are getting worse and we need a new plan. Despite the title, the author of this article is optimistic about the Disaster Recovery Reform Act and the prospect of more attention to mitigation.

2018 Hurricanes Offer Lessons for Florida’s 2019 Storm Season. Hurricane Michael was particularly chilling for experts. It gained far more intensity than expected and, making landfall on Oct. 10, came as the June 1 to Nov. 30 hurricane season was winding down.

From the Wash Post: Extreme weather has made half of America look like Tornado Alley. Climate change may be confounding the jet stream and making trouble for everyone.

From the Wash Post: The politics of disaster aid, explained. Climate change gets worse and so does congress’s ability to fund disaster relief.

Thanks to Bill Nicholson for the citation.

From NPR: Rethinking Disaster Recovery After A California Town Is Leveled By Wildfire. 

A recap of experience and reflections on recovery. No major new ideas.

It is always nice to read about lessons learned and improvements made in recovery. From Weather Bug, this article about the recent tornado that affected Joplin, MO. Many Factors Helped Save Lives In Jefferson City Twister

From Vox: Watch how the climate could change in these US cities by 2050. In some cities, it’ll be like moving two states south.