This 15 year old oil spill rivals BP Oil Spill Disaster and is still unchecked.
15 Year Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico Still Unchecked
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List of Social Science Researchers
Another great item of interest from the Hazards Center at University of Colorado at Boulder: Census of social science hazard and disaster researchers
Hazard and Disaster Research Centers
I just got this bit of interesting news from the Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. See this map of disaster research centers worldwide.
Coastal Flooding is Costly to Cities
Coastal Flooding Is Erasing Billions in Property Value as Sea Level Rises. That’s Bad News for Cities. High-tide flooding is eating away at the coastal property tax base just when communities need it most to adapt to climate change and repair the damage.
Here is a second article on the same topic. $16B and Counting: The Climate Change List No One Wants to Be On. It ranks cities in terms of climate change and housing values. Includes an interesting chart.
Book Review – worth contemplating
New GAO Report on Recovery in Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands Recovery: Status of FEMA Public Assistance Funding and Implementation.
GAO was asked to review the federal government’s response and recovery efforts related to the 2017 hurricanes. This report describes (1) the status of FEMA’s Public Assistance program funding provided to the USVI in response to the 2017 hurricanes as of October 1, 2018, and (2) the USVI’s transition to implementing the Public Assistance alternative procedures in the territory. GAO reviewed program documents and data on obligations and expenditures as of October 1, 2018, and interviewed officials from FEMA and the USVI regarding the Public Assistance program specifically and disaster recovery efforts more generally. GAO also conducted site visits to the USVI islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John.
GAO is not making any recommendations in this report, but will continue to monitor the progress of the USVI’s recovery as part of its ongoing work.
Hurricane Resilience Still Elusive
Hurricane Resilience Still an Elusive Goal. Officials from several southeastern North Carolina communities told stories in Raleigh this week about lives still disrupted, damage still unrepaired, and residents moving away to other places on higher ground
From The Fayetteville Observer, N.C. / February 22, 2019
Mental Health Issues After H. Harvey
Mental health was Hurricane Harvey’s greatest toll, first of its kind registry finds
Hurricane Harvey’s greatest lingering toll was on Houstonians’ mental health, according to initial findings from a first-of-its-kind registry that surveyed people about the 2017 storm’s impact on their lives.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents to the registry, modeled on the one created in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, reported intrusive or unintended thoughts about the hurricane and its resulting flooding. That was a higher rate than physical symptoms reported by respondents.
U.S. Volcano Threat Assessment from USGS
2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment
Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5140. By: John W. Ewert, Angela K. Diefenbach, and David W. Ramsey
Fukushima Disasters – 8 years later
From the WashPost: Eight years after Fukushima’s meltdown, the land is recovering, but public trust is not
Eight years after an earthquake, tsunami and one of the most severe nuclear accidents in history, the Japanese prefecture of Fukushima is getting back on its feet. Officials say the area’s fruits and vegetables are fine to eat. So is the catch from the Fukushima fishing boats.
Radiation levels in the prefecture’s capital city, Fukushima, are comparable to the super-safe readings in places such as Hong Kong and London, monitors say. And a massive decontamination effort is still underway.
But facts and spreadsheets supplied by the government are one thing. Rebuilding trust among locals may be significantly harder, thanks to a culture of coverups and denials that contributed to the nuclear accident and continues to dog Japan’s efforts to restart its nuclear industry, experts say.
Recovery Diva 