From the WashPost: Near site of Fukushima nuclear disaster, a shattered town and scattered lives
Recovery in Japan is Long and Painful
Reply
$16B in Federal Funding for Recovery is in Limbo
‘Just get moving.’ Trump admin sits on $16B for disasters
Texas is one of nearly a dozen states and territories waiting for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to unlock $16 billion in disaster mitigation funds that were allocated nearly a year ago by Congress to help vulnerable communities get ready for the next Hurricanes Harvey, Irma or Maria.
Two major hurricanes made landfall since the money was approved. Still, states and territories like Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Puerto Rico are unable to tap the largest well of disaster mitigation funds ever appropriated by Congress.
Nobody seems to know why.
HUD officials — back from a 35-day furlough — aren’t saying when the administrative logjam will clear. “We hope to publish the program rules shortly. Precisely when, I can’t say,” agency spokesman Brian Sullivan said in an email early this week. He provided no additional details.
Officials in coastal states, and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, say that every day of delay is one day closer to the 2019 hurricane season, and the prospect of billions of dollars in additional property losses.
Catastrophic Power Outage Report
From the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, this report (92 pp.) titled Surviving a Catastrophic Power Outage; How to Strengthen the Capabilities of the Nation.
Note that Appendix G addresses Lessons Learned from 2017 disasters.
“Worldwide Threat Assessment”
U.S. Intelligence Officials Warn Climate Change Is a Worldwide Threat. Their annual assessment says climate hazards such as extreme weather, droughts, floods, wildfires and sea level rise threaten infrastructure, health and security.
The article includes a direct link to the 42 page report.
“Building Cultures of Preparedness”
New report released by FEMA’s Higher Ed Program: Building Cultures of Preparedness (40 pp.); Jan. 2019.
The Diva thinks this is an unusually well written and thoughtful report on a topic that may be new for many. She highly recommends it.
The first goal of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 2018-2022 Strategic Plan is to Build a Culture of Preparedness. Preparedness strategies to date have increased first responder and government capabilities, but individual and community progress towards enhanced levels of preparedness have been limited. Achieving the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan’s vision of enhanced preparedness requires a bottom-up approach to close these gaps.
This report highlights the vast diversity of American communities and households, indicating that a one-size-fits-all strategy is not well-suited to the specific demands of variable and distinctive environments – our Culture of Preparedness will have to be built one community at a time. Preparedness is a local matter, requiring solutions tailored to different cultural contexts and embraced by communities. Supporting the vision of a resilient nation in the Strategic Plan requires us to think in the plural, in terms of building ‘Culture(s) of Preparedness’.
This report presents a culture-based approach to the preparedness goals laid out in the Strategic Plan. It lays out four Guiding Principles for building Cultures of Preparedness, followed by practical strategies and examples that demonstrate successful outcomes in real-world settings:
Trust – Develop trust by understanding the culture, context, and history of communities outside of disaster, as well as when an event occurs.
Inclusion – Bring the cultural perspectives of all stakeholders to the table
Cross-cultural communication – Design communication efforts as cross-cultural encounters.
Support local practices and successes – Learn about the ways people are already prepared and enhance these efforts using culturally-aware strategies.
Aftermath of CA Fires – cleanup problems
Why the Cleanup From California’s Camp Fire Could Hit a Major Roadblock. A potential problem has emerged: Nearly half of the property owners in the hill country around Paradise have not given the government permission to enter their properties to do the work.
Preliminary cleanup has already begun for what may be a $2 billion-plus effort, said to be the largest and costliest in state history. The main work, involving a complete scraping and clearing of burned-out properties, is scheduled to begin later this week.
Record Cold Temps in Much of U.S.
Polar Vortex Freezes U.S. Midwest With Snow, Dangerously Cold Air.
- Chicago will be colder than some parts of Antarctica, according to CNN.
- The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail in 10 States.
- Something new: Frost Quakes
The New Language of Climate Change
From Politico: The New Language of Climate Change, Scientists and meteorologists on the front lines of the climate wars are testing a new strategy to get through to the skeptics and outright deniers.
New Focus in CA
California Wildfire Preparedness Now Focused on ‘Scientific and Social’ Vulnerability
California Gov. Gavin Newsom began his term this week by signing an executive order directing new wildfire risk mitigation efforts that include assessing “socioeconomic factors and vulnerable populations that exacerbate the human toll of wildfires.”
San Francisco Mayor Orders Preparations for “the big one.”
From HSToday: Mayor Orders San Francisco to Prepare for the Big One: 72 Percent Chance Before 2043
According to a statement from the Office of Mayor London Breed, “It is estimated that San Francisco has a 72 percent chance of experiencing a 6.7 magnitude or greater earthquake before 2043.”
Breed says, “We know that the next major earthquake will hit at any time and every day we should be working to prepare for it,” announcing that she is ordering city organs to “make our buildings safer now, but also [create] a comprehensive plan” for recovery in the face of an eventual disaster.
Recovery Diva 