Here Is How the Shutdown Affects Dept. of Homeland Security.
How Shutdown Affects DHS
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More on FEMA Contracting Problems
Editorial in the Miami Herald, Dec. 22: Why is FEMA wasting our money?
The Government Accountability Office this month released a report titled “2017 Disaster Contracting: Action Needed to Better Ensure More Effective Use and Management of Advance Contracts.” Translation: FEMA isn’t managing contracts with relief providers very well.
Government Contractors Perplexed re Shutdown
Effects of the Federal Shutdown
From the WashPost: What Will Happen When the Government Shuts Down.
Commentary on the shutdown:
- Editorial opinion from the WashPost on December 22: Trump’s shutdown stunt is an act of needless stupidity.
- From HuffPost: Reminder: Government Shutdowns Are Costly And Stupid
A partial shutdown over the border wall wouldn’t save money. It would waste it. - What’s the economic impact of a government shutdown?
- Federal Contractors Need to Prepare for a Long Government Shutdown
Climate Change Causing Disasters
From the WashPost: Climate change was behind 15 weather disasters in 2017.
This year’s report features 17 peer-reviewed analyses of 16 disasters by 120 researchers looking at weather across six continents and two oceans. Each study uses historical records and model simulations to determine how much climate change may have influenced a particular event.
Additional details about the new report issued by the AMA.
Some Bad News After H. Michael
Hurricane Michael Cost This Military Base About $5 Billion, Just One of 2018’s Weather Disasters. Major hurricanes, devastating wildfires, a drought and a series of extreme storms ran up the count of billion-dollar U.S. climate and weather disasters.
Some Good News After H. Maria
Hurricane Maria caused trauma but fuels purpose among mainland Puerto Ricans, study finds. A study of Floridians of Puerto Rican descent found they experienced “secondary trauma” from the storm, but also a renewed sense of identity and purpose.
Disaster Playbook
From the Center for Disaster Philanthropy this Disaster Resource Playbook.
Federal Shutdown
From Bloomberg News, 12/11: What Would a Federal Shutdown Mean.
Nightmare scenario: Trump Golfs While Secret Service Works Without Pay?
Update on Dec. 20: Detailed Info about what a shutdown entails, from the HSDL.
Excellent Recommendations for Recovery from TX
From a TX newspaper: Rebuilding commission calls Hurricane Harvey a “wakeup call” for Texas. A report by the Commission to Rebuild Texas says there is an urgent need to “future-proof” the Gulf Coast.
Direct link to report: Commission To Rebuild Texas Offers Post-Harvey Recommendations To Legislature. Be sure to read at least the 5 page executive summary.
Among the recommendations in the 178-page report, “Eye of the Storm,” based on lessons learned during the response to Hurricane Harvey, the State of Texas should:
• Form an ongoing recovery task force made up of county extension agents as well as staff from appropriate state agencies and nonprofit organizations;
• Predesignate a group of experts ready to assemble immediately for large-scale disasters to help response and early recovery efforts function more efficiently;
• Maintain a single, well-publicized State website for post-disaster information as well as investigate better use of 911, social media and mobile apps to communicate with the public and local officials;
• Develop catastrophic debris management procedures, encouraging local jurisdictions to adopt debris management plans as well as establishing a contracting template to protect against unscrupulous contractors;
• Expand the role of the Texas Department of Transportation in debris removal, a first during Harvey recovery, after future catastrophic storms; and
• Create a case management program at the state level to replace the federal version to speed up the response to individual needs.
Recovery Diva 