Aftermath of H. Harvey – one year later

Posted on August 24, 2018 by recoverydiva

From the Wash. Post: The ‘Harvey Homeless’. An excerpt:

Recovery here has, in fact, been monumentally slow, a draining slog that is due in part to the magnitude of the historic storm’s 60 inches of rain — thought to be one of the largest rainfalls in U.S. history — and because nearly 80 percent of households affected by Harvey did not have flood insurance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Affordable-housing advocates call Harvey one of the largest housing disasters in American history, next to only Hurricane Katrina, which overwhelmed New Orleans in 2005.

Hawaii Awaits Hurricane Lane

Posted on August 23, 2018 by recoverydiva

From CNN: Hurricane Lane is the biggest weather threat to Hawaii in decades.

The Diva noted that in the relatively small amount of news coverage of the pending hurricane yesterday (in the Washington, DC area) one of the local Hawaiian officials who was urging citizen preparedness said “We do not want to be another Puerto Rico.”

Excerpt from article in HuffPost:

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Gov. David Ige told residents to prepare to shelter in place with enough food and supplies to last 14 days.

The Diva does not recall ever seeing officials recommend such a long time period. For more details on that matter, see the blog posting by Eric Holdeman.

Update: From Fox news, it appears that extraordinary preparations have been made. FEMA is trying hard.

On 8/24, this update from the Weather Channel.

Also on 8/24, more than 30 inches of rain have fallen on Hawaii.

Disaster Aid Increases Inequality

Posted on August 21, 2018 by recoverydiva

From ScienceDaily: Natural disasters widen racial wealth gap. Study also finds FEMA aid increased inequality. Damage caused by natural disasters and recovery efforts launched in their aftermaths have increased wealth inequality between races in the United States, according to new research.

Useful Backgrounder on U.S. Disaster Relief

Posted on August 20, 2018 by recoverydiva

From the Council on Foreign Relations, this useful backgrounder: U.S. Disaster Relief at Home and Abroad. The U.S. government responds to scores of disasters each year, coordinating closely with state, local, and foreign partners. However, more frequent and severe storms, fires, and floods are straining resources.
The Diva likes the charts in this article.

Reprieve for Chemical Safety Board

Posted on August 19, 2018 by recoverydiva

According to the Guardian, on August 18 : Blow for EPA as court blocks bid to slacken safety rules for chemical plants. ‘Capricious’ EPA forbidden from delaying the enforcement of chemical safety rule drawn up by Obama administration.

Protecting Immigrant Children

Posted on August 17, 2018 by recoverydiva

This is outside the usual scope of this blog, but it is an important report on yet another failure of DHS. See: Protecting Unacommpanied Alien Children from Trafficking and Abuse.“Thousands of children enter the U.S. annually unaccompanied by family or relatives. These children are taken into custody and placed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) pending immigration procedures.”

On the heels of concern regarding family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the ongoing effort to reunify these families, comes this Staff Report from the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: ‘Protecting Unaccompanied Alien Children from Trafficking and Other Abuses: The Role of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.’

This report addresses concerns that the HHS has not adequately performed its duties in ensuring the appropriate and safe placement of unaccompanied alien children (UACs). The Subcommittee investigation concluded that HHS “policies and procedures are inadequate to protect the children in the agency’s care,” in particular to protect them from human trafficking and abuse.

Two Useful Articles from Disaster Recovery Journal

Posted on August 17, 2018 by recoverydiva

In the current issue of Disaster Recovery Journal (subscriptions are free), see these two articles:

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FEMA Flood Plan Criticized

Posted on August 16, 2018 by recoverydiva

From the NYTimes: This Is Not the Way to Stop Homes From Flooding. “The federal government is considering a plan that could cost taxpayers more money and encourage land speculation without addressing the problem.”

Criticism of FEMA plan for Houston, TX.

Heat is the New Threat

Posted on August 15, 2018 by recoverydiva

From The Guardian: ‘It can’t get much hotter … can it?’ How heat became a national US problem. Heat now kills more Americans than floods, hurricanes or other natural disasters – but cities are facing it almost entirely alone

Heat already kills more Americans than floods, hurricanes or other ecological disasters. That puts sweltering cities like Phoenix – where flights were cancelled last year because it was simply too hot – under growing pressure. But heat is rapidly becoming a national problem.

Recent research suggests warming conditions are leading to suicides, as rising nighttime temperatures deprive Americans of sleep and respite from scorching days. A new study, released last week, predicts that a warming climate will drive thousands to emergency rooms for heat illness. The very hottest days experienced in the US could be a further 15F warmer this century if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t curbed.

New Report on General Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Recovery

Posted on August 14, 2018 by recoverydiva

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Disaster Recovery. This 32 page report was prepared by several major international organizations.

It is often assumed that all members of a population experience the impact of disasters in the same way. However, natural disasters are not neutral: They affect women, men, girls, and boys differently due to gender inequalities caused by socioeconomic conditions, cultural beliefs, and traditional practices which have repeatedly put females at a disadvantage. “Gender” refers to the socio-cultural roles, norms, and values associated with being a man or a woman. These roles, norms, and values determine how women and men prepare for, react to, and recover from disasters, and they often cause unequal distribution of power, economic opportunities, and sense of agency.

Recovery Diva

Long-Term Recovery from Disasters