Article re Need for Bigger Role for Private Sector.

An article in Nextgov citing a new DHS IG report: Shoddy IT Is Limiting FEMA’s Ability to Respond to Disasters, IG Says.”Some of the outstanding recommendations go back to 2005, just after Hurricane Katrina.”

The Diva could not find the URL for the full DHS IG report, but here is a link to Congressional testimony (11 pp) by the IG office.This is a hard-hitting report, which is worth reading in full. [Please let me know if you find a link to the report.]

In that testimony is a reference to this earlier, related report, issued by the IG in March 2018. See: Management Alert – Inadequate FEMA Progress in Addressing Open Recommendations from our 2015 Report, “FEMA Faces Challenges in Managing Information Technology” (OIG-16-10)

A personal note:  Reading this report makes me sympathetic to FEMA Administrator Brock Long and the many well-intentioned staff.  But clearly some remedial actions are needed.

Just a reminder to visit the Diva’s other website for information on faith-based organizations and disasters.  Go to  www.disastersandfaith.wordpress.

New Model Predicts Landslides Caused by Earthquakes.

Landslides are the third-largest contributor to earthquake deaths, after building collapse and tsunamis. From 2004 to 2010, earthquake-induced landslides caused an estimated 47,000 deaths. Researchers have developed a model which can help experts address such risks by estimating the likelihood of landslides that will be caused by earthquakes anywhere in the world.

The Pew Charitable Trusts will stream its event What Do States Spend on Natural Disasters? on July 25, 2018, 9:00-10:30 a.m. EDT. Government spending on natural disasters is on the rise, with FEMA’s public assistance program recording eight of its most expensive years from 2007 to 2016. While federal policymakers are considering ways to control rising costs, they are doing so without comprehensive data on the contributions made by state governments. To help inform federal efforts, Pew is hosting this discussion about how comprehensive tracking of state expenditures could help all levels of government more effectively manage the growth in natural disaster spending. Register for the webcast here.

Update: The Diva tuned into the webcast on July 25th. The webcast is available here. 

As of August 30th, some additional details re the webinar.

From Wired: How Artificial Intelligence Could Prevent Natural Disasters.

Note that the Wall St Journal on 7/20 also had a story on this topic, but it requires a subscription in order to read the full article.

Emergency Managers Ask Congress to Invest in Mitigation. Resilience projects could cut the costs of future disasters at a time when FEMA wants state and local governments to pitch in more during response.

Thanks to Peg Blechman for the citation.