Natural Disasters Threaten Power Grid

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After reading Ted Koppel’s book, Lights Out, and related articles about how vulnerable the power grids in the U.S. are to terrorist attacks, it is clear to me that we should not lose sight of the fact that natural disasters have the potential to do major damage.

See: Extreme weather increasingly threatening U.S. power grid

Power outages related to weather take out between $18 billion to $33 billion from the nation’s economy. Analysis of industry data found that these storms are a growing threat to, and the leading cause of outages in, the U.S. electric grid. The past decade saw power outages related to bad weather increase, which means that power companies must find a way address this problem.

Unfortunately, if you want to see the full text of the journal article cited, you have to pay for it.

Man-Made Earthquakes in OK

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The Diva has read several accounts of the recent spate of earthquakes occurring in OK.  It seems that state officials have finally taken some action. See: Oklahoma oil, gas regulators order changes after earthquakes

She recently saw a TV account of the matter, including the resignation of the state geologist.  Apparently there are many facets to the causes and science of these earthquakes, and it would be useful to hear from readers closer to the situation.

Here is another recent clipping about the matter, noting that there were 12 earthquakes in one week!

Contemplating Flood Mitigation in MO

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Flooding in Missouri Raises Vexing Questions

” *** many people in this part of the Mississippi River basin near St. Louis have come to accept that flooding is a part of life. But the damage this time has been so severe and the river levels so high that vexing questions have again been raised about whether anything can be done to truly ease the threat of the volatile and unpredictable rivers around here.”

Can greater defenses be erected? Should homes be vaulted on stilts? Or is it time for some communities to pack up and leave?

Update on Jan. 4: See this account of Human Causes of MO Flooding.

History As Model for Rebuilding War-torn Countries

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Interesting example of how the history of rebuilding of German after WWII is serving as a model for Syrians. See: German Museums Are Helping to Battle Refugees’ Culture Shock

“When the Syrian refugees visiting the German historic museum saw how badly this now-flourishing country was destroyed after World War II it gave them hope for their own country,” said Zoya Masoud, a 28-year-old architect from Latakia, Syria, who came to Germany four years ago and now works as one of the guides.

 

Increase in Disaster Deaths in 2015

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From Bloomberg News: Deaths From Disasters Double This Year as Planet Heats Up

At least 26,000 people died in heat waves, earthquakes, floods and other disasters during a year that was probably the warmest on record, more than double the number of deaths in 2014, Swiss Re AG said in an annual report.

Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters cost the world economy $85 billion, falling from $113 billion in 2014, according to preliminary figures from the company’s research unit. Insured losses dropped to $32 billion from $35 billion in 2014.

The article mentioned Swiss Re as the source of these data, and the Diva thinks this is the report discussed.

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