New report from CRS titled Federal Disaster Assistance Response and Recovery Programs: Brief Summaries. An 18 page overview of the key federal programs available.

Update: some folks from the Natural Hazards Mitigation Association and the American Planning Association have noted some deficiencies in this report.

From Jim Schwab at the APA:  “*** I would like to note, for those who have not used it previously, that as part of our Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery: Next Generation project for FEMA, APA constructed its own online compilation of disaster assistance programs at: https://www.planning.org/research/postdisaster/programs.htm

See this posting: http://disastersandfaith.wordpress.

com/2015/07/24/reaching-out-to-houses-of-worship/

The Diva just returned from attending this conference, where she gave a keynote address.  Details about the conference agenda are here. I expect there will be some summaries and perhaps some details about presentations delivered in the coming weeks.

The Diva has the text of her talk, as well as a slide set from her presentation, but they need to be revised and posted somewhere. And a video cast may be available of the talk.  Details will come at a later date.

In recent years, natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy, have forced many people to vacate their homes and seek safe haven inside of hospitals, but last winter a Consumer Reports study showed that hospitals are vulnerable to flooding, lacking innovation with generators, and pose safety concerns in the event of natural disaster.

See the infographic from the Safety and Emergency Management program at Eastern Kentucky University at Imaging Economics Online that highlights hospitals in terms of disaster preparation titled Natural Disasters and Hospital Safety.

 The infographic showcases the top five at risk states, including New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Alabama, and the estimated property damage to look at what demographics need to think most about their safety and the quality of their hospitals during an emergency. The infographic highlights hospitals key safety concerns and uses Hurricane Sandy as a case study. For instance, 89% of hospitals in New York were declared disaster areas during Hurricane Sandy, and the infographic analyzes how they held.

Thanks to Joseph Lapin, Creative Director, Circa Interactive, for the for the link. Anyone wanting more info should contact the faculty at EKU at the website noted above.

Why can’t DHS do more than one thing at a time? The arguments from Republican lawmakers seem ridiculous to me!

Republicans assail DHS officials for focusing on climate change
House Republicans lambasted the Obama administration Wednesday for making climate change a high priority at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Some excerpts:

The GOP argued at a hearing that the emphasis comes at the expense of other, more important, activities at DHS, and puts the country at greater risk from terrorists, including the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The hearing of the Homeland Security Committee’s oversight subcommittee focused mostly on last year’s Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, which said climate change and its effects “present major areas of homeland security risk.”

“I am shocked that the department continues to make climate change a top, top priority,” said subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.), citing the risks from terrorist groups, cyberattacks, incompetent airport screeners and other threats.