New Recovery Resources Index Available

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Maintaining  this blog is a lot of work. The blog is unique in that

  • it has been in operation for about 5 years
  • it features almost daily postings; more than 1500 to date
  • it provides book reviews and an index, as a service to readers
  • it focuses on recovery and related matters, which no one else does

Thanks to the efforts of the intrepid Amy Sebring, we now have our third index to articles.  This splendid document, called the Recovery Resources Roundup, provides an annotated index of the most significant postings for the past 5 years. It’s 33 pages provides  listings by topic and an URL and abstract for each item. All the URLs were updated as of this month and the index was reformatted for ease of use.

It’s an indispensable aid for those serious about disaster recovery in that it provides a current supplement to existing texts and traditional resource.  It would be a great resource for a college course on recovery. [It is copyrighted, so please inquire for rights to use.]

A copy can be yours if you make a contribution of $25. or more to this blog, via the DONATE NOW button on the upper right corner of the blog’s homepage. Copies will be sent out promptly via email.

We need your support in order to maintain and improve the blog!

Seismic Risk in NZ May Be Greater Than Thought

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New Zealand’s worst earthquake fear confirmed by sediment survey.

New Zealand’s worst earthquake fears might be a real possibility. The first geological evidence of a huge megathrust earthquake crossing fault boundaries there is giving credence to worst case scenarios of a potential magnitude 8.9 quake.

More about this study is on the website of the NZ GNS.

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Thanks to Franklin McDonald for the citation to the article and to  Ian McLean for the NZ organizational link.

Mental Health Needs Post Quakes in Nepal

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It is quite predictable that the two big earthquakes that were a catastrophe for Nepal caused not only deaths, injuries, and huge property damage, but left a large wake of mental health needs. And note that both victims and responders needed help.

The Nepal earthquakes have unleashed a mental health disaster
“There’s a less visible tragedy going on in Nepal: the unravelling trauma of the survivors and aid workers, which will continue long after the media has left.”

“Science-Based Response Lacking in Chemical Disasters”

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See this new report from Purdue University: Studies: Science-based response lacking in chemical disasters. Three new studies suggest that when communities are hit with disasters that contaminate drinking water the official decision-making and response often lack scientific basis. Some details:

The result has been an inability to fully anticipate public health risks and effectively rid plumbing systems of contaminants, sometimes exposing residents to toxic chemicals, said Andrew Whelton, an assistant professor in Purdue University’s Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering and Lyles School of Civil Engineering.

Since 2014 more than 1.5 million people across the nation have received drinking water tainted with crude oil, diesel fuel, algal toxins and coal-washing chemicals.

“Numerous contamination incidents have been caused by chemical spills from storage tank ruptures, pipeline breaks, rail car and truck accidents, as well as algal blooms,” Whelton said.

His team has been examining recent disasters in which tainted drinking water was distributed to homes. The goal is to develop techniques and tools to help communities respond more effectively, said Whelton, who will discuss some of the results of three studies on Wednesday (May 13) during the American Water Works Association Central District spring meeting in Danville, Indiana.

Some of the drinking water catastrophes studied were a January 2014 chemical spill in West Virginia; an August 2014 toxic algal bloom in Western Lake Erie; a December 2014 accident involving a petroleum-based solvent in Washington, D.C.; a January 2015 crude oil pipeline accident in Glendive, Montana; and an April 2015 diesel spill in Nibley City, Utah

Reforming US Disaster Policy to Prepare for a Riskier Future

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I just came across a paper titled Bracing for the Storm; How to Reform U.S. Disaster Policy to Prepare for a Riskier Future.  It does not list the authors and it does not say anything about the sponsoring organization, SmarterSafer.org. So, I  checked on the organization, and it an interesting amalgamation of many serious environmental and professional organizations.

It is an interesting, crisply written document of 21 pages that would useful to newcomers to the field. My reaction was sadness: I have heard most of the points made for almost 4 decades.  Promoting mitigation and encouraging reform to the NFIP are just two of the long-term issues that do not get repaired, decade after decade.

I welcome comments and indications that we are making progress.