Some News from Down Under re Earthquake Planning

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Blog reader John Coleman in NZ wrote:

“I am currently working on emergency plans for the health system of the West Coast of the South Island. My personal thinking was that the entire population could be cut odd from all land access for many months and it is heartening to see tht his study suggests that there may be one road which could remain open. It follows the Buller Gorge and is the really long way around. URL for more info.

In addition we have recently had a series of presentations from the researchers at GNS and several universities. * * * The full package is about 14MB, so those who want the full details of the  video presentations please contact John directly at the location noted below.

We also have video recordings of the talks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfj8MIAxec4 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbPowv4yqzU&feature=youtu.be 
In 2013, Dr Robinson developed a scenario for a South Island Civil Defence exercise based on a major earthquake on the South Island fault and we have found the casualty estimates informative.

While all of this focusses on the South Island fault, the way things are looking in Christchurch, that big fault sould rupture before we have fully recovered from out local ones. I note that the temporary container mall in Christchurch could now be around a lot longer.  We do have a fondness for temporary things.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/67962367/restart-mall-in-christchurch-may-stay-another-10-years

The shaking intensity may be similar, but the duration could be several times longer. No-one has tried to predict the effects of that yet.

For more information about John’s organization, go to this web site: http://www.cdhb.health.nz

New CRS Report on FEMA’s Public Assistance Program

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The Congressional Research Service recently released this report of FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program: CRS-FEMA-PA.  The download is 64 pages.

This report provides a great deal of descriptive detail about the program, including the changes needed to comply with the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act. It is longer than most CRS reports. It should be a useful resource for those responsible for disaster response and recovery after a Presidential disaster declaration.

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Smartphones Could Be Useful for Earthquake Alerts

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Smartphones could become crowdsourced earthquake detectors

Scientists have found that just a few seconds of warning before an earthquake hits can make a big difference. People have time to get to a safer location, surgeries can be stopped and other protections can be implemented. While early warning systems exist, many areas prone to earthquakes don’t have them because the technology is still very expensive.

A group of researchers that has been working on the West Coast’s $145 million ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system, which uses both GPS and seismometers, has come up with a solution that uses technology many of us already have in our pocket to deliver early earthquake warnings to areas that can’t afford expensive systems.

Thanks to Franklin McDonald for the citation.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – 5 years later

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Some recent takes on the aftermath of the BP Oil spill:

From the Economist magazine, their account of what has been learned in the past five years.

From the Huffington Post: Deepwater Disaster: Five Years On

Five years after the BP blowout that killed 11 workers and dumped millions of barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration has proposed exposing Atlantic and Arctic waters to the risk of a similar disaster. Under a proposal by the Obama administration, oil and gas activity could begin in those waters as early as 2017. That would take us in exactly the wrong direction, exposing these waters to the risk of a catastrophic spill, expanding an inherently hazardous industrial operation at sea and locking the next generation into mountains more of the dangerous carbon pollution that’s driving climate change. It’s time to turn this ship around — before it’s too late.

And from Bloomberg: The BP oil spill cleanup isn’t a disaster.

A more dispassionate account of the spill’s legacy would emphasize several contrasting but not contradictory realities. Independent investigations and court rulings have blamed the intertwined negligence of BP and its contractors, Transocean and Halliburton, for the debacle, which killed 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon rig. A federal judge found that the spill released 3.19 million barrels of crude. The corporate actors—chiefly BP, the majority owner of Macondo—deserved condemnation and got it. Yet as bad as the environmental and economic damage

From CNN: What We Still Do not Know About the BP Oil Spill.

Survey re Messages to People with Disabilities

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Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy is conducting an important survey on Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) designed to gauge the accessibility and usefulness of the messages. The number one goal of this survey is to “ensure the same timely and effective access to alerts and warnings for people with disabilities.” Please take a moment to participate in this survey and use your input to improve accessibility during emergencies. For full details and instructions on the survey, review the official announcement below.

Take the 2015 Wireless Emergency Alert Survey! Wireless Emergency Alerts can be received on cell phones across the country. These alerts are automatic, provide AMBER alerts, and weather emergency notifications. Unlike text alerts you may receive from your city, county, or institution, you do not have to sign-up to receive WEA messages.
Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy is interested in your level of awareness of WEA messages. This survey will also help us understand how accessible and useful you think they are. Your responses will be used to craft recommendations for improving the system that sends WEA messages and the mobile/cell phones that receive WEA messages. This research is being funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate.

As an incentive for taking our 2015 WEA survey you will have a chance to win one of two $100 Amazon gift cards! If you wish to take the survey over the phone, please email Salimah LaForce or call her at 404-894-8297.

Effects of Disasters on Corporations

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From Fortune magazine:  How much do natural disasters really cost corporate America?  Sales growth of supplier firms directly hit by a natural disaster drops by around five percentage points, according to a study. Some details:

So the key question is: When a shock — like a natural disaster or financial crisis — hits a supplier, what really happens to the firms in that network? Is there a spillover effects? To address this issues, we studied the transmission of shock caused by natural disasters in the past 30 years in the U.S. within the supply chain of publicly traded firms. We analyzed a sample of 2000 large corporations and 4000 of their suppliers.

Updates on Earthquake Actions in NZ

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As many readers know, the Diva has been tracking the progress of the city of Christchurch, NZ after the two major earthquake a few years ago because it is a useful example of the reconstruction and recovery of a central business district.

Thanks to one of my Kiwi friends, Ian McLean, here are  some recent articles about earthquake matters in NZ:

Wellington Business Owners Get a Sticker Shake Up.

Earthquake-Prone Buildings List.

Earthquake Strengthening Help a Moral Duty.

Quake Insurers Could Face Legal Action

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