One area of serious concern is the loss of taxable properties from local taxable property lists.  Just when the localities need money the most for the many extra tasks and needs, the bases of their revenues are reduced. Here are two articles re the Post-Sandy effects in NJ:

League of Municipalities seminar tackles loss of ratables from economy, Hurricane Sandy . Some excerpts:

Municipalities across the state watched as a sour economy coupled with a foreclosure crisis ate away at real estate values during the past several years, undermining the most significant source of revenue for towns: property taxes.
Then Hurricane Sandy hit, striking another blow to the housing market.

“There is some grim news here,” said Thomas Reilly, the assistant director of property administration for the state Division of Taxation, before starting a presentation to local officials today. “People aren’t building homes. Builders aren’t building. People don’t have jobs. That’s what’s largely affecting us.”

Hurricane Sandy deals big blow to N.J. towns’ property tax rolls

Hurricane Sandy has dealt a vicious blow to tax bases in Ocean and Monmouth counties, reducing overall property values by more than $5 billion and robbing local governments and schools of about $77 million in potential revenue, preliminary figures show.

Here is a way to start your search for recovery resources on the Internet, thanks to guest blogger Sasha Azar, who is a Master’s Candidate at Georgetown University and a Research Assistant on this blog.

When looking for news about long-term disaster recovery (LTDR) beyond what is included in textbooks and other similar materials, the first place I go to (assuming other students do this as well) is to my dearest friend, Google. This approach may not be the most academically sound, however, it helps orient me in the right direction and allows me to explore the various forms of supplemental information that are available on the web. In this field, one of the best ways to establish effective LTDR for future disasters is to study the LTDR efforts of past disasters.

My first Google find, Lessons in Community Recovery, is a report produced by FEMA that provides 11 detailed case studies of community recovery efforts in the United States. Case studies are fantastic resources for understanding the complexities of LTDR, especially when provided through an official report such as this one compiled by an agency like FEMA.

Blogs are also useful supplemental web resources for studying LTDR. The Recovery Diva herself called my attention to the Homeland Security Digital Library, an excellent resource that boasts an extensive collection of materials related to homeland security, emergency management, and disaster recovery, as well as an exhaustive list of 85 recommended blogs. Below are three of the best blogs found that relate to LTDR and why:

The official FEMA blog – with FEMA regarded as the lead U.S. federal agency in disaster response and recovery, it is important utilize its blog as an additional tool in exploring and understanding LTDR. The “search” function of the blog is incredibly useful in narrowing down blog posts to a particular topic of interest, (a search for “long term recovery” yielded over 50 results!) Posts include information about FEMA’s role in LTDR, the role of voluntary agencies, and international LTDR.

· Long Term Community Recovery From Disasters – a blog hosted on BlogSpot. Although the information is a bit dated and the author is anonymous, the content of this blog really delves into the details of how specific communities are taking steps towards long-term recovery. Recent posts examine post-Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, advancements in flood recovery in Schuylkill County, PA and West Pittston, PA, and the creation of a long-term recovery committee in Wilmington, NC.

The American Planning Association (APA) blog – the APA blog on recovery news covers a wide array of cities, states, and countries, and includes information on technological advancements that are aimed at improving recovery efforts. Recent posts include information about Google’s relief areas map for The Philippines, risk-based planning out of New Zealand, and reducing long-term risk in New York after Hurricane Sandy by utilizing creative designs.

In addition to blogs, online journals and magazines also serve as excellent auxiliary resources. Though some require subscriptions, many provide valuable information and news posts directly on the websites. Emergency Management Magazine is teeming with information about current international disaster events, improvements in disaster technology and policy, and the future of disaster recovery. In addition to this wealth of information, the magazine hosts 12 emergency management-related blogs on its website. The subject matters of these blogs can range from disaster communication to homeland security, with each blog containing posts that explore LTDR in each respective context.

Many organizations involved in disaster management and recovery also provide helpful complementary resources for academic study. In particular, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) has an extensive online resource center that includes access to its document library, news and media information, and recovery toolkits. One of the texts found in the document library is National VOAD’s Long Term Recovery Guide, a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted issues that must be addressed during LTDR, such as volunteer management and donations management. This guide serves as a resource for those in the field as well as those endeavoring to be a part of it, and includes useful appendices such as sample documents counties and states can replicate, the different types of federal aid available for recovery, and the most common acronyms used by people in the field.

Whether it be online reports, blogs, magazines, or guides, the helpfulness and growth of disaster recovery information on the web is remarkable and seemingly endless.

Continuting with the theme of deeper and harder analyses, see these two interesting articles from the Washington Post Sunday edition:

• When Disasters Transform Politics
• Let’s Help the Philippines – just not like Haiti

One more – from NPR a discussion of aid and relief in the Philippines. See
In the Philippines, relief effort struggles to meet the need

From the Homeland Security Digital Library, see this listing of information resources:

Thanks for mentioning the RecoveryDiva blog!

Related articles

• Reference: Typhoon Haiyan Resources (infodocket.com)
• These Photos Will Help You Grasp the Devastation of Typhoon Haiyan (gawker.com)

According to the November 14 update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs  (8 pp.), the consequences of Hurricane Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Central Philippines include:

• Over 921,000 displaced people

• Based on initial data, 243,595 houses are damaged (131,106 are totally destroyed
  and 112,489 partially damaged).

• Damaged water systems are causing limited or no water supply in affected areas. 239 municipalities do not have electricity as of 13 November. Water systems in these areas may not be fully operational as they often rely on power to pump water.

• A total of 2.5 million people are in need of food assistance. As of 17:00 on 13 November, 9,804 family food packs for 49,020 people were distributed.

________________________

Source: HLSWatch, Nov. 15th

At-risk groups amongst the displaced in evacuation centers include an estimated
112,000 children aged between 0 to 59 months and 70,000 pregnant and lactating
women who urgently require nutrition assistance.

Main roads are clogged with debris, cutting off remote areas and markets away from the population centres. There are increasing reports of fuel shortages.

Here is the homepage for the study and several related products.  There is a lot of interesting data in their report.

From the HS Newswire: Scientists: we should prepare for hell and high water. There are some interesting recommendations in the article about what research topics should be pursued. From the lead paragraph:

An international team of climate and social scientists say a new approach to climate preparedness is essential to help people adjust to coming changes. As climate-driven changes get more pronounced, people everywhere will have to adjust. In this week’s issue of the journal Science, an international group of researchers urge the development of science needed to manage climate risks and capitalize on unexpected opportunities.

Some additional details about their recommendations:

“The need to adapt and adjust is going to be global,” said Moss. “We need a flexible, integrated approach that merges theoretical and problem-oriented sciences around four general challenges.” The four challenges are:

• Understanding what information is needed to make decisions about adapting to climate change

• Identifying vulnerabilities in society, the economy and the environment

• Improving forecasts and climate models in ways that can address specific problems

• Providing technology, management, and policy options for adapting

As an example of how practical and basic research can work together, Moss described work in the United States involving water utilities, university scientists, and private firms to pilot use of climate models and water utility modeling to design resilient water systems.