From the GAO: COVID-19 Relief Funds: State Experiences Could Inform Future Federal Relief Funding

From HSNews: Record Number of 25 Billion Dollar Disasters in 2023 So Far.

NOAA confirmed another billion-dollar disaster in October, bringing the total to a record 25 disasters in the first 10 months — the largest number of disasters for any year since NOAA has kept track of these types of events. The Mississippi River’s water level dropped to historic lows along parts of the river.

From The Conversation: How the pandemic permanently altered college towns

From the Conversation: Acapulco was built to withstand earthquakes, but not Hurricane Otis’ destructive winds – how building codes failed this resort city.

From HSToday: FEMA Announces $2 billion in Funding to Boost Climate Resilience Nationwide

From the NY Times, this Opinion Piece: The American Disaster Recovery System is a Disaster.

Your comments are invited.

From Issues: What Ukraine Can Teach the World About Resilience and Civil Engineering

Bringing sociology into civil engineering helps explain how Ukraine’s social and physical systems work together to keep the lights on amid constant attacks.

From the WashPost: How Hurricane Otis stunned forecasters with its leap to a Category 5.  Forecasters didn’t even anticipate Otis would become a hurricane. Then it broke all-time records.

From CNN: Hurricane Otis’ Category 5 ‘nightmare scenario’ knocks out all communications in Acapulco, Mexico.

From HSToday: NOAA: 2023 Worst Year on Record for Billion-Dollar Disasters.

According to NOAA, the U.S. experienced 23 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the first eight months of 2023 — the largest number since records began.

From the NYTimes: Falsehoods Follow Close Behind This Summer’s Natural Disasters “Misattributed videos, recycled lies and warped fears are fueling unfounded claims about the recent record-breaking heat, floods and wildfires.”