From the WashPost: Morocco’s reluctance to accept quake aid baffles foreign governments.

From CNN: Some workers who rebuild homes after hurricanes are afraid to go to Florida. They blame a law DeSantis championed

From the Wash Post: Why we all need to think like Floridians now.

“Florida was developed under the assumption that canals, pumps and clever engineering could turn swamps and sandbars into cities, reversing the state’s geological history. For decades, those tools mostly worked.

But recent storms and floods are highlighting Florida’s tenuous status as dry land. We’re entering a more extreme climate regime, Hurricane Idalia’s record-breaking storm surges and roaring winds remind us. It’s one that could overwhelm even a state used to the onslaught.”

From the WashPost: These five cities could be one natural disaster away from a catastrophic water crisis. Sept. 2, 2023.

From the WashPost: Maui’s neglected grasslands caused Lahaina fire to grow with deadly speed. Visual analysis retraces how the grasslands blazed. Landowners and the government have done little to address the well-known problem.

“A Washington Post investigation found that the inferno that burned Lahaina town to the ground began on a fallow, unmanaged plot of land on a hill north of downtown, and the geographic spread and density of the nonnative grasses were key elements to creating a fast-moving, uncontrollable fire.”

From the WashPost: Biden seeks $16 billion in disaster aid as Idalia, wildfires deplete federal funds.The new request is $4 billion more than the White House initially sought, as the government grapples with a raft of expensive, deadly natural disasters

From the Congressional Research Service, this report on Building Codes, Standards, and Regulations: Frequently Asked Questions. (55 pp)

(1) From CNN: FEMA announces $3 billion for climate resiliency as time runs low for Congress to replenish its disaster fund. “In a record-breaking year of disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is announcing nearly $3 billion Monday for communities to build resiliency against climate change-fueled extreme weather.

The new money, which will come from Congress’s bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year, is being announced just as the agency is running out of disaster-relief funds and a dangerous hurricane is bearing down on Florida. FEMA needs Congress to approve additional spending when it’s back in session to prevent the agency from falling into the red.”

(2) From Inside Climate News: As Hurricane Idalia Churns Toward Florida, Efforts to Refill Federal Disaster Aid Stall. “The spate of summer disasters has highlighted another potentially looming crisis in the U.S. The federal Disaster Relief Fund, which allocates billions of dollars to help communities recover after a major disaster, is set to run out of money this fall if Congress can’t come to an agreement on how to replenish it. Last month, officials warned that the fund could reach a $4.2 billion deficit just as both the hurricane and wildfire seasons reach their peak activity, potentially delaying and jeopardizing recovery efforts for Americans around the nation.”

(3) From Politico: FEMA forced to restrict disaster spending because of low funds.
From now on, the money will be used only for “critical response efforts” and not rebuilding. August 31.

From FEMA: Guidance on Extreme Temperatures for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Leaders. Extreme Temperatures Are Adversely Affecting People’s Lives

FROM HSToday: DHS Offers Community Leaders New Resources to Prepare for Extreme Temperature Events as 17 States Experience Record Breaking Heat.
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Here some details about the many hot spots in the U.S. presently: From CNN: The 77 places where extreme heat will break or tie records through Monday
August 28.

From the Wash Post: As fires and floods rage, Facebook and Twitter are missing in action Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have decided they don’t need the news industry. That’s causing problems when natural disasters strike.

From the Wash Post: As the Maui fires raged, senior victims had to fend for themselves.“State and local leaders and emergency officials must be better equipped and prepared to ensure that older adults are kept safe and their needs are met when a disaster strikes,” she said.

From the NY Times: Maui Officials Blame Utility for Allowing Deadly Fire to Start. In a new lawsuit, Maui County said Hawaiian Electric acted negligently by failing to disconnect power lines that were at risk of toppling in high winds.