As part of a project funded by the California Energy Commission, California Department of Transportation, and the Ocean Protection Council, the Pacific Institute has created a web-accessible map of the California coast showing areas and infrastructure vulnerable to flooding and erosion under current ocean conditions, and those at risk with a 1.4m rise in sea […]
Archive | National
EDUCATION: FEMA Launches New School Program
Posted on April 16, 2009
FEMA has released a new online educational program designed to provide elementary and middle school teachers with resources to integrate natural disaster preparedness information into their curriculum. Ready Classroom (www.discoveryeducation.com/readyclassroom) provides teachers with activities, lesson plans and multimedia tools to teach students how natural disasters develop and how to build their own emergency preparedness plans […]
2009 Hurricane Season Predictions
Posted on April 9, 2009
Expect a near-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, with 12 named storms, including six hurricanes, two of which will be intense (winds reaching Category 3 or greater strength), according to the latest forecast by Colorado State University meteorologists Philip Klotzbach and Bill Gray. They estimate that the probability of a major hurricane landfall in the […]
Funding: NRCS Recovery Act
Posted on April 2, 2009
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced that they will use $340 million from the Federal Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund three floodplain-related programs: Floodplain Easements ($145,000,000) NRCS may purchase easements to help restore, protect, maintain, and enhance the functions of the floodplain; conserve natural values including fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, […]
Florida to Weaken Price-Controls on Property Insurance Rates?
Posted on April 1, 2009
In an attempt to reduce its enormous financial exposure, the Florida Legislature is considering retreating from price controls on property insurance rates that the state promulgated two years ago. According to an article in the Ocala Star-Banner, the new legislation could: Allow the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to raise its rates annually by as […]
New publication: The Importance of Reducing Disaster-Related Losses for Vulnerable Populations
Posted on March 26, 2009
The Institute for Business and Home Safety has released a new 4-page report outlining why certain groups are at higher risks for loss of life an property during natural disasters, and makes some recommendations for how communities can work to protect their most vulnerable citizens (e.g. improved building codes). The Importance of Reducing Disaster-Related Losses […]
New book: Managing for Long-Term Community Recovery in the Aftermath of Disaster
Posted on March 26, 2009
The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) has released a new book which, in their words, is “designed to help local officials and community leaders better understand the issues and challenges in restoring the social, political, and economic elements that make a community viable in the long term after a disaster has occurred.” Managing for Long-Term […]
Town gets ~$11 million in FEMA funds to move utilities underground
Posted on February 16, 2009
FEMA today released a case study outlining how a town secured $1.5 million through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grants Program (HMGP) to convert over 1,200 residential utility services underground. The utility-lines had been repeatedly damaged by storms, and the town recognized that simply repairing them again and again made little sense. (more…)
EPA releases new report on effects of sea level rise on Mid-Atlantic region
Posted on January 29, 2009
The Department of Environmental Protection has released a new publication called Coastal Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region. The lengthy report (784 pages!) covers ecological and economic implications of sea level rise, and while it focuses on the Mid-Atlantic portion of the US coastline (New York to North Carolina), it […]