Recovery

U.S FEMA to improve disaster relief program to speed help for disaster victims

Mon, 2024-01-22 09:21 — mike kraft

FEMA to overhaul its disaster aid system after decades of criticism

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The agency announced on Friday that it will fundamentally overhaul the way it delivers aid to survivors, launching new programs to provide quick cash payments to those in need and eliminating much of the bureaucracy that hampers aid access.

“This is really a transformational, deeply impactful, meaningful, and historic change in our provision of individual assistance to survivors of natural disasters,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA. “For too long, in the face of too many natural disasters and extreme weather events, survivors have had to overcome many barriers to access to federal assistance.”

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U.S. Government watchdog agency identifies fraud problems in homeowner disaster recovery grant programs

Mon, 2023-08-28 10:37 — mike kraft

GAO Finds Disaster Recovery Grants for Homeowners are Subject to Fraud - HS Today GAO says the decentralized environment in which HUD's disaster block grants operate creates vulnerabilities to different types of fraud. GAO says the decentralized environment in which HUD's disaster block grants operate creates vulnerabilities to different types of fraud. Kylie Bielby Hstoday

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FEMA Allocates over $1 billion to Mitigate Future Disaster Hazards in Puerto Rico

Mon, 2022-11-28 11:22 — mike kraft

Over $1 Billion in FEMA Funds to Mitigate Future Disaster Hazards in Puerto Rico - HS Today To date, over 6,300 projects to rebuild public buildings, roads and other spaces in the communities have benefited from mitigation funds. Homeland Security Today Hstoday

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Country by country, scientists are charting a possible end to the COVID-19 pandemic

Wed, 2021-11-03 09:45 — mike kraft

Analysis: Country by country, scientists eye beginning of an end to the COVID-19 pandemic As the devastating Delta variant surge eases in many regions of the world, scientists are charting when, and where, COVID-19 will transition to an endemic disease in 2022 and beyond, according to Reuters interviews with over a dozen leading disease experts. Julie Steenhuysen Reuters

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Rigorous wildlife disease surveillence needed

Fri, 2020-07-10 19:55 — mike kraft

Rigorous wildlife disease surveillance Evidence suggests that zoonotic (animal origin) coronaviruses have caused three recent emerging infectious disease (EID) outbreaks: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In the search for an intermediate host for SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19), studies have identified SARS-CoV-2–like strains in bats ([ 1 ][1]) and pangolins ([ 2 ][2]), but these do not contain the same polybasic cleavage site that is present in SARS-CoV-2 ([ 3 ][3]).

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Rethinking Disaster Recovery After A California Town Is Leveled By Wildfire

Wed, 2019-05-29 18:43 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Buildings near a Safeway supermarket were destroyed in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 8 as seen in footage taken on May 22. The Camp Fire destroyed nearly 19,000 structures and claimed 85 lives. Ellie McCutcheon for NPR

npr.org - by Kirk Siegler - May 29, 2019

. . . Current federal aid is emblematic of a bigger problem in the way we respond to natural disasters: Disaster strikes, emergency help is deployed, checks are cut, communities are rebuilt — even in high-risk places. Many say that reactive response has to change. Staying the current course will bankrupt the federal Treasury. Communities need to build — and rebuild — smarter. "Communities need to be aware of those risks when doing community planning and not build in very high hazard areas" . . .

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CLICK HERE - FEMA - Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 Transforms Field of Emergency Management

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Impasse Over Aid for Puerto Rico Stalls Billions in Federal Disaster Relief

Thu, 2019-04-04 19:20 — Kathy Gilbeaux

A damaged home in Puerto Rico in September, a year after Hurricane Maria hit. Credit Carlos Barria/Reuters

nytimes.com - by Emily Cochrane - April 1, 2019

The Senate on Monday blocked billions of dollars in disaster aid for states across the country as Republicans and Democrats clashed over President Trump’s opposition to sending more food and infrastructure help to Puerto Rico.

Opposition came from both parties for different reasons . . .

. . . It was unclear late Monday how lawmakers would overcome that impasse and end the delay in disbursing the disaster aid.

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ALSO SEE RELATED ARTICLES WITHIN THE LINK BELOW . . .

CLICK HERE - Billions Of Dollars In Disaster Aid Stuck In Congress, As Both Parties Balk At Relief Legislation

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Mental Health was Hurricane Harvey’s Greatest Toll, First of its Kind Registry Finds

Wed, 2019-02-27 06:10 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Harris County Public Health Martha Marquez, from left, Mac McClendon and Dr. Umair A. Shah, talk with Hurricane Harvey victim Juan Cazares in the Aldine community Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in Houston. The assessments of became part of a recently released report. Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Hurricane Harvey Registry - Initial Report - February 2019 (20 page .PDF report)

houstonchronicle.com - by Todd Ackerman - February 21, 2019

Hurricane Harvey’s greatest lingering toll was on Houstonians’ mental health, according to initial findings from a first-of-its-kind registry that surveyed people about the 2017 storm’s impact on their lives.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents to the registry, modeled on the one created in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, reported intrusive or unintended thoughts about the hurricane and its resulting flooding. That was a higher rate than physical symptoms reported by respondents.

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Puerto Rico Plans Stop Short of the Grid of the Future

Mon, 2019-02-11 17:45 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Photo by Fluor Corporation, Public Domain

CLICK HERE - PREPA’s draft 2019 Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) (310 page .PDF document)

pv-magazine-usa.com - by Christian Roselund - February 7, 2019

PREPA’s draft IRP calls for rapid deployment of solar and batteries, including the installation of as much battery storage as is currently online in the entire United States over the next four years, in a system broken up into “minigrids”. However, it stops short of utilizing behind-the-meter PV and storage . . .

. . . PREPA’s final IRP is scheduled to be published on February 12.

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CLICK HERE - Puerto Rico Energy Bureau - Critical Projects - Documents

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The Flood Was Extraordinary. So Was Australians’ Response.

Sat, 2019-02-09 08:03 — Kathy Gilbeaux

A man helping strangers remove flood-damaged items from their home in a suburb of Townsville, in the Australian state of Queensland, on Thursday. Credit Dan Peled/EPA, via Shutterstock

nytimes.com - by Livia Albeck-Ripka - February 7, 2019

. . . Community support is the biggest predictor of how well people recover from disasters, “over and above the horrors of the trauma” . . .

As climate change makes it likely that disasters will become more intense and frequent, researchers are studying how communities respond, and what they need to be resilient. Being part of a community response can be “protective” . . .

. . . the real danger zone is six to 12 months after a disaster strikes. It is then, experts agree, when the news coverage fades and others seem to move on, that residents who are still struggling with practical issues, like insurance claims, and emotional trauma, can feel abandoned.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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