Climate Change

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at1+shtml/085007.shtml?inundation

The National Hurricane Center’s new maps, released as the storm approached the U.S., predicted the location and severity of the surge

scientificamerican.com - by Kevin Schultz - July 14, 2014

Hurricane Arthur smashed into the North Carolina coast last week. Just before it hit, residents checked a new storm surge map, found on the National Hurricane Center (NHC) Web Site. It showed them whether they would be above the water driven onto land by the storm or need to evacuate to higher ground. Store owners used it to figure out how high they needed to move their goods off the ground to prevent water damage. Some emergency management crews even utilized it to predict where the hardest hit places could be.

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whitehouse.gov

usatoday.com - by Wendy Koch - July 16, 2014

As part of his plan to help U.S. communities prepare for climate change, President Obama is unveiling initiatives Wednesday that include 3-dimensional mapping to better identify flood risks, landslide hazards and coastal erosion. . .

. . . The U.S. Geological Survey is launching a $13 million 3-D Elevation Program to develop advanced mapping that it says could, among other things, make it quicker to update flood maps and easier to find ideal sites for wind turbines and solar panels. It's relying on lidar (light detection and ranging) technology that uses light from lasers to give the elevation of any spot — from the tree tops to the ground.

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huffingtonpost.com - by Sen. Bernie Sanders - July 9, 2014

. . . Global warming is the greatest environmental threat facing the planet and averting a planetary disaster will require a major reduction in the burning of coal, oil and other fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry for too long has shifted these enormous costs of carbon pollution onto the public, walking away with billions in profits while their emissions help destroy the planet. . .

. . . A carbon tax must be a central part of our strategy for dramatically reducing carbon pollution, a view shared by economists on both ends of the political spectrum . . .

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submitted by John Patten  

blogs.planning.org - June 25, 2014

At a commencement speech at the University of California at Irvine, President Obama announced a new $1 billion investment into disaster resiliency for state, local, and tribal communities. The investment, known as The National Disaster Resilience Competition, is part of Obama’s action plan to combat climate change and extreme weather events.

Built largely on the Rebuild by Design program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the National Disaster Resilience Competition will exclusively assist areas previously hit by a natural disaster by providing grants for recovery and resilience projects.

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