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Chicago emergency officials preparing for harsh winter
As Chicago braces for an especially brutal winter, the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is doing its best to prepare residents, emergency responders, and work crews for the worst weather in the nation
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CBP buys new risk management tool
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Technology Innovation and Acquisition (OTIA) is replacing existing risk management systems with a product from a U.K. company to bolster the department’s risk and opportunity management capabilities
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Earthquake science put on trial, quake experts accused of manslaughter
In an unprecedented turn of events, an Italian court has put the heart of earthquake science on trial by accusing seven Italian earthquake experts for failing to warn residents about a 2009 earthquake that killed 309 people
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New Jersey teams with Target for disaster response
During the next major disaster, New Jersey emergency responders will receive assistance from the big box retailer Target; last week the company announced that it had officially teamed up with New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to assist state and local officials in the event of a major disaster or terrorist attack
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Animals as earthquake forecasters
Animals begin to behave strangely in the days leading to an earthquake. Researchers find that the chemistry of ground water changes in the run up to an earthquake, and that animals sense these chemical changes and begin to move away. Scientists suggest animal behavior could be incorporated into earthquake forecasting.
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Real disasters hurt annual national disaster drill
This year the federal government’s annual nationwide disaster drill was hampered by actual disasters; due to an unusually severe series of natural disasters across the country, several states, local agencies, and federal employees were unable to participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Level Exercise as they were too responding to real emergencies
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Oklahoma hit by six earthquakes in four days
On Sunday residents of Oklahoma were shook by their sixth earthquake in four days; these quakes come in the wake of Oklahoma’s strongest earthquake on record, which struck the state on 5 November; the 5.6 magnitude tremor damaged dozens of homes and caused a freeway to buckle
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Mind-Alliance joins UN Disaster Risk Reduction Private Sector Partnership
More than 200 million people are affected by disasters each year and in 2010 at least 300,000 people died in major disaster events; annual reported disaster losses now regularly exceed $100 billion; Mind-Alliance, a developer of Information Sharing Management software for homeland security, emergency preparedness, and business continuity professionals, has joined the UN Disaster Risk Reduction Private Sector Partnership
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How disaster survivors survive Thanksgiving
This year’s rash of deadly natural disasters has displaced tens of thousands of people and shattered families across the United States; with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, many will find it impossible to celebrate in their own home or be forced to face an empty seat once occupied by a loved one
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USDA declares NY and PA counties disaster zones
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that several counties Pennsylvania and New York are now eligible for federal disaster aid
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Japanese VC invests in disaster data recovery specialist
Sumitomo’s U.S.-based venture investment arm, Presidio Ventures, has made an investment in Axxana, a specialist in data protection in the event of disasters
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Building design lessons from the Christchurch earthquake
A leading infrastructure expert believes an assessment needs to be made of the level of “very rare” earthquake that needs to be considered in structural design, perhaps one with a 10,000 year return period or higher, rather than the 500 year return period that is commonly adopted for many buildings in Australia
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Plan to protect Houston from the next big hurricane
To protect Houston and Galveston from future hurricanes, experts recommends building a floodgate across the Houston Ship Channel, adding new levees to protect densely populated areas on Galveston Island and the developed west side of Galveston Bay; the team also recommends creating a 130-mile-long coastal recreation area to sustainably use wetlands that act as a natural flood barrier
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States over reliant on FEMA aid for small disasters
This year’s unprecedented number of major natural disasters including Hurricane Irene, the record number of tornadoes, and the floods along the entire Mississippi and Missouri rivers strained the Federal Emergency Management’s (FEMA) coffers, but the number of relatively minor disasters that were declared as “major disasters” pushed FEMA resources beyond their limit; some critics say this trend needs to stop
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Giving hardware a second life in disasters
A software version of CharTec BDR appliance enables CharTec’s partners to provide backup and disaster recovery offerings by reusing existing hardware or BDR solutions
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More headlines
The long view
Proactively Planning for Community Relocation Before and After Climate Disasters
Between 1980 and mid-2023, 232 billion-dollar disasters occurred in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, with the number of disasters doubling annually since 2018. As the frequency, intensity, and destructiveness of climate change-driven disasters increase, accompanied by an increase in recovery costs, more experts are calling for a managed retreat of entire communities from disaster-prone areas to safer ground.
Number of People Affected by Tropical Cyclones Has Increased Sharply Since 2002
The number of people affected by tropical cyclones has nearly doubled from 2002 to 2019, reaching nearly 800 million people in 2019, according to a new study. More people are affected by tropical cyclones in Asia than any other region, but every affected world region saw an increase in the number of people exposed to tropical cyclones, which are expected to become more intense and possibly more frequent as the climate warms.
Coastal Populations Set to Age Sharply in the Face of Climate Migration
As climate change fuels sea level rise, younger people will migrate inland, leaving aging coastal populations — and a host of consequences — in their wake. While destination cities will work to sustainably accommodate swelling populations, aging coastal communities will confront stark new challenges.
Damaging Thunderstorm Winds Increasing in Central U.S.
Destructive winds that flow out of thunderstorms in the central United States are becoming more widespread with warming temperatures. New research shows that the central U.S. experienced a fivefold increase in the geographic area affected by damaging thunderstorm straight line winds in the past 40 years.