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FIRST RESPONDERSFirst Responders Put Drones to the Test in Complex Urban Environments
New York City was the backdrop for a third Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) assessment of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) on the “Blue List.” S&T’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) recently evaluated a handful of systems to see if they are up to the task for critical public safety operations.
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COSTAL CHALLENGESMillions of Buildings at Risk from Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise could put more than 100 million buildings if fossil fuel emissions are not curbed quickly. The analysis focused on Global South and considered multiple scenarios, underscoring urgent need for planning.
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FLOODSFlood of Doubt
Almost a third of Americans live in unincorporated communities beyond city limits, where disaster aid can confuse and frustrate.
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DHSKristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened
The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noem’s big donors make the ask.
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WILDFIRESWho Pays for Wildfire Damage? In the West, Utilities Are Shifting the Risk to Customers
Utah laws cap wildfire damages and let utilities pass the cost onto customers. Utility lobbyists are pushing the model in other states.
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FLOODSNew AI Flood Model Gives Water Managers Up-to-the-Minute Decision-Making Tool
The predictive model is capable of crunching real-time data to address dangerous situations, according to new research
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FLOODSElon Musk Pushed Back on Our Reporting on His Houston Tunnels Plan. Experts Say His Comments Are Misleading.
Elon Musk is taking issue with a recent investition by the Houston Chronicle and The Texas Newsroom that raised questions about a flood tunnel project he’s pitching to address Houston’s chronic flooding woes. But experts said his response, which he did not explain to the newsrooms, isn’t supported by facts or data.
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FLOODSA Texas Congressman Is Quietly Helping Elon Musk Pitch a $760M Plan to Build Tunnels Under Houston to Ease Flooding
Experts in Houston have been studying the idea of building massive tunnels to divert floodwaters. Musk’s company wants a piece of the project.
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DISASTERSTwo Decades Later, the Experience of Katrina Continues to Shape How the Nation Prepares for and Responds to Disasters
Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath exposed profound gaps in multiple systems, including flood protection, emergency response, health care, and housing. It marked a turning point in the way we understand the impacts of natural disasters.
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DISASTER RESPONSEHow AI Is Changing Our Approach to Disasters
Disaster losses are rising, and the stakes are high for reducing risk. Artificial intelligence (AI) promises new ways to spot danger sooner, coordinate relief more quickly, and save lives and property. But AI doesn’t just drop neatly into a command center.
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TSUNAMI WARNINGSLLNL Scientists Explore Real-Time Tsunami Warning System on World’s Fastest Supercomputer
Scientists have helped develop an advanced, real-time tsunami forecasting system that could dramatically improve early warning capabilities for coastal communities near earthquake zones.
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FOOD SECURITYThe Rising Threat to New York City’s Food System
The Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, the largest of its kind in the country, serves as the penultimate stop for 4.5 billion pounds of food that feed the city and surrounding areas each year. Losing access to that hub could be catastrophic for a city that produces almost none of its own food.
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HURRICANE KATRINA: 20 YEARS ONHurricane Katrina: 3 Painful Lessons for Emergency Management Are Increasingly Important 20 Years Later
Hurricane Katrina looms large in the history of American emergency management, both for what went wrong as the disaster unfolded and for the policy changes it triggered. As efforts to reform –and possibly rebalance –the U.S. emergency management system continue, it is essential to remember and heed the costly lessons of Hurricane Katrina.
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HURRICANE KATRINA: 20 YEARS ON20 Years After Katrina, New Orleans’ Levees Are Sinking and Short on Money
The city’s $14 billion flood system faces new threats from climate change, land subsidence, and Trump budget cuts.
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WILDFIRESHuman-Caused Climate Change Is Expanding California’s Destructive Fire Seasons
Human-caused climate change was responsible for a six-to-46-day earlier start to fire season in California between 1992 and 2020, increasing the period in which large swaths of the state were susceptible to destructive burning. As climate warming trends continue, California’s fire seasons likely will continue to get longer and potentially more destructive.
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The long view
RISK ASSESSMENTRisk Assessment with Machine Learning
Researchers utilize geological survey data and machine learning algorithms for accurately predicting liquefaction risk in earthquake-prone areas.