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How AI Can Improve Storm Surge Forecasts to Help Save Lives
Hurricanes are America’s most destructive natural hazards, causing more deaths and property damage than any other type of disaster. The No. 1 cause of the damage and deaths from hurricanes is storm surge. I have recently been exploring ways that artificial intelligence can improve the speed of storm surge forecasting.
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Texas Voters Have Final Say on $20 Billion Package to Secure State’s Water Supply
No new taxes would be collected for the package that would give the state’s water department $1 billion to spend on projects like cleaning salty water, flood control and reservoirs.
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China “Targeting” Mississippi River System: FBI
China’s plan to gain monopolistic control over key global industries extends to the U.S. inland waterways and major ports. Major ports in southern Louisiana serve as the gateway to the rest of the river network and the U.S. interior.
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NIST Engineers Design 5 New Ways to Connect Concrete Pieces for More Resilient Buildings
Precast concrete is an efficient and cost-effective building material made in a factory instead of at a construction site. One of the biggest challenges with precast concrete is connecting the concrete pieces at a job site. Working with industry, NIST has designed five new connections for precast concrete buildings that will make them more resilient.
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At Least 170 U.S. Hospitals Face Major Flood Risk. Experts Say Trump Is Making It Worse.
At many of these facilities, flooding from heavy storms has the potential to jeopardize patient care, block access to emergency rooms, and force evacuations.
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Underground Data Fortresses: The Nuclear Bunkers, Mines and Mountains Being Transformed to Protect Our “New Gold” from Attack
Bunker scholars have long noted that these buildings are as much about time as they are about space. Bunkers are designed to preserve and transport their contents through time, from an apocalyptic present into a safe future.
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First 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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Millions 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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Flood 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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Power-Outage Exercises Strengthen the Resilience of U.S. Bases
In recent years, power outages caused by extreme weather or substation attacks have exposed the vulnerability of the electric grid. Now mandated by law, Lincoln Laboratory’s blackout drills are improving national security and ensuring mission readiness.
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New 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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Elon 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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Protecting the Grid with Artificial Intelligence
The electric grid powers everything from traffic lights to pharmacy fridges, but it regularly faces threats from severe storms and advanced attackers. New neural network detects physical issues, cyberattacks.
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A 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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The 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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The long view
Trump’s Cyber Strategy Falls Short on China, Iran, and the Threats That Matter Most
Iranian cyber retaliation is escalating. Chinese operators remain embedded in U.S. infrastructure. Ransomware groups continue to disrupt hospitals, schools, and local governments. Trump’s recently released cyber strategy raises doubts the administration is prepared to address these threats.
Helping MTA in Combating Climate Threats
NYU Tandon School research team developed computer model that quickly tests hundreds of resilience strategies to determine the best ways to defend subways against coastal storm surge flooding.