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World’s first magnetic soap can clean oil spills
A University of Bristol team has dissolved iron in liquid surfactant to create a soap that can be controlled by magnets; the discovery could be used to create cleaning products that can be removed after application and used in the recovery of oil spills at sea
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Restored wetlands rarely equal condition of original wetlands
Wetlands provide many societal benefits such as biodiversity conservation, fish production, water purification, erosion control, carbon storage; along the coast, they also serve as natural barrier which moderate and slow down hurricanes as the hit land; a new analysis of restoration projects shows that restored wetlands seldom reach the quality of a natural wetland
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FEMA urges greater public-private cooperation in disaster response
Speaking at the International Disaster Conference and Exposition, Craig Fugate, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), urged emergency planners to take a broader view of disaster response and include the private sector
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2012 business worries
Businesses list the threats they are most concerned about in 2012; leading the list: unplanned IT and telecom outages, data breaches, and adverse weather
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2011: costliest ever year for earthquakes, weather-related disasters
A sequence of devastating earthquakes and a large number of weather-related catastrophes made 2011 the costliest year ever in terms of natural catastrophe losses; at about $380 billion, global economic losses were nearly two-thirds higher than in 2005, the previous record year with losses of $ 220 billion
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Tax breaks for disaster victims
This year victims of natural disasters may be eligible for a generous break on their taxes
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New Jersey enacts new disaster preparedness law
On Tuesday New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed new legislation into law designed to bolster state emergency preparedness
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Fukushima decontamination efforts proves to be daunting task
For the past several months Japan has been steadily recovering from the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the country on 11 March, but now cleanup crews have begun to tackle one of their most difficult jobs yet – decontaminating areas hit by radioactive fallout
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Fracking did not cause East Coast quake, doubts linger
Scientists have ruled out the possibility that the controversial mining technique known as hydrofracking played any part in the quake that shook the East Coast last August
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Some earthquakes expected along Rio Grande Rift
The Rio Grande Rift, a thinning and stretching of Earth’s surface that extends from Colorado’s central Rocky Mountains to Mexico, is not dead but geologically alive and active
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New fault lines discovered in western Washington
Geologists have discovered a series of fault lines that criss cross several mountain ranges in western Washington
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New Orleans flood defense system nears completion
The Army Corps of Engineers is rapidly nearing the completion of its upgrades to the massive levee and flood defense system designed to protect the greater New Orleans area from another Hurricane Katrina
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Japanese government, Tokyo Electric blasted for handling of Fukushima
A recent report revealed that Japan’s response to the nuclear crises at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic energy plant following the devastating 11 March earthquake and tsunami was riddled with false assumptions, miscommunication, and poor planning
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Smartphones to save lives in natural disasters
Smartphones could help save hundreds of thousands of lives in the aftermath of a disaster or humanitarian crisis; software developed by computer scientists could help quickly and accurately to locate missing people, rapidly identify those suffering from malnutrition and effectively point people towards safe zones simply by checking their phones
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Ohio injection well drilling causes tremors
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has suspended operations at a drilling Youngstown Township fluid injection well after studies showed that the a series of tremors occurred approximately two miles below and within a mile of the injection site
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The long view
Huge Areas May Face Possibly Fatal Heat Waves if Warming Continues
A new assessment warns that if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2 degrees C over the preindustrial average, widespread areas may become too hot during extreme heat events for many people to survive without artificial cooling.
Trump’s Cuts to Federal Wildfire Crews Could Have “Scary” Consequences
President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the federal workforce have gutted the ranks of wildland firefighters and support personnel, fire professionals warn, leaving communities to face deadly consequences when big blazes arrive this summer. States, tribes and fire chiefs are preparing for a fire season with minimal federal support.