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Universal biosensor would detect disease, bioterror attack, pollution
A consortium of U.K. research institutions, in collaboration with a Chinese University, work on developing a universal biosensor which would help in many types of detection — from home diagnosis of disease to chemical plant monitoring, anti-bioterrorism, and pandemic outbreak
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Lower Mississippi River region braces for major flood
Floodwaters are projected to crest at St. Louis at 38 feet on 22 or 23 June, marking the eleventh time since the Civil War that St. Louis has reached that flood stage; during the flood of 1993 waters at St. Louis crested at 49.6 feet
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Assessing landslide risk
Researchers develop new technique for assessing areas most at risk from landslides
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Midwest floods threaten IT infrastructure
More than 100 blocks in the Cedar Falls’s downtown are underwater and 3,900 homes have been evacuated; companies must cope with the threat of rising water to IT infrastructure
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Royal Mint issues urgent call for disaster recovery system
Tender comes after critical review warns about inadequate contingency plans
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Continuing communication in disaster-stricken areas
The BBC World Service’s transmission and distribution department offers a four-stage approach to re-establishing and maintaining vital communication in disaster areas
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Experts: Surprise quake shows Japan's vulnerability
Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude quake was the most powerful to strike inland Japan in eight years; experts say the Big One may hit anywhere in the country, in a repeat of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake which left 142,807 people dead
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Flood protection call for utilities
Twelve months after the devastating U.K. floods a government agency says much more must be done to tackle the vulnerability of buildings such as power stations and hospitals to flooding
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FEMA announces fiscal year 2008 CEDAP application period
FEMA is open to applications from state and local emergency services for funding the purchase of emergency equipment; $16 million in funding will be awarded, and the application period ends at the end of the month
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EU funds disaster modeling project
Do people from different countries and cultures behave differently during disasters — for example, when evacuating a burning building? EU-funded research aims to find out whether different disaster-behavior patterns should influence the design of buildings and the fashioning of emergency policies
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Insurers are warned to prepare for hurricane season
NOAA updated forecast calls for 12 to 16 named storms between 1 June and 30 November; says Impact Forecasting’s Steven Drews: “insurance and reinsurance buyers must remember that any storm can cause massive destruction”
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Grasshopper robot breaks high-jump record
Researchers develop small - very small: it is 5 centimeters tall and weighs just 7 grams — hopping robot; swarms of such hopping robots could spread out to explore disaster areas, or even the surfaces of other planets
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Civilian nuclear facilities in Sichuan confirmed safe
The Chinese government has identified 32 radioactive sources in the earthquake-devastated Sichuan area - hospitals, research centers, factories, but no power plants; 30 sources have already been located and removed; the two remaining sources have been cordoned off and are being excavated
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Chinese lakes may burst
Last Monday’s earthquake, and subsequent aftershocks, weaken large dam and raise fears of man-made lake bursting, causing massive floods in the already ravaged region
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Detailed studies of U.S. disaster preparedness offer recommendations
Critical care panel tackles disaster preparation, surge capacity, and health care rationing; some recommendations require largely greater budgets; other pose profound ethical and moral questions
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The long view
Postfire Debris Flows May Become Predictable, Thanks to a New Study
Scientists at Los Alamos have developed a model framework to better predict events such as landslides. The framework is making simulations faster and more accurate, which in turn will improve safety for communities that are at risk of their infrastructure being washed away.