Good case study on a county using FEMA Public Assistance (PA) 406 Mitigation funds to pay for post-storm recovery using a relatively innovative technique: When technical advice from a Public Assistance Specialist recommended using a geo-textile to stabilize the embankment and make the road more resilient once repairs were completed, Lafayette County’s Emergency Management Coordinator […]
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FEMA Releases New Mobile Website
Posted on May 6, 2010
Want FEMA assistance from your iPhone, Blackberry, or other smart phone? FEMA head Craig Fugate announced the launch of FEMA’s new mobile website, m.fema.gov. FEMA says that the “mobile website makes it easier to access critical information regarding emergency preparedness and what to do before and after a disaster right on a smartphone.” So far, […]
More Amazing Photos of the Pre-Spill Fire
Posted on May 3, 2010
We haven’t been able to verify who pulled this together (nor have we checked the accuracy of the text), but there are some amazing photos here (PDF, 1.3 MB). (If anybody knows who wrote this, please let us know and we’ll give them credit.)
New England Gets $1.4M for Better Coastal Flood Maps
Posted on April 29, 2010
A consortium of New England groups has received a $1.4 million grant to collect high-resolution topographical data for greatly improved flood risk maps, according to a press release from the University of New Hampshire. The project will collect data from New York City to Eastport, Maine. This is potentially very good news for all coastal […]
When Life Gives You Lemons: Galveston Turns Storm Damage Into Art
Posted on April 27, 2010
The City of Galveston (Texas) has taken a novel approach to cleaning up some of the 40,000 stumps left over from Hurricane Ike’s 2008 visit: carving them into sculptures. So far about 20 of them are serving as tourist attractions (and hopefully reminders of the storm’s devastation). UPDATE: Speaking of devastation, the Chronicle is reporting […]
Governor Requests Additional Flood Assistance for Impacted Communities
Posted on April 16, 2010
A new press release from MEMA (emphasis added): Governor Patrick Requests Additional Flood Assistance for Impacted Communities Thursday, April 15, 2010 – Governor Deval Patrick has made a request to President Obama to declare a Major Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation in order to expedite financial aid to the local cities and […]
High Tech (and generally free) Tools for Disaster Preparation
Posted on April 15, 2010
Mashable has written a short article outlining some of the many ways that people can take advantage of the technology they already own (computers, smart-phones, etc) to help prepare themselves for natural disasters. Some of the ideas: Using Google My Maps to create evacuation maps (see video below for an intro on how to do […]
Eight Hurricanes, Fifteen Tropical Storms for 2010 Forecasters Say
Posted on April 7, 2010
The leading storm forecasting team at Colorado State University is predicting eight hurricanes and fifteen tropical storms for this year’s hurricane season. “While patterns may change before the start of the hurricane season, we believe current conditions warrant concern for an above-average season,” researcher William Gray said. Not good news. “U.S. forecaster sees increased 2010 […]
Disaster Assistance Available for Both March Storms
Posted on April 7, 2010
This in from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency: Federal Flood Recovery Assistance Available For Both Storms BOSTON, MA – The State of Emergency that Governor Deval Patrick declared last week in response to the March 29 storm that produced heavy rains, widespread road closures and major flooding has been terminated. In addition, the Federal Emergency […]
Massachusetts CZM Launches New Coastal Landscaping Website
Posted on April 7, 2010
We all know that plants can help slow erosion and decrease storm damage while making your property look great. Unfortunately, finding plants that can survive the harsh coastal climate can be tricky — figuring out where and how to plant them and how to keep them alive can be even trickier. Luckily, the Massachusetts Office […]