“The federal government is a support role. So if you think FEMA responds to disasters or that we’re in charge, first of all, we’re never in charge, we’re always in support, and and we work for a lot of different folks.” FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate delivers a great TED talk on the federal role in […]
Author Archive | Wesley Shaw
NOAA Releases New Storm Surge Brochure
Posted on January 6, 2012
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center Storm Surge Unit has put together a new brochure explaining the what storm surge is and how to best measure it. There’s nothing here on how to prevent losses, but the before/after shots (on page 3) should motivate some people to think about how we need to plan for it. Added […]
Welcome, New Hampshire StormSmart Coasts!
Posted on December 20, 2011
We at StormSmart Coasts are thrilled to announce that, thanks to a lot of work by our Granite State partners, the New Hampshire StormSmart Coasts site is now live: our eighth StormSmart state! You can check out New Hampshire StormSmart Coasts here. Also, be sure to have a look at the accompanying New Hampshire Coastal […]
Animated Map of Extreme Weather Events
Posted on December 16, 2011
Just an animated map showing last year’s extreme weather events around the country. Amusing if you don’t think about it. Very worrisome if you do. Extreme Weather Map
Homeowner Survey (With Prizes?)
Posted on December 5, 2011
This just in from our friends at Rhode Island Sea Grant: Ready for big weather, floods & wind damage? Click here to take our 30-minute survey and enter to win a $500, $75, or $25 gift card to Home Depot. Survey limited to 400 participants. We are inviting 400 Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts homeowners […]
Making Insurance Seem Smarter
Posted on December 2, 2011
Pretty clever marketing: FloodSmart.gov should do something like this for floods and flood insurance. Note, this requires FLASH and a decent Internet connection (or a lot of patience). Happy Friday, everybody. chaosinyourtown.com
New Reality: Innocous High Tide Floods Street [video]
Posted on November 29, 2011
Delaware Sea Grant has released a great short video showing how a little (offshore) storm plus a high tide can affect a seemingly safe street. Take a short break and watch. Expect a lot more like this as we see more sea level rise.
New Webinar: The Front Lines of Climate Change
Posted on November 22, 2011
Next Wednesday (November 30th) at 2PM CST the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium will be hosting what sounds like an interesting webinar on how climate change is impacting Bangladesh (for those who don’t know, that nation is often cited as one of the countries most susceptible to negative climate change impacts). The talk will be given […]
Army Corps of Engineers Releases Updated Sea Level Rise Procedures
Posted on November 16, 2011
The Army Corps of Engineers has updated its circular (“Sea-Level Change Considerations For Civil Works Programs“) spelling out how it will approach designing its projects to address sea level rise. If your community has any Corps projects, you’ll definitely want to have a quick skim (it’s shorter than it looks: most of the important stuff […]
Scituate, CZM, and National Weather Service Team up to Improve Flood Forcasts
Posted on November 4, 2011
From the always useful CZ-Mail newsletter. A collaborative effort between CZM, the town of Scituate, and the National Weather Service (NWS) will set the stage for much better documentation of storm events and improved forecasts. Various spots along the Massachusetts coastline have a reputation for frequent damage from storms and coastal flooding. Scituate has a […]