From heat-risk task forces to flood and wildfire planning, states are broadening their approaches to disaster preparedness.
The Wildfire Emergency Act would accelerate forest restoration projects, create a program to maintain critical facilities’ power during disruptions, help low-income households fireproof their homes and establish a fire-training center.
An analysis of nearly 92,000 Road Home grants statewide found that the program to help homeowners rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita gave more funding to wealthier neighborhoods than low-income ones.
Changes to Texas’ power grid have improved ERCOT’s ability to keep power flowing during major winter storms, but in an extreme scenario, the grid could still face rolling blackouts, a seasonal assessment shows.
The housing tends to be older, is more often rented, making it less likely to be maintained and more vulnerable to serious damage in the wake of a disaster. But there are steps communities can take to help.
A decade after Hurricane Sandy, three of the city’s climate resiliency projects are nowhere near completion. The “Raised Shoreline” project has only spent 0.3 percent of its $103 million budget.
They increasingly bear most of the burdens of the disasters that climate change brings. Those that combine strong building codes and zoning that keeps people out of dangerous areas will fare the best and better protect their most vulnerable residents.
Research suggesting the 2020 California wildfires could have erased years of benefits from the state’s climate efforts has attracted international attention. Forest ecologists say it’s not that simple.
Even though mental illness is just as pervasive in rural communities, crisis response teams have been slow to grow beyond cities partly due to a lack of resources. Unfortunately, there's not a simple solution.
Burnout, retirements and uncompetitive salaries have exacerbated a growing scarcity of workers in critical job positions for managing infrastructure, transit and disaster preparedness.
As one western Florida community celebrates the success of a program to restore what Hurricane Michael took from it, others brace for a storm projected to be among the most damaging to ever strike the state.
Water pressure is back in Mississippi's capital but it's still not safe to drink. Residents have been through this so many times that they've learned how to cope. That doesn't mean they're happy.
It can happen anywhere, and it will fall to the mayor to be the “communicator in chief,” setting the tone for the traumatized community’s immediate response and long-term recovery. The time to prepare is now, and resources are available.
As natural disasters grow more severe across the country, local governments are increasingly using predictive analytics to understand where and when an emergency will impact their communities.
Mayfield was devastated last December when a tornado ripped through Western Kentucky. New homes are starting to spring up, though, and the city's got big plans for reshaping itself.
Nearly 35 states have ended their health emergency declarations, which have given governors authority to mandate pandemic mitigation measures, and most of those remaining are set to expire before August.
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