Contributions of human agency to disasters such as hurricanes, fires and mine disasters. Disaster relief, the adequacy of public and private responses.

HEADLINES

5/7/10

NEW ORLEANS: FRUSTRATED AND HELPLESS, RESIDENTS WAIT FOR ANOTHER DISASTER SHOE TO DROP. As the Gulf oil spill approaches its shores, the city braces for another Katrina-level catastrophe in what is feared to be a devastating effect on the city's economy of tourism and sea food production. Residents pray for the best, but many say they have little to no clue as to how the city can otherwise respond to the disaster

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5/7/10

ASH CLOUD OVER EUROPE: IT'S NOT OVER...TIL IT'S OVER. A day after UK and Irish officials give an "all clear" statement about the Iceland-originating volcanic ash cloud, a change in wind direction and the movement of the cloud into higher elevations that traverse aerial navigation lanes, a number of airports in western Ireland are closed. Ever-growing Gulf oil spill outside New Orleans, persistent ash cloud off the Irish coast, a would-be terrorist bomber in New York...oh, my!

4/13/10

WHO IS GOING TO HELP THE HAITIAN DANCER WHO LOST A LEG IN THE EARTHQUAKE? This question becomes a bone of contention for two U.S. based medical care groups in the case of Fabienne Jean. Over her anguished protests, her leg was amputated after the quake, in an operation that saved her life but ended her career. Surgeons from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York lost track of her and those from a group of prosthetists in New Hampshire discovered her and are trying to get permission to take her there for prosthetic fitting, while Mount Sinai seeks to have her come to New York for rehabilitation. The case highlights the way in which "humanitarian" groups may use high profile cases to promote themeselves; and also how dependent are the quake survivors in Haiti on foreign humanitarian assistance.

4/7/10

THE RA-RA BANDS HAD LITTLE TO CELEBRATE IN PORT-AU-PRINCE THIS EASTER. As world consciousness of the plight of the victims of the January earthquake recedes, Mark Schuller remains on the scene to describe the continuing depth of that plight. He is particularly critical of the system of food distribution by governments and by NGOs who use a "card distribution" program which seems capricious and inadequate to most Haitians. Grassroots relief efforts are capable of much expansion, but Schuller urges as well that the large relief efforts be administered in a more humane way.

3/29/10

Although Caribbean islands have a long history of earthquakes of the type that devastated Haiti, updating of 100 year old building codes still "awaits completion."

3/23/10

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS PRONOUNCE RELIEF EFFORT IN HAITI AS "BROADLY INSUFFICIENT." The medical NGO cites a typical pattern of governmental intervention and neglect, noting in particular the "shameful" condition of hundreds of thousands of people still in temporary shelter.

3/14/10

IS THE UNITED NATIONS' FUNDING GLASS FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF HALF-FULL OR HALF-EMPTY? Either way, the UN's $1.4 billion dollar relief fund has received only 49% of the funds that the world's nations have pledged for the fund. This is being reported by the UN as the rainy approaches and innumerable Haitians are still living under tents and other "emergency materials" issued to 650,000 families in severely flood-prone situations.

3/10/10

WHEN CHOMSKY SPEAKS ON HAITI, THE WORLD HAD BEST LISTEN. Keane Bhatt conducts a wide-ranging interview with Noam Chomsky in which Chomsky comments on the "militarization" of U.S. response to the humanitarian crisis in the country, and the fact that Latin American countries like Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic stepped to the fore in providing relief to the Haitians and havens for earthquake refugees. He speaks as well of the U.S. role in deposing and keeping "deposed" Haiti's former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was taken out of power in a U.S.-engineered coup in 2004.

3/9/10

Earthquake in Chile reveals fault lines of lack of disaster preparedness in a well "developed" country.

3/6/10

Head of oceanographic service in Chile fired over failure to issue tsunami warning following earthquake.

3/4/10

HAITI, CHILE AND THE TWO LITTLE PIGS: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL GOT THE STORY ALL WRONG. Journal columnist Bret Stephens publishes one of the few recent defenses of Milton Friedman's neo-liberalist free market agenda for the world economy. He poses a question of why Chilean infrastructure suffered less damage than that of Haiti to an actually stronger earthquake. Invoking the imagery of the three pigs faced with the effort of the bad wolf to blow down their houses, he suggests that Haiti's house was built of "straw" because it didn't have the benefit of building codes which decreed "brick" houses instituted under the Friedman-guided regime of Augusto Pincochet from 1973-1990. Problem is, says Naomi Klein, this story isn't true. Chile's building codes were instituted before the Allende government was deposed under U.S. instigation and were further developed after Pinochet left office. A fairy tale is a fairy tale, but the Wall Street Journal?

2/25/10

THE EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORT IN HAITI IS GOING "REALLY WELL": FOR THE "RACKETEERING" NGOs THAT IS. Ashley Smith cites various reports of the rampant failures of big relief efforts like that of Care International by NGOs whose staff live like royal Governors in an imperial colony and are more intent on out-doing their rivals than actually delivering relief to the Haitian people. In the background, the U.S. is quite content to allow the NGOs to do their customary "work" of delivering the people of distressed countries ever deeper into the depressed economic conditions of a neo-liberal economy.

3/1/10

Maintaining order and distributing aid are the twin mandates of Chilean troops as they enter the scenes of the country's devastating earthquake

3/1/10

Burden of Filipino effort to reduce damage by removing people from flood-prone areas falls mostly on the urban poor.

2/24/10

FROM PORT-AU-PRINCE TO HOLY FAMILY INSTITUTE OUTSIDE PITTSBURG: WERE THOSE 54 "RESCUED" ORPHANS EVEN ORPANS? Questions are being raised about the process by which "orphans" were moved from the Haitian capitol to Pittsburg by the much-publicized and praised interventions of PA Governor Rendell and the Obama adminstration. Child advocates point out that this operation occurred without authorization of the Haitian government; and at least 12 of them are thought to be children who actually have surviving family members in Haiti who are looking for them.

2/24/10

Half a million people in Port-au-Prince Haiti face rainy season without secure shelter and relief agencies rush to get plastic tarps for their shelter to them.

2/20/10

LIVING UNDER THE GREEN PLASTIC IN HAITI. With 1.2 million homeless following the January earthquake, many are living in green plastic tent cities sprawled across every public urban area. While much is written of their plight in general, Bill Quigley gives voice to 3 of them by allowing them to tell their stories in their own words.

2/16/10

CUBAN ASSISTANCE IN HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF: THE STORY NOT FIT TO PRINT OR AIR IN WESTERN PRESS. Cuba has more doctors (350) working in Haiti, more than any other country, or even of Doctors Without Borders (269). It is not just a matter of Cuban response to a near-local disaster, they have ready disaster relief teams that have rushed to scenes of earthquakes as far away as Pakistan. As well, they have cooperated with relief efforts of other Latin American countries like Venezuela and Brazil and even with their long-time rival U.S., granting requested air space clearance of medical evacuations of the U.S., for which Hillary Clinton actually thanked the Cubans. Little of this gets reported in the world press, Cuba lacking the public relations facilities of other countries and NGOs, and the press is reluctant to acknowledge that any good could come out the products of the Bolivarian revolution.

2/15/10

RELIEF WORK IN HAITI IS GOING VERY WELL; JUST ASK THE U.S. AMBASSADOR. Ken Martens appraises the effort as a "model" of humanitarian relief, even as 1.2 million Haitians remain in "spontaneous settlements," meaning they live in the open air, with a tent or tarp for shelter if they are not, though most have only the ground and sheets for "settlement" in camps in any open space across the country. Those who have sought shelter for family or acquaintances in surviving homes are creating food shortages for their hosts. Model?

2/14/10

HAITIANS ON THE IN-POURING OF DISASTER RELIEF AFTER THEIR EARTHQUAKE: SOME ARE GETTING A DEJU VU FEELING OF FUTILITY. Haitians with an historical memory are remembering how previous such international efforts have fallen far short of addressing the needs of the people. For one thing, much of such aid during the Duvalier regimes went into the pockets of the leaders of those regimes. For another, they have learned that international relief efforts have followed a start-stop-start trajectory depending on the vagaries of politics in donor countries.

2/9/10

"THE EMPTINESS OF LOSS TRANSFORMED INTO THE FIRE OF ACTION." Haiti earthquake relief worker Sasha Kramer describes the incredible resiliency and mutual help of the survivors, aided by gratefully acknowledged international assistance. She is certain that Haiti will be a Phoenix which rises from the ashes of the destruction.

2/7/10

IS FOYER OF PATIENCE A PORTAL TO SLAVERY FOR HAITIAN CHILDREN? New York Times focusses on deplorable living conditions at an "orphanage" by that name in Port-au-Prince to highlight the issue of child welfare in the earthquake-stricken country. In an article replete with references of "officials" and "authorities" and what they "fear" about the situation, the Times gives much attention to anecedotal evidence of abuse, and treats as symptomatic of the chaos of the child protection system that a group of 10 Americans were able to "scoop up" a busload on children in the capitol without any documents.

1/30/10

Neighborhood leaders in Grand Goave Haiti say U.S. soldiers doing little to meet the relief needs of their residents.

1/28/10

Some Haitians express anger at being dropped relief supplies from helicopters by agents with drawn guns.

1/27/10

HOW SERIOUS IS THE REST OF THE WORLD ABOUT THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE? Not very, says Toronto-based writer, Justin Podur. Not serious enough for world governments (as opposed to private charities) expending funds in anything like those spent on the Iraqi and Afghan insurgencies, not serious enough to reverse the "insult" of Aristide having been kidnapped by foreign agents, not serious enough to think about debt cancellations or payments of longstanding international debts to Haiti, not serious enough for amnesty grant for Haitians "illegally" in the U.S.

1/26/10

BOOTS OF 20,000 U.S. TROOPS ARE ON THE GROUND IN HAITI. As the UN asserts that the Haitian government should play the lead role in rescue and recovery from the earthquake, the U.S. military is the dominant "authority" there and critics like the heads of left-leaning Latin American governments are claiming that these forces are turning a humanitarian mission into one of military occupation.

1/25/10

A "SECURE" DISASTER IS BEING DEVELOPED IN HAITI. Peter Hallward's 1/22 report describes the way in which security is being prioritized over relief in the country, as the U.S. military moves to complete the long term U.S. agenda of destroying popular resistance to the elite dominance that has marked Haiti's recent history. As soon as U.S. military seized the airport, humanitarian flights were turned back to make way for arrival of military forces and for evacuation of foreigners. What aid does get through in meager amounts is dispensed at "secure" distribution points while much of the "unsecured" parts of the city have yet to receive food and water. Rescue teams have also been turned back and those few still operating have continued to concentrate efforts on collapsed buildings of UN mission and other gathering places of foreign visitors. A U.S. military sponsorship of elite domination of an impoverished country; what could be more "secure" than that?

1/23/10

U. S. PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS GOING IN FOR A SPOT OF DISASTER CAPITALISM IN HAITI. lnvestigative journalism website ProPublica reports on websites being opened to furnish "clients" with opportunities to profit from providing "security" services after the earthquake in Haiti. One Florida firm offers the ominous-sounding services of "high threat termination" and dealing with "worker unrest."

1/23/10

Long-term neo-liberal agenda in Haiti is blamed for perpetuating poverty and lack of government infrastructure that led to the "classquake" of the recent disaster.

1/22/10

EXODUS OF THE DESPERATE FROM PORT-AU-PRINCE. Crowds of people are showing up at bus stations, airport and at U.S. and Canadian embassies seeking to return to their families in outlying areas of Haiti or on the North American mainland. Many are frustrated in their would-be exodus by immigration regulations that stymie their flight plans.

1/20/10

HAITI: ARE U.S. TROOPS "HANDING OUT ORDERS, NOT AID?" This is the perspective of some Haitians, as U.S. forces seize airport, main hospital and presidential palace. Jason Ditz says most are adopting a "wait and see" attitude toward U.S. presence in their country, but how long they will "wait to see" may be influenced by deep skepticism of history of aggressive American involvement in their country.

1/20/10

Most of Canada' relief efforts in Haiti are focussed on the country's 4th largest city, Jacmel, to which Canada's current Governor General has family ties.

1/19/10

AS AID FINALLY STREAMS INTO PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITIANS ARE STREAMING OUT INTO THE HAITIAN COUNTRYSIDE. Many are lined up at buses to take refugees inland, some to the "arms of their families," for those who can find the enhanced fares, if the bus operators can find the requisite gasoline and if it people are willing to leave the remnants of their homes in the devastated city. While boat transportation to Haiti's west coast is a possibility, none are leaving, as U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships lie off the coast, and many fear they will be turned back as "boat people" illegally headed for the U.S.A.

1/17/10

In first report from epicenter of Haiti hurricane, at Leogane, 12 miles west of Port-au-Prince, conditions are said by BBC to be "apocalyptic," with 80-90% of the buildings destroyed.

1/16/10

PAUL STREET: "EARTHQUAKES ARE NATURAL DEVELOPMENTS, BUT VULNERABILITY TO THEM IS RICHLY ANTHROPOGENIC (MAN MADE)" Commenting on the Haiti earthquake, Street adopts the term "Classquake" to note how earthquakes and other "natural" disasters reflect the way in which the dominant of the world have found ways to protect themselves even as they force lower class people into situations of enhanced vulnerability

1/16/10

PORT-AU-PRINCE: WE CAN RESCUE YOUR CHILD FROM THE RUBBLE, BUT WE CAN'T GET HER TO A HOSPITAL. New York Times article describes graphically the situation in an article captioned: "For the Trapped, Rescue is but the First Hurdle." Actually, the article does describe the rescuers as being frustrated by their inability to get medical treatment and other survival needs to the rescued, but it also describes the logistic difficulties of rescue teams of getting to the site of the disaster, given the chaotic transportation conditions in the area

1/14/10

HAITI EARTHQUAKE: DON'T SAY YOU WEREN'T WARNED. On September 28, 2008, the Haiti newspaper Le Matin carried a story quoting a geologist, Patrick Charles, from the Havana Institute of Geology. Charles warned that Port-au-Prince lies on a fault line and that major "seismic damage" was a virtually inevitable event for which people had better be prepared. The City Council was said to have "considered" Charles' warning but to have done nothing about responding to it.

1/9/10

Disaster preparedness experts say people in coastal regions of south Asia are not ready for another tsunami of the type that rocked the area in 2005

1/8/10

Supplies of road salt and gas are running perilously low as U.K. deals with extended Arctic weather conditions.

10/7/09

TYPHOON KETSANA IN PHILLIPINES WAS MUCH LIKE HURRICANE KATRINA IN THE UNITED STATES. Michel Chossudovsky for Global Research arrives on the scene of massive flooding which struck Manila and other Filipino areas on September 25 and reports that, as in Katrina, there is an almost total absence of government response to the storm which drastically affected the lives of 4 million people, creating yet another humanitarian disaster in which relief is left largely to NGOs and other people of good will throughout the world.

10/2/09

International aid slow to arrive at scene of earthquake devastation in Indonesia.

9/7/09

DISASTER RESPONSE, AUSTRALIAN STYLE. A huge oil spill off the northwest coast causes the government to go into "damage control mode," meaning that the official response to the spill mostly consists in government denial of the size of the spill and its distance from the coastline. The government's greatest fear seems to be that bad publicity will hinder the substantial oil export business of the country.

2/11/09

60 U.S. fire experts going to Australia to help in rehabilitation in Victoria after the worst fires in the region's history.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25041442-421,00.html

2/10/09

Arson is suspected in largest fires in Australian history, as death toll rises above 180.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7880332.stm

9/8/08

People in the Caribbean are not liking Ike.  The monster hurricane destroys the whole village of Cabaret Haiti and slams ashore near Cabo Lucrecia in eastern Cuba, promising Cuba's "worst storm ever."  Haiti

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/52026.html

CUBA:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/52027.html  

9/7/08

Approaching category 4 Hurricane Ike creates panic in Haiti ahead of the storm's arrival.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/09/200896224744581760.html

8/30/08

Worst floods in 50 years hit Nepal and neighboring parts of India.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/world/asia/30india.html?th&emc=th  

7/7/08

Bhopal: The disaster that keeps on happening.  The accident at the Union Carbide nuclear plant in Bhopal, India in 1984 that resulted in widespread death and injury to workers and nearby residents is recalled with the observation that tons of toxic sludge remain undisposed in a tin-roofed warehouse on the grounds as groundwater in the area continues to be contaminated.  Victims were supposed to have been compensated at $550 per person, but many of them have not been paid, and efforts languish to extradite the company's CEO to face prosecution in India.  Ineptitude and indifference of the Indian government is blamed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/world/asia/07bhopal.html?th&emc=th    

6/12/08

UN says that a million Burmese survivors of May 3 cyclone  have not yet been reached.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42744  

6/5/08

U.S. ships leave Burma with relief supplies not delivered.  National Post of Canada says this is because junta's fear of loosing its grip; Thai source says Burma fears a U.S. invasion.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=563245  

1/20/08

Averting disasters; or learning to live with them?  American woman living with her family in Vietnam reflects on her experience with floods and tornadoes in Virginia and West Virginia and with recurring floods in her village in Vietnam.  Without even mentioning the post-Katrina debacle in the U.S., she reflects on the resourcefulness and resolve of Vietnamese dealing with their recurrent disasters.  In a world in which there is literally "no place to run, no place to hide" from disasters, a valuable lesson may be learned from the Vietnamese.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/19/6475/

11/20/07

"Hundreds of hands go up to grab just one food packet."  A description of the desperate effort of Bangladesh relief workers to reach millions of victims of last week's cyclone that devastated the country along the Bay of Bengal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDHA28279320071120

11/17/07

Cyclone in Bangladesh kills at least 1100 people. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=?xml=/news/2007/11/17/wcyclone117.xml

11/6/07

Life slowly returning to "normal" in Tabasco:.  Half of the 2 million residents of the Mexican state have been displaced from their homes by devastating floods.  In the situation, government relief response is slow but volunteers like operators of  "adventure tour" boats ferry people to return to the scenes of their lost homes and one man, separated from his wife by the flood, receives a note from her on things she wants him to do.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1106/p01s01-woam.html?s=hns

8/27/07

Greece burns while government officials are accused of fiddling instead of addressing environmental problems:  Flames approach original Olympic stadium as environmental critics say the country has failed to address land use issues that put the country at risk.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0827/p01s03-woeu.html?s=hns  

8/27/07

Greek authorities blame arsonists for raging forest fires, offer $1 million euro award for information leading to their arrest.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6965337.stm

8/26/07

"Thank God, the earthquakes have not resulted in a great catastrophe.“  The residents of Pisco, Peru will beg to differ with the President of the country who made this statement following quakes in the country on August 15.  With nearly 500 of them killed by the quake, residents complain of the slow and inefficient governmental response to their situation, leaving them alone to search among the rubble of their homes for survivors and bodies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/world/americas/25peru.html?th&emc=th  

8/20/07

World oil prices drop with news that Hurricane Dean may miss striking production facilities in Gulf of Mexico.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6954612.stm  

8/20/07

Remembering conditions at the last hurricane evacuation in 2004, many Jamaicans along coast refuse to evacuate as Hurricane Dean approaches.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20070818T140000-0500_126438_OBS__WE_RE_NOT_LEAVING__.asp  

8/19/07

Panic buying hits Jamaica in advance of expected strike of Hurricane Dean.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20070818T140000-0500_126450_OBS_DEAN_SPARKS_PANIC_BUYING_.asp  

8/18/07

Hurricane Dean gathering deadly intensity as it targets Yucatan and Gulf drilling rigs off coast of Mexico.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-08-18T101955Z_01_LAU663956_RTRUKOC_0_US-STORM-DEAN.xml  

7/31/07

Wildfires in Greece become a topic of political rhetoric as government officials suggest that opposition party may be practicing arson to embarrass the government.

http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=13244&t=01&m=A04&aa=2  

7/24/07

Worst floods in modern British history lead to charges that government officials had failed to act on warnings of flood hazard.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weather/Story/0,,2133329,00.html

5/31/06

Three days after a powerful earthquake rocked central Java, many devastated villages within the two worst-hit districts have yet to receive any help.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/world/asia/31indo.html?th&emc=th

2/22/06

Philippines Landslide Blame

http://www9.sbs.com.au/radio/index.php?page=wv&newsID=130106

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5/7/10

NEW ORLEANS: FRUSTRATED AND HELPLESS, RESIDENTS WAIT FOR ANOTHER DISASTER SHOE TO DROP. As the Gulf oil spill approaches its shores, the city braces for another Katrina-level catastrophe in what is feared to be a devastating effect on the city's economy of tourism and sea food production. Residents pray for the best, but many say they have little to no clue as to how the city can otherwise respond to the disaster

5/3/10

IS THE GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL TO BE OBAMA'S KATRINA? Blogger Louis Proyect draws comparisons between the Bush adminitration's unwillingness to assign government or corporate responsibility for adequate maintenance of storm levees with a similar reticence in the Obama administration to acknowledge the failures of government regulations for the safety of off-shore drilling and a denial of the prevalence of offshore spills as reason to avoid offshore drilling. Poyect sees in this a continuing bipartisan consensus of interpreting traumatic events from the perpsective of industries that benefit from the lack of such regulation.

4/30/10

WAS DAMAGE TO BP'S "IMAGE" THE BIGGEST COST OF THE GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL? New York Times takes the perspective of "industry analysts" of the oil business and suggests that the monetary and image damage to British Petroleum "eclipses" the loss of lives of 11 workers and the mounting threat of the spill to Gulf ecology and huge sections of the U.S. coastlines. Apart from the antiseptic world of such "analysts," one might wonder about the "cost" to the "drill, baby drill" perspective for off-shore drilling.

4/25/10

WILD FRONTIER IN AMERICA; THE SIXTH WARD OF NEW ORLEANS. 5 years after Katrina, the area has barely recovered and, according to a white resident, Woodlief Thomas, of the predominantly black area, it is a ":semi-stateless" situation like a western frontier town where the settlement is ahead of the "law," as a "cocaine for sale" peddler shouts his wares through the streets. And like a frontier community, it survives by the palpable love of one another and pots of rice and beans that pass from one house to the next.

4/24/10

JUDICIAL IMMUNITY FOR MASSEY ENERGY? Roger Bybee doubts that Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey at whose company an explosion killed 29 miners, will ever face criminal prosecution in West Virginia, as he has spent some of his millions effectively "buying" state Supreme Justices in an election in which he made damning and false accusations against candidates who showed signs of independence from Massey's contol of the political system in the state.

4/6/10

IN THE AFTERMATH OF A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE, CALIFORNIANS ARE URGED TO PREPARE FOR....A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE. In the classic case of "preparing for the last disaster," seismologists note that people along the U.S./Mexico border were seriously unprepared to deal with the disaster as one official says he doesn't want to stand before the public in the future and say, "I told you so."

3/19/10

Flood protection in King County Washington hangs in the balance as Corps of Engineers says it does not have the money to repair faulty dam on the Green River.

3/14/10

Stumps of trees destroyed by hurricane Ike in Galveston are being converted into sculptures that help the city regain its "charm."

3/11/10

"Above normal" threat of hurricanes is forecast for 2010 hurricane season.

3/3/10

FLOCK OF VULTURES GATHERS IN MIAMI, READY TO SWEEP DOWN ON TASTY PICKING IN HAITI. A Miami conference next week will allow private military and security firms to showcase their services to governments and NGOs involved in "relief" work in Haiti. Naomi Klein criticizes this as a "militarization" of the aid in the region and an embodiment of her concept of "disaster capitalism" to take advantage of stressed conditions to privatize and profit from local disasters, man made or natural.

3/1/10

As tsunami arrived at California coast it delivered less "wallop" than expected, as computer models have found it difficult to make accurate predictions of wave height at points of anticipated impact.

2/27/10

Illinois Senator Durbin calls on FEMA to facilitate new flood plain maps used to determine property insurance rates along the Mississippi River, as well as updated assessments of inadequate levees along the river in the Metro East section of St.Louis.

2/24/10

Renew Houston civic group is using improved flood protection for the area as the centerpiece of a proposed multi-billion dollar infrastructure improvement effort.

2/16/10

Criminologists say it is not true that cities like Houston that received large numbers of Katrina refugees experienced a resulting increase in their crime rates

2/11/10

Maryland legislature goes into slow-motion as unprecedented winter storm hits the area.

2/4/10

LITTLE HAITI FROM BIG HAITI: COME BACK, WE NEED YOU KNOW. Some of the half-million emigrants from Haiti to the U.S. have been castigated as the "diaspore." Street people who returned to Haiti were disdained for their adoption of American ghetto styles of grills and dreadlocks, while professionals found their "expertise" not wanted in the homeland. After the earthquake, this is changing, in a situation in which there are more Haitian doctors in Florida than in Haiti, and engineers and business people are being invited to return where once they were spurned.

2/1/10

U.S. resumes medical evacuation flights for Haiti earthquake victims after several days delay attributed to "logistical" problems.

1/31/10

BITTER CONDEMNATION GREETS NEWS THAT U.S. HAS SUSPENDED FLIGHT OF INJURED HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN DISPUTE OVER WHO IS TO PAY COSTS OF MEDICAL TREATMENT IN THE U.S. Commenters on Common Dreams reprint of article from New York Times find in this action an epitomy of the official government heartlessness over earthquake relief there, even as private agencies and other governments of the world make generous and selfless efforts.

1/30/10

A VERY AMERICAN QUESTION ABOUT MEDICAL CARE FOR INJURED HAITI EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS: WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR IT? U.S. military suspends flights to carry victims for care to U.S. hospitals, as Governor Crist of Florida requests federal funding to help his state defray the cost of rendering this treatment. Crist and Homeland Security say the Governor wasn't asking that the flights be suspended, only that the federal government help the cash-strapped state to share the costs.

1/21/10

WILL THE AMERICAN RED CROSS ADMINISTER "DISASTER RELIEF" FROM THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE AS IT DID FOR KATRINA VICTIMS? Bruce Dixon fears that it will, relating its actions and those of corporate-sponsored relief agencies in Haiti to the situation after Katrina in New Orleans. In the earlier catastrophe, Dixon believes from first hand observation, the Red Cross collaborated with a white corporate scheme for the gentrification of New Orleans by furnishing victims what amounted to one-way tickets out of state and away from their families in the city. Dixon suggests that those wanting to contribute funds to disaster relief in Haiti to use other agencies than the Red Cross.

1/15/10

AFTERSHOCK OF PORT-AU-PRINCE; SOME AMERICANS LEARN THAT HAITI HAS A HISTORY; AND THAT U.S. IS A BIG PART OF IT. Mainstream media accounts give copious descriptions of the damage and of the heroic and/or faltering efforts to deal with the catastrophe. For the most part, they avoid providing any context on the decades of "preparation" for the dimensions of this disaster, in the efforts of U.S. and other "developed" countries to make of Haiti a poverty-stricken appendage of the global economy. Carl Lindskoog is one of numerous alternative media agents who tries to remedy this historical ignorance.

8/31/09

10,000 homes in suburban Los Angeles are being threatened as wildfires spread.

8/30/09

THE SILENCING OF IVOR VAN HEERDEN. Greg Palast describes the fate of Louisiana State University hurricane expert, who predicted the devastation of a hurricane like Katrina before it occurred and has continued to warn against vulnerability of the city to similar disasters. He was "rewarded" by LSU by firing him from his job, and Palast raises the likelihood that his demise was influenced by a big contribution to LSU from Chevron and Shell, off-shore oil drillers, laundered through an organization called "America's Wetlands." Also involved in van Heerden's firing may have been the political influence of the Army Corps of Engineers, whose levee-building activities he had criticized as inadequate to withstand Katrina-level hurricanes.

8/30/09

THE SILENCING OF IVOR VAN HEERDEN. Greg Palast describes the fate of Louisiana State University hurricane expert, who predicted the devastation of a hurricane like Katrina before it occurred and has continued to warn against vulnerability of the city to similar disasters. He was "rewarded" by LSU by firing him from his job, and Palast raises the likelihood that his demise was influenced by a big contribution to LSU from Chevron and Shell, off-shore oil drillers, laundered through an organization called "America's Wetlands." Also involved in van Heerden's firing may have been the political influence of the Army Corps of Engineers, whose levee-building activities he had criticized as inadequate to withstand Katrina-level hurricanes.

5/30/09

Anxiety sweeps through Louisiana as hurricane season looms.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2009-05-28-hurricane_N.htm

5/25/09

The Obama administration, having offerred the hand of reconstruction to post-Katrina New Orleans has instead given the city the finger.:.  This is the view of sportswriter Dave Zirin, as he comments on the hyperventilating statements of political leaders on how the selection of New Orleans to host the Super Bowl once again is supposed to be able to address the "lingering problems" of the city, which are problems which go largely unaddressed by Mayor, Governor, or President.

http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/21544

4/19/09

FEMA is accused of lying in its promise to pay hotel bills for Katrina victims wanting to return to New Orleans but whose homes had not yet been repaired.

http://blog.nola.com/jarvisdeberry/2009/04/jarvis_deberry_file_hotel_pled.html

1/30/09

Residents of Anchorage Alaska make hurried preparations for impending volcanic eruption of Mount Redoubt

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Alaska_Volcano.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

1/3/09

Missisissippi officials looking to improve traffic flow for future evacuations during hurricane warnings.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2009-01-02-hurricane-evacuations_N.htm

11/25/08

Rural areas in Galveston County Texas still have the appearance of a "disaster zone" after Hurricane Ike struck there on September 13.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6130822.html

11/7/08

Recovery effort in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward allows many residents to begin returning to their Katrina-devastated area.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1105/p01s07-usgn.html

11/3/08

Texas beaches may have been "changed forever" by the effects of Hurricane Ike

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6091413.html  

9/5/08

80 buses will be leaving Alabama today to return 3600 people to the homes they evacuated in New Orleans as the hurricane Gustav approached. 

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/09/gustav_evacuees_to_return_home.html

9/2/08

Police go wind surfing on deserted streets of New Orleans:.  After a massive evacuation of the city, New Orleans is spared the major brunt of a weakened storm, the heavily-mobilized police have little police work today and, in their "boredom," fashion make-shift "sailing" crafts to surf across the lightly flooded streets.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/us/02gustav.html?hp

9/2/08

People in Houston may prove to be less "welcoming" to those fleeing storms than they have been during recent hurricane seasons.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5978284.html

9/1/08

New Orleans: Waiting for a bus for a journey to "who knows where.."  With Gustav expected to provide a hurricane category 5 hit on New Orleans, a mandatory evacuation goes into effect and some 30,000 residents without cars are expected to be transported by buses to shelter destinations of unknown location outside the city.  While the wait for buses is exasperating, the program does provide a humane alternative to the situation in 2005 in which no buses were available to evacuate residents.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/08/31-0  

9/1/08

Even before Gustav hits Gulf Coast today, political experts try to assess effects on '08 presidential election.  The human disaster-to-be could be a disaster as well for Republican chances in the November election as the media spotlight will shift from a "flashy" convention planned in St. Paul to the scenes of coastal devastation.  But the McCain campaign makes a bold gamble that could turn the hurricane into a September Suprise (courtesy Mother Nature) in his favor.  By going immediately to Mississippi and distancing himself from the 05 reluctance of Bush to become involved, he helps gets the necessary space between himself and the unpopular President; and the scaling back of convention activities could become the "legend" of the convention that will promote his "country before politics" campaign theme.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/us/politics/01memo.html?th&emc=th

8/31/08

Road home is a road to nowhere for most residents of New Orlenas:.  As people engage in massive evacuation as threat of Hurricane Gustav approaches, it is noted that a massive government program of assistance to people in rebuilding homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina 3 years ago called Road Home has had little effect on the city's reconstruction, as the program's high costs and bureaucratic bunglings have led many simply to abandon their homes rather than try to rehabilitate them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/us/31road.html?th&emc=th  

8/31/08

New Orleans Mayor orders evacuation of residents to flee "the mother of all storms," warns of lack of rescue for those who fail to comply.

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2008/08/new_orleans_evacuation_ordered.html

8/30/08

New Orleans officials to residents: If you fail to evacuate ahead of Gustav, you're on your own.: : As the hurricane may hit the area on Monday, the city readies an evacuation plan to move residents to (somewhere) by buses picking up people at designated evacuation points. Those who defy orders and remain behind will find the doors of the Superdome locked this time.  With a mode of communicating to residents that emphasizes "text messaging," critics complain that the poor and less educated will once again be disproportionately affected by a new disaster.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080830/ap_on_re_us/gustav_evacuation;_ylt=AnByEg2tsR7M3ktR13DwpwFG2ocA  

8/29/08

Oil rigs shut down in Gulf of Mexico in anticipation of Hurricane Gustav, with likely effect of rise in oil and gas prices.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0829/p25s24-usgn.html

8/4/08

Renaissance Village: Out of the trailer park and into the...what?: :   As a large Baton Rouge FEMA trailer facility for New Orleans flood evacuees closes on concerns for formaldehyde contamination, residents who were looking forward to a brighter future back home in New Orleans are largely frustrated by bureaucratic failures and their inability to cope with life on their own after 2 years of being "taken care of" under government sustenance and supervision.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/us/04trailer.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1217844188-HlIyUgKJHC1JSkncamwlgw&oref=slogin  

6/23/08

"Sand boils" in levees are a new source of flooding threat in Illinois along the Mississippi River.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/us/23flood.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1214219794-B7HEvtbiKTxEERSfsCPkqQ&oref=slogin  

6/22/08

KBR and Katrina: The $500 million rip-off:    Report of Defense Department Inspector General charges the Haliburton subsidiary with having executed shoddy work and extorted excessive payments from the Navy in a contract to repair naval facilities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  The report also faults the Navy itself for approving payments to KBR for work satisfactorily completed when it was not so completed.

http://www.sunherald.com/pageone/story/634100.html

6/17/08

"These are floods that are supposed to come every 500 years and they're coming every 15 years":   Geographers have long noted that floods would be less destructive if people did not persist in living in flood plains.  But, like Floridians who rebuilt on hurricane-damaged coasts, people in small Iowa towns ravaged by the second catastrophic flooding in 15 years take the 500-year immunity attitude and expect to stay put despite the recent breach of that "rule."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/us/17iowa.html?_r=1&oref=slogin  

6/16/08

Flood waters receding in Cedar Rapids, cresting in Iowa City as Iowans wonder why they didn't buy flood insurance.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MIDWEST_FLOODING?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

6/1/08

Texas lags behind other Gulf states in upgrading its building codes to reflect hurricane threat to the state.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5812105.html

4/29/08

Hay dropped for cattle after Colorado snowfall in 2006-7 may contribute to increased hazard of wildfires in the region.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/apr/29/legacy-of-snowfalls-could-be-fire-danger/  

4/13/08

As hurricane season approaches, FEMA isn't ready for prime time (Again):.  Having abandoned the notorious trailers as the mainstay of disaster housing, the Agency is talking about various housing options including pre-fabricated small houses, but has yet to come up with a definitive plan.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/us/13trailers.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1208078408-fQLl3eETRFw2/9gSFxchPw&oref=slogin  

2/1/08

Domestic emergency preparedness of Massachusetts National Guard is severely curtailed by the unit's overseas combat commitment.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/01/mass_guard_lacks_vital_resources/

1/21/08

Post-Katrina, Gulf Coast areas have their priorities "straight"."  As volunteers struggle to get peoples' homes again livable two years after Katrina, the casinos in the area show a fantastic recovery to record levels of business.  "The bottom line is a good one, said Scott King, adjunct professor of Casino Resort Studies at Tulane University " (Casino Resort Studies? Tulane seems to be thriving as well.)

http://www.sunherald.com/business/story/308848.html 

11/15/07

Despite contamination concerns, crab fishing is allowed to continue three miles off California coast in region of oil spill in San Francisco Bay

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071115/ap_on_re_us/bay_spill

11/14/07

California Governor suspends all sport and commercial fishing in Bay Area after oil spill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071114/ap_on_re_us/bay_spill;_ylt=AjdQJ1dPlLbBEnWDTyHkFdRG2ocA  

11/14/07

Cartoons and other kid-friendly media are being used to bring disaster preparedness lessons to American school children.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111302423.html?wpisrc=newsletter  

11/13/07

When disaster relief becomes a form of "civil disobedience."  After the recent oil spill in San Francisco Bay, officials were unprepared for the out-pouring of volunteer assistance and told would-be helpers, in effect, "don't call us, we'll call you."  Some of them persisted in cleaning beaches with pooper-scoopers in what one helper called an act of civil disobedience.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1113/p01s02-usgn.html?s=hns

11/3/07

Bush and FEMA made a show of better performance with the California fires than with Katrina, but was it window-dressing?  With pizza by the slice or box and massage and acupuncture offered to evacuees in San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, the impression was that conditions were vastly better than in New Orleans' Super-Dome; but were they?  Immigrants in California were treated about like blacks in New Orleans: many never got a chance to evacuate at all as employers required them to remain at work in the fields; and those who did evacuate were faced with Border Patrol raids and possible arrest for being illegals.

http://www.counterpunch.org/sharon11022007.html  

10/24/07

California fires described as "Mother Nature's revenge against human development."  Since the last major fire outbreak in the 1950s, the population of the area between LA and San Diego has increased from 3 to 20 million, providing many more targets for nature's "revenge."

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3090313.ece  

10/24/07

Evacuees from southern California's forest fires are winding up as far north as Seattle.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/336620_firelocal24.html  

10/16/07

Not just Florida anymore:.  Homeowners in New York and other northern states receive "non-renewed" notices to inform them that their insurance companies are cancelling coverage of their homes in hurricane-prone areas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/16/nyregion/16insurance.html?hp

8/27/07

Floods in the midwest lay bare the inadequacy of a flood insurance program that Congress has done little to improve.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.insurance27aug27,0,4103679.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout  

8/26/07

Two years after Katrina, New Orleans recovery is slow, complex and "very messy":  LA Times article notes that half of residents have still not returned to the city and that what assistance residents have received is largely from their own resources and from non-governmental organizations, not any impressive efforts by local, state or federal governments.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-katrina25aug25,1,3566852.story?ctrack=1&cset=true 

8/17/07

Has hurricane damage resistance improved in New Orleans?  It varies greatly by the economic level of different neighborhoods, substantial improvement in more well-to-do ones, almost none in poorer ones.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/us/nationalspecial/17protect.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

8/8/07

"It's not a plan...And it's not national." ...says Alabama's emergency management head about the newly unveiled "national plan" for disasters put out by the Bush administration.  State managers complain that the "plan" was established without input from the state and its product represents the highly "polarized" relation between the nation and the states on disaster relief management.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/07/AR2007080702115.html?wpisrc=newsletter

8/8/07

A trained army of volunteers steps front and center after Minneapolis bridge collapse.  40% of Twin Cities residents, the highest percentage in the nation, are involved in volunteer activities, and their talent and commitment is put to good use in the recovery effort there.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0808/p01s03-ussc.html?page=1  

8/2/07

I-35 bridge collapses at Minneapolis, plunging loaded school bus and many cars into the river; at least 9 dead, many more missing.  The bridge had been declared "structurally deficient" in 2005 and was being repaired.  The collapse happened 40 minutes before scheduled start of Minnesota Twins game at the Metrodome; the game went on (to keep people "off the streets") but today's game cancelled.  Many links attached to article for details.

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_6522095?nclick_check=1

7/20/07

Chairman of House oversight committee accuses FEMA of ignoring the problem of formaldehyde contamination in trailers for Katrina victims.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/washington/20fema.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin  

7/2/07

New York Times begins a series of "block by block" reporting of the agonizingly slow recovery of New Orleans, the city having a "swiss cheese" pattern of individual housing restoration surrounded with sea of still-unreconstructed wasteland. In this effort at recovery, the emphasis is on self-help efforts with little help from government at any level.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/02/us/nationalspecial/02orleans.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

6/28/07

Assistance from private agencies such as the Carnegie Foundation are taking up the slack in disaster relief in New Orleans created by the slow pace of government assistance.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0627/p01s06-usec.html

6/17/07

New Orleans officials consider soliciting or accepting of aid from foreign countries, including Cuba, as federal assistance continues to lag.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061607E.shtml

6/1/07

Some residents of Houston are told that, in the event of another hurricane like Rita which hit the city last year, they would be better off staying at home than in contributing to the traffic gridlock associated with mandatory evacuations.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4852994.html  

5/17/07

Stormy weather in the nation's weather agencies.  Miami Herald exclusive report features critique of new director of National Hurricane Center of the federal bureaucracy that he says is wasting money on PR campaigns and denying essential funds for hurricane research.

http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/109372.html

5/12/07

Lack of funding, training and coordination for either a terrorist attack or a natural disaster is cited by a Western Carolina University report on first responders' preparation for emergencies in tha area.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770511121  

4/30/07

Post-Katrina noises in the echo-chamber.  U.S. State Department, with "Echo Chamber Message," tells diplomats to express profound gratitude for foreign countries' largesse in offering aid to Katrina victims.  On the ground, ineptitude and bureacratic delays (those villains again) resulted in only $40 million of the $856 million offered being used for hurricane relief.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042801113.html?referrer=email

4/14/07

Many warning sirens around nuclear power plant in White Plains NY fail to go off when tests attempt to activate them.

http://www.buffalonews.com/181/story/52788.html

4/13/07

FEMA was oversupplied for '06 hurricane season, may not be ready for '07.  As the agency destroys 6 million prepared meals that were never used last year, it still has not developed adequate storage facilities for keeping food usable through the next hurricane season.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041202411.html?referrer=email  

4/6/07

Tour of Gulf Coast areas in Mississippi by new President of University of Southern Mississippi highlights the slow recovery of educational facilities in the Katrina-struck region.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070405/NEWS01/704050324

4/5/07

"Scraping for crumbs":   This is the description of the budget situation of the National Hurricane Center as a new director takes control and laments the "flatness" or even decline in appropriations for the agency, which faces the loss of a weather satellite and reduced hurricane prediction capacities as another predicted over-active hurricane season approaches.

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/64006.html  

3/19/07

Helping those who may need it least.   After a cold wave in California that devastated the citrus crop, the federal government quickly offered assistance to growers in the form of low interest loans to rehabilitate their groves, but only much later provided critical assistance to farm workers unable to sustain the expenses of their families, assistance that has been called "too little and too late."

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=19&ItemID=12357

3/8/07

Recreational vehicle industry opposes plan of FEMA to sell surplus trailers to the public, complaining that this would produce a "glut on the market" that would depress industry profits.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/07/AR2007030702628.html?referrer=email

3/7/07

Telegraph Hill in San Francisco was hit on February 27 with rock slides in which homes and businesses have been destroyed.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/06/BAG2POGQ625.DTL

3/4/07

Is President Bush a born-again compassionate?  He gives that appearance in a visit to the site of a devastating tornado in Enterprise AL in which he gives comfort and hugs and the promise of quick disaster relief to the victims. Maybe New Orleans taught him something.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070303/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_tornadoes

1/27/07

As the aftermath of Katrina hurricane begins to fall out of public consciousness and was not even mentioned in the recent State of the Union address, a Seattle college student seeks to keep that consciousness alive through a series of photographs now being featured at a local community college gallery. (View the gallery with this link.)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/301453_robert27.html

1/7/07

In Philadelphia as in Florida, the adequacy of FEMA "flood plain maps," used in assessing damage risk for insurance purposes, is coming under attack.  A Temple University study suggests that FEMA is far too lenient in its definition of what areas are in flood-prone areas.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/16399538.htm  

12/27/06

2006 was the year of "Katrina fatigue" in America: Spike's Lee's "When the Levees Broke" documents in heartbreaking detail how the Ninth Ward of New Orleans has remained a scene of total devastation while "reconstruction" has focussed on providing a place to watch a football game in the Superdome and get drunk in the French Quarter.

http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061227/EDITORIALS0101/61227002/-1/editorials

12/27/06

When Denver's International Airport closed down for 45 hours last week, a military airport (Centennial) used efficient snow-clearing facilities to remain open.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5239478,00.html  

11/24/06

Seattle homeowners are fearful that they are due for "the Big One," a catastrophic earthquake that occurs about every 1000 years along the Seattle Fault.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/23/AR2006112300971.html?referrer=email  

8/30/06

Rescue-for-pay:  Naomi Klein's upcoming book 'Disaster Capitalism' will detail the process of privatization of disaster relief as public agencies like Homeland Security have abdicated their responsibilities and Wal-Mart may be offering relief services, at a fee of course.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0829-23.htm

8/18/06

HHS report notes prevalence of hardship and suffering among elderly during hurricane evacuations, and calls for new disaster relief rules to remedy the situation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/18/us/18prepare.html?th&emc=th

7/18/06

"Drought relief" through a federal program of Livestock Compensation was used an excuse for politically-motivated Bush administration dispensing of funds to livestock farmers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/17/AR2006071701237.html

Same story for catfish farmers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/17/AR2006071701221.html?referrer=email&referrer=email&referrer=email  

6/1/06

Canadian researcher maps out how human activity and global warming creates more numerous and more powerful Atlantic hurricanes:

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename968350116467

5/30/06

2 new scientific studies show a clear link between global warming and more numerous and powerful Atlantic hurricanes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/science/31climate.html

http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1168472.php/Studies_Roundup_

5/27/06

Anxious New Orleans begins planning for evacuation in the upcoming hurricane season.  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/us/27psyche.html?th&emc=th

5/26/06

Class action lawsuit entered against FEMA in New Orleans for displacing thousands of still-homeless Katrina survivors from federally-assisted housing programs.  http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3205  

5/19/06

Blackwater, USA, well-connected to Bush administration, continues to rake in lucrative contracts for New Orleans reconstruction. 

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060605/scahill

4/30/06

Hurricane computer models suggest possibility of catastropic 20 foot storm surges in Chesapeake Bay: 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.slosh30apr30,0,7763389.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

4/24/06

Shelter closing in Shreveport, with many evacuees having no place to go, highlights the unfinished nature of post-Katrina disaster relief:  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/24/us/24shelter.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

4/21/06

August 29 deadline is set for demolition, renovation, or removal of houses damaged by Katrina in New Orleans:

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica\Katrina_houses

4/21/06

FEMA orders thousands of Katrina victims to pay back $5 million in federal disaster aid that is supposedly "excessive" or "fraudulent"

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Katrina_Repayments.html

4/20/06

Pork disaster-style: Bush outdoes all predecessors in making "disaster area" designations that open up many opportunities for "reconstruction" projects: 

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_8503.shtml

4/14/06

Massive waste in government's Katrina response includes huge expenditure on temporary trailors that many displaced people refuse to occupy: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/13/AR2006041302159.html?referrer=email

4/1/06

Global warning said to be enough of a threat to call for a national plan for emergency response to an "attack of nature." 

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0401-25.htm

3/30/06

Recovery in New Orleans could take 25 years:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/content/article/2006/03/30/A.html

3/16/06

House report blames Michael Brown for "ignoring" Homeland Security's hurricane disaster plan:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/15/AR2006031502320.html?referrer=email

3/16/06

Trailors which house Katrina-displaced persons pose risks for their residents: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/16/national/nationalspecial/16trailers.html?th&emc=th

3/10/06

36,000 Mississippi residents still housed in temporary trailers, but not to worry, Biloxi casino business is booming: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/09/AR2006030902151.html?referrer=email

3/6/06

Exploding growth in Hurricane-ravaged regions poses

a serious problem that has been ignored for too long

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/NEWS01/=73236943045981

3/3/06

Video Shows LA. Gov. Blanco Saying Levees Intact, after the NWS issued warnings of levee failure

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/03/AR2006030300227.html

3/2/06

What did Bush know and when did he know it? Newly-released video-tape shows pre-Katrina warnings: 

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0301-08.htm

2/27/06

Charities have spent 2/3 of their funds for immediate needs of Katrina evacuees, have little left to help with rehabilitation: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/26/AR2006022601383.html?referrer=email  

2/25/06

Notable Mardi Gras Absences Reflect Loss of Black Middle Class

in New Orleans

http://www.amhersttimes.com/index.php?option=com_view&id=841&Itemid=27

2/25/06

White House report on Katrina: no blame, no accountability for hurricane disaster

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/feb2006/katr-f25.shtml

2/25/06

Six months after Katrina, progress in Mississippi can be fleeting

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/list=louisiana

2/25/06

Huge March Planned for Eve of Katrina Evictions

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_sw_060225

2/24/06

Bush Administration Katrina Report: White House Whitewash on Katrina?

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?pid=63398

2/15/06

New Orleans evacuees kicked out of New Orleans hotels; Village Voice interviews some of them: http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0607,nation,72171,6.html

2/15/06

Senate hearing: Chertoff admits "many" lapses in Katrina response

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1624233

2/14/06

Homeland Security director promises changes in disaster relief: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021300679.html?referrer=email

2/13/06

Report: US government 'failed' on Katrina

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4707536.stm

2/12/06

Committee of House Republicans to release report blaming Administration officials for failure to respond to Katrina threat:  http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-02-12T041314Z_01_N11166222_RTRUKOC_0_US-HURRICANE-CONGRESS.xml&archived=False

2/9/06

Slow-moving bureaucracy makes "limbo land" of New Orleans: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020802401.html?referrer=email

2/2/06

Dennis Kucinich: what is needed for New Orleans reconstruction: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060206/kucinich

1/31/06

Slow recovery effort in New Orleans: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701818_pf.html

1/31/06

Hurricanes shape new natural order along the Gulf Coast:  http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2006-01-29-gulf-coast_x.htm?POE=WEAISVA

1/20/06      

Failure of FEMA managed evacuation contracts for New Orleans: http://counterpunch.org/shorrock01212006.html

1/20/06     

Preventable disaster in New Orleans: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011906O.shtml

1/20/06     

Belated planning for New Orleans re-construction: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0119-33.htm

Books:

Video/Film:

Other Media:

FLORIDA:

STATEWIDE

Websites:

Analysis & views:

5/3/10

IN FLORIDA, CLEANING UP THE BEACHES AS GULF OIL SPILL APPROACHES. Yesterday, crowds of 300-500 people turned out at Panhandle locations like Casino Beach at Pensacola, to pick up trash to facilitate an oil sweep expected to be conducted when the spill hits the beach.

2/27/10

Questioning validity of claims continuing to pour into state insurance agency for damage in 2005 hurricane, Florida cabinet refuses to authorize a bond issue that would put a surcharge on property insurance payments of all Florida homeowners.

2/4/10

Haitian-born south Florida state legislator wants governor Crist to appoint a "Haiti czar" to coordinate state efforts at support of Hiatians in aftermath of earthquake.

2/4/10

Orlando hotelier wants to build modular homes in central Florida and ship them to Haiti to replace earthquake-destroyed homes.

1/13/10

"WE'RE JUST BRACING OURSELVES TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING LEFT TO GO BACK TO." This is a typical statement of Haitian residents of south Florida in view of Tuesday's devastating earthquake near Port-au-Prince. With news of their friends and relatives very hard to come by, local residents are reduced to meeting to pray for the best and, as the statement suggests, "bracing themselves" for possible bad news.

12/18/09

STATE FARM FLORIDA MAKES SWEET DEAL WITH STATE INSURANCE REGULATORS, WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE IN THE STATE. Faced with the company's threat to quit insurance sales in the state, regulators allow the company to cancel 125,000 homeowner policies and raise premium rates by 14.8% and even to rescind 28% "customer loyalty" discounts for homeowners who "hardened" their homes against hurricane damage. (No "company loyalty" here).

12/2/09

FLORIDA DODGED A BULLET IN THE JUST-CONCLUDED HURRICANE SEASON; THE ONE THAT HITS MAY BE LETHAL. For the 4th year in a row, no major storms hit the state, and the property insurance system in the state is still not "actuarially sound," meaning that, when a disaster occurs, insurance agencies, private and public, will not be able to cover the damage. By making catastrophic coverage "affordable," it has made that coverage inadequate to cover losses when they occur.

10/6/09

CHARLIE CRIST SPUN THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE FOR FLORIDA PROPERTY INSURANCE RATES: WILL IT STOP ON PROSPERITY OR DISASTER? If the Governor hopes to be elected to the Senate, he had best keep a close eye on the Weather Channel, as a catastrophic hurricane could turn his action in 2006 of cutting insurance rates by reducing coverage into disaster if Floridians experience another hurricane and must deal with the reduced coverage that was the price of that reduction.

5/31/09

"It only takes one storm to hurt you."  Floridians are being reminded of this as hurricane season starts and experts are predicting a low to average number of hurricanes.  They are warning as well that the devastating hurricane Andrew struck in another "light" hurricane year (1992) and that Florida residents had best be prepared for that "one" storm that may hit

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20090531/NEWS01/905310321&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

5/30/09

Foreclosed and abandoned homes in south Florida are a source of concern for residents who fear they will become dangerous debris in a hurricane.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-eyesores-hurricane-052809,0,3841597.story

5/29/09

Are Floridians and other East Coast residents ready as hurricane season begins next week?  New survey says basically "no."

\http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-05-29/story/poll_finds_public_not_ready_for_hurricane

10/16/08

Citizens having trouble with Florida Citizens about windstorm-only insurance: .  The insurance company (Citizens Property Insurance) that provides "catastrophic" windstorm damage coverage is announcing changes in policy to take effect early next year. As they begin to notify clients of impending changes, they find that many respond to them as too confusing and are fearful that their premiums will be increased, which will probably be true for some but not other categories of covered homes.

http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/727932.html

8/30/08

Labor Day boating fun will be missing this year in St. John's River, as much of the river still shows flooding effects of T.S. Fay.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-river3008aug30,0,3267810.story

8/30/08

Boat traffic is re-opened on a now-filled Lake Okeechobee.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/west/epaper/2008/08/29/0829okeechobeewaterway.html  

8/12/08

State Farm has $9 billion "re-insurance" fund to cover claims in future hurricanes: Is it enough?  Some insurance experts say yes, the company says no as it prepares to defend to state regulatory agency its request for homeowners' insurance rate increases averaging 47% statewide and up to 70% in some localities. (Enjoy your property tax cut break, you'll need it to pay your insurance bill.)

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/aug/12/bz-statetoweigh-47-rate-hike/  

7/12/08

Florida gas stations better equipped this year to deal with storm outages as generators mandated by 2006 law are in place in 1100 stations.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/12/na-38-hillsborough-gas-stations-ready-in-event-of-/

7/9/08

Florida's hurricane protection inspection program for homeowners continues as some of its appointments for inspections remain of "hurricane-hardening needs" remain open.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/business/epaper/2008/07/08/a7b_mysafe_0709

5/27/08

South Florida not prepared for prime hurricane time:.  Despite official warnings of a "busy" hurricane season just ahead, Floridians are reacting to two years without hurricanes and their own and the state's budget woes; and are not stocking up on emergency supplies as in previous years.  A contributing factor was the decision of the state not to institute a "holiday" for taxes on such purchases, a decision dictated by the tight state budget.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzhurricane0527sbmay27,0,6226227.story

3/4/08

Insurance companies continue to drop insurance coverage for homeowners in central Florida, including some who have never filed claims.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bizdropped04030408mar04,0,5015282.story

1/13/08

Lawsuits impeding from victims of last week's traffic pile-up on I-4, with Florida highway patrol (for failing to stop traffic into smog area) and fish and wildlife agency (for having started a "burn" in the area) as potential respondents.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/southwest/orl-crashlegal1308jan13,0,3290880.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout

1/11/08

Blame is being assessed for the situation on I-4 near Lakeland after a massive pileup in dense fog and smoke.  Most attention is given to the alleged inadequacy of Florida Highway Patrol officers, only two of whom were patrolling an area "the size of Delaware" at the time and were unable to assess risk of travel on the road, with state legislators calling for a beefing up of FHP troop strength.  Less concern has been expressed about the decision of the state Fish and Wildlife agency to undertake a "controlled burn" in the area, in which the fire spread unexpectedly and sent dense smoke to join with the fog on I-4.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-fault1108jan11,0,3303365.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout

12/12/07

State mandated and funded backup electrical generators are still not running in emergency shelters around Florida.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/12/State/Shelters_lack_backup_.shtml

11/17/07

State denies rate increases for Allstate homeowners insurance, saying the company failed to pass along to its customers the relief to insurers provided by Florida's hurricane disaster insurance fund.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/nov/17/bz-allstate-home-insurance-rate-denied/

10/23/07

Many in south Florida are still without homes 2 years after Hurricane Wilma.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbwilma1023nboct23,0,5466196.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout

9/15/07

Floridians who live on the state's coasts are finding they have to pay a high price in insurance rates to protect their properties as governments tell homeowners, "you're on your own."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/sfl-flarisk0915pnsep15,0,1699571.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout  

8/19/07

150,000 Jamaicans in south Florida mobilize to help those threatened by Hurricane Dean strike against the island.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-flbjamaica0819nbaug19,0,991049.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout

8/14/07

With tropical depressions headed more or less toward Florida, a third of the state's gas stations are still not set up to pump gas when electricity is cut.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-flhlpgas0814nbaug14,0,6290197.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout   

7/7/07

Florida's special needs hurricane centers have thier own special need: generators to power them in an emergency.  Of 70 such centers to address the needs of the handicapped established last year and required to be furnished with generators by the beginning of the hurricane season, only 10 of them will have such facilities by the end of the season.

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBT0LGIT3F.html

6/28/07

Because of various bureaucratic hang-ups, FEMA has delayed for many months the funding of 23 projects in Florida for hurricane protection of government buildings.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/south/epaper/2007/06/28/s1b_FEMA_0628.html  

6/18/07

Many south Florida homeowners are contemplating the risky alternative of opting out of wind damage coverage in their homeowners insurance policies, to combat their unaffordable property insurance rates.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-zwindstorm18jun18,0,6823119.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines  

6/3/07

When it rains it pours; and carves sinkholes into I-95 in south Florida.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/06/03/m1a_RAIN_0603.html  

6/1/07

With 2007 hurricane season starting today, 22 homeowners in Volusia County are still waiting for repairs on their homes generated by the hurricane in 2004.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD01060107.htm  

6/1/07

South Florida supermarkets are prepared for the hurricane season starting today with the installation of new emergency generators to keep food fresh through a storm.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-hlpgrocer01jun01,0,7979704.story?coll=sfla-news-sfla  

5/30/07

Florida wild fires find a new locale: the dried out bottom of Lake Okeechobee.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-plakeo30may30,0,6755131.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

5/26/07

Wildfire hazard in Florida is highlighted by state troopers ticketing or warning drivers who throw cigarette butts outside their vehicles.

http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070526/LOCAL/705260380/-1/news

5/23/07

Many south Florida gas stations not ready for prime time (hurricane season, which starts next week), as they rush to implement or even to understand a mandate that they have backup generators available to pump gas during blackouts.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/helpteam/sfl-hlpgeneratormay23,0,5811330.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines  

5/8/07

Orlando Sentinel presents "photo gallery" of 2007 wild fire season in Florida.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-brushfiremg-050807,0,2731969.gallery?coll=orl-home-headlines

5/4/07

Governor Crist warns that the Floridabrush fire crisis will get worse.  Persistent drought has already resulted in the torching of thousands of acres in Lake and Flagler Counties

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-bk-wildfires05042007,0,6219172.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

5/3/07

Is central Florida burning?  Brush fires rake major parts of Lake, Flagler and Volusia Counties.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-mfire0307may03,0,6703144.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

4/10/07

Bill in Florida legislature would require homeowners to place hurricane shutters on houses as a requirement for obtaining building permits

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/10/State/Shutters_may_no_longe.shtml

3/31/07

New "ultra computer" hurricane-modelling equipment is being touted as a major addition to meterologists' ability to predict accurately the intensity and location of hurricane strikes.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-sintensity31mar31,0,4997283.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines  

3/13/07

Florida communities that invest in tornado alert sirens are embarking on a "risky" venture, according to Seminole County report.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-vsiren1307mar13,0,3840443.story?coll=orl-home-headlines  

2/27/07

Hurricane season begins June 1 and Florida probably won't be ready (again): No Florida county has yet to comply with a state-mandated requirement to have in place a plan to house displaced hurricane victims.

http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGBWD6VTNYE.html

2/20/07

Florida will face by March 15 the possibility that their homeowners insurance will be dropped by insurance companies that have been precluded from so doing in a designated "emergency" period.

http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGBG7LUSDYE.html  

2/4/07

Public debate on the use of tornado warning sirens may be re-kindled after this week's devastating tornado which hit central Florida.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-stormsiren0407feb04,0,1324455.story?coll=orl-news-headlines

2/3/07

FEMA will likely require several days before it determines federal role for relief of victims of tornado that struck central Florida: how much damage occurred and how "overwhelmed" is the state with relief needs.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/weather/orl-stormfema0307feb03,0,5275228.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

2/2/07

Drove my Chevy to the levee and the levee was in my driveway: Residents of small towns along Lake Okeechobee in Florida like Pahokee wait nervously to see whether plans to re-build levies on the lake will take out their homes, some of which are within 150 feet of the lake.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-dike3107jan31,0,1966150.story?coll=orl-news-headlines 

1/31/07

State of Florida is still trying to give away 9 million pounds of ice it stored for emergency relief never needed during hurricane season, which is being stored at cost of $90,000 per month.  City of Mineola is taking truckloads of same for municipal purposes, but now wants the state to pay it $630,000 for the costs of the transportation.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-lfreeice3107jan31,0,5031477.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

1/22/07

Betting the ranch against Mother Nature: Florida legislature reaches agreement on a plan that will enable to homeowners to obtain insurance at lower premium rates but with increased burden of absorbing catastrophic losses.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-session2207jan22,0,6886084.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-state

10/27/06

Pasco and Hernando County homeowners could see 50% reduction in insurance bills to Citizens Corp. if sinkhole coverage could be dropped.

http://www.tbo.com/news/money/MGBYFUKVRTE.html  

8/30/06

Whew is the relevant word in Florida's Keys as people living in trailers because of last year's 4 hurricanes were ill-prepared to sustain damage from Ernesto.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15395085.htm

As storm moves upstate toward Orlando, Miami Herald videos a "surfer's delight" at South Beach.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/  

7/18/06

State Farm Florida reduces its request for increase in homeowners' insurance to "only" a 53% increase, down from the 79% asked in May.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2006/07/18/0718statefarm.html

6/1/06

Scientists say the Florida will be hit hard by hurricanes, rising sea levels and dramatic climate change due to global warming and overlooking its dire threat.

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS01/606010316

5/15/06

Preparing for the last disaster: in South Florida, individuals, businesses and governments are investing in back- up electrical systems and other  expensive preparations for a hurricane as FEMA warns that people are essentially "on their own" for 72 hours after impact. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14581040.htm

5/13/06

Florida homeowners face double-whammy increase in their insurance costs. A surcharge will appear on their bills to pay for state bail-out of state insurance agency, while State Farm will raise rates by average 70% and All State will drop thousands of policies in areas considered especially hurricane-prone. 

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14569018.htm

3/20/06

Should we rebuild on coast? Frantic residential growth occurring in regions still recovering from catastrophic 04-05 Hurricanes

http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/032006/=np5.htm

3/19/06

Gulf Islands National Seashore, fulfilling its "guardian" role for Florida panhandle, has borne the brunt of recent hurricane damage:

http://www.tampatrib.com/MGBE4HNRYKE.html

2/8/06

State officials emphasis importance of individual families in having disaster plans: http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060207/NEWS02/602070337/1011

2/2/06

La Nina's return may mean more hurricanes: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13779156.htm

2/1/06

Hurricane Wilma clean-up still not complete in Miami-Dade: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/13760233.htm  

Other information sources:

FLORIDA LOCALITIES

Websites:

Analysis and views:

Miami:

2/27/10

MUCH HAITIAN CHARITY BEGINS WITH THE TI MACHANN OF LITTLE HAITI IN MIAMI. Street vendors in the marginal economy of Little Haiti are accustomed to spend much of their meagre earnings to support the back-home poverty stricken in Haiti. The earthquake has escalated these demands and Miami Haitians are struggling even harder to help, even though they are leery of the "clipboard" bearing solicitors who many fear to be agents of possible deportation if the vendors are in illegal immigration status.

Fort Lauderdale:

1/24/10

33 wounded Haitian evacuees land at Ft.Lauderdle/Hollywood airport, accompanied by Senator John Edwards.

Key West:

9/8/08

Many in Key West are considering "riding out" a possible Hurricane Ike hit rather than hazard the problems of evacuation and return.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080908/ap_on_re_us/ike_gulf

Debary:

8/28/08

"I've got a house that is worthless because nobody informed me.." Claiming lack of information about houses being prone to flood, this is one of a myriad of complaints  of citizens before their City Council in DeBary FL following extensive flood damage there last week.  These include the city's alleged failure to execute pumping away of flood waters.  A councilman says "we do have a plan" but "it  needs to be looked at again."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-debary2808aug28,0,7146842.story

Naples:

5/30/08

Sable Palm Elementary school becomes evacuation center for people whose homes are threatened by brush fires near Naples FL.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/30/families-wait-hope-they-have-home-return/

Volusia Co.:

4/29/08

Third shark bite incident in three days is reported in Atlantic waters off Volusia County.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-shark2908apr29,0,2496057.story  

Deerfield Beach:

3/8/08

Deerfield Beach FL symposium demonstrates the effectiveness of impact resistant glass in withstanding damage from category 3 hurricane.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbwindow0308sbmar08,0,1186850.story  

Lake Co.:

2/2/08

A year after devastating tornado in Lake County, recovery is a mixed story.  For well-to-do retirees in The Villages, reconstruction is nearly complete.  Not so with many trailer park residents, who struggle to survive and restore their possessions as many of their breadwinners perished in the storm.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-tornado0208feb02,0,6498544.story  

Palm Beach Co.:

11/3/07

Beach erosion reaches crisis proportions in 31 of Palm Beach County's 45 miles of oceanfront beaches.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpcoast1103pnnov03,0,99186.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout 

Tampa:

10/20/07

Tampa firm hired to do hurricane safety inspections on homes is fired for alleged violations in its inspections procedures.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/oct/20/na-a-perfect-storm-of-inspection-violations/

Franklin Co.:

10/18/07

Franklin County middle school students construct model houses and test their "hurricane resistance" by their ability to withstand blasts from leaf-blowers, a popular school science project.

http://comm.emeraldcoast.com/times/news/article.showarticle.db.php?a=3667

Ft. Lauderdale:

8/7/07

FEMA is spending a million dollars to inform 2 million people to whom the agency granted emergency disaster relief funds that it is being required by court order to release their addresses to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's for the newspaper's investigative study of this relief.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-flfema0807pnaug07,0,7469746.story  

Miami:

7/6/07

Conflict grows at National Hurricane Center in Miami as half its staff calls for the resignation of its director.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbproenza0706nbjul06,0,6341280.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Melbourne:

7/5/07

Wrecks of 70 boats destroyed at Melbourne by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 are just now being removed, at taxpayers' expense.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-boats0507jul05,0,7038937.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout  

Orlando:

6/7/07

Most Orlando supermarkets do not have emergency generators ready for operation in case of hurricane blackouts.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/orl-generator0707jun07,0,5981344.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

Broward Co.;

6/4/07

As new hurricane season starts, Broward County still has numerous properties not yet restored by damage inflicted by Hurricane Wilma in October 2005.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-sredtagjun04,0,3140494.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines  

5/23/07

Ft. Pierce

Florida's Treasure Coast (Martin, St.Lucie and Indian River counties) suffered $2.9 billion in 2004 hurricanes and could take another severe hit unless residents move away from the coast and/or shore up the hurricane resistance of their properties.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/05/23/m1a_CANE_STUDY_0523.html

Palm Beach Co.;

5/12/07

The storm before the storm as a pre-hurricane season tropical storm severely damages beaches in Palm Beach County FL.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-perosion12may12,0,3917618.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines  

Bradford Co.:

5/8/07

Bradford County burns and Alachua County chokes Brush fires raging south of Starke cause evacuations of Bradford residents and a thick cloud of smoke in Alachua that has closed 1-75 south out of Gainesville (cough, cough).

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070508/SUNFRONT/705080332

Sarasota:

4/21/07

Sarasota Film Festival debuts showing of "FEMA City," depicting the lives of victims of Hurricane Charley in Punta Gorda FL.

http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/042107/D8OKU1SO4.shtml

Palm Beach Co.:

4/11/07

Wildfires in western Palm Beach County produce driving hazards for travellers in Alligator Alley.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/04/11/s1b_smoke_0411.html

Daytona Beach:

2/28/07

In a "twist," the town of Ponce Inlet near Daytona Beach is eligible for disaster relief from last month's tornadoes, even though it was not hit by the storm, while other Volusia County cities that were hard hit are not eligible.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newEAST02022807.htm  

Orlando:

2/23/07

Orlando Sentinel article describes the "death trap" housing in which Lady Lake mobile home dwellers were living when the tornado ripped through there on Feb. 2.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-tornadoes2307feb23,0,5231585.story?coll=orl-home-headlines  

Orlando:

2/6/07

Central Florida political leaders are cautious about proprosal to install tornado siren warnings to reduce damage like that which swept the area last week.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/weather/orl-stormsirens0607feb06,0,385421.story?coll=orl-home-headlines  

Lady Lake:

2/5/07

"New FEMA" (Gov. Crist's term) looks a lot like the old FEMA to some victims of the central Florida tornado, as the agency sets up "recovery centers" which get mixed reviews for their responding to the needs of residents.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-stormgov0507feb05,0,3098782.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

Daytona Beach:

2/1/07

FEMA offers trailers now in storage to those in Volusia County FL still homeless from the last hurricane.  A GSA official says they are mostly in bad repair and "pretty much uninhabitable."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-fema0107feb01,0,5689112.story?coll=orl-home-headlines  

Palm Beach:

9/27/06

As neighboring Broward County seniors start to receive millions in federal funds to complete repairs from last year's hurricane,. those in Palm Beach County are denied these benefits because the County's application for same thing was lacking in "clarity."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-hlppseniors27sep27,0,6882900.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines  

Cooper City:

9/9/06

Open this garage, I'm seizing your chain-saw!  Cooper City FL residents protest City's plan to confiscate private emergency equipment in event of an emergency.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-sconfiscatesep09,0,5658448.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Miami:

8/11/06

Let a kid do the job: a precocious 15-year-old Miami boy is an "expert-in-training" at NOAA's hurricane-predicting facility.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15247743.htm

Key West:

5/29/06

Many families who survived 2004's Hurricane Wilma in the Florida Keys are still living in FEMA trailers, unable to re-establish permanent residences.  http://keysnews.com/286203244896426.bsp.htm

Ft. Lauderdale:

5/18/06

Helluva job, Brownie! Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel uncovers e-mails from former FEMA director Brown which indicate the agency's pre-occupation with doing "media damage control" in wake of the newspaper's expose about agency funds improperly awarded to Miami-Dade homeowners for the 2004 hurricane that missed the area. 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-fema18may18,0,7761223.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Jupiter:

5/12/06

Wealthy residents of Jupiter Island scoff at the looming threat of hurricane season

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/14555868.htm

Ft. Myers:

3/26/06

Luxury returns to Captiva Island as South Seas Plantation re-opens 18 months after hurricane Charley: the mangrove trees are gone, but the houses have wind-resistant windows: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14201418.htm  

Broward Co. :

3/6/06

Waterfront homeowners  in South Florida lament the loss of their homes in Wilma and point fingers at those felt responsible for non-rehabilitation:  http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14026438.htm

Miami:

2/21/06

Four months after Wilma, hurricane mess is still there at North Bay Village:  http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13921127.htm

Pensacola:

2/2/06

Storms threaten to wash away northwest florida beaches and an economy built on sand: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/erodingcoast/0730.shtml

Ft. Lauderdale:

2/2/06

Lack of highway signs highlight slow hurricane recovery in Broward: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13769304.htm

Miami:

2/1/06

Hurricane Wilma clean-up still not complete in Miami-Dade: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/13760233.htm  

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