Environmental Issues : Natural disaster |
Contributions of human agency to disasters such as hurricanes, fires and mine disasters. Disaster relief, the adequacy of public and private responses.
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
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Analysis & views: 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. 8/18/07 Hurricane Dean gathering deadly intensity as it targets Yucatan and Gulf drilling rigs off coast of Mexico. 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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Analysis & views: 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. 6/23/08 "Sand boils" in levees are a new source of flooding threat in Illinois along the Mississippi River. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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: 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
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Analysis & views: 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. 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. 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. 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." 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. 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. 5/30/07 Florida wild fires find a new locale: the dried out bottom of Lake Okeechobee. 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. 5/8/07 Orlando Sentinel presents "photo gallery" of 2007 wild fire season in Florida. 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 5/3/07 Is central Florida burning? Brush fires rake major parts of Lake, Flagler and Volusia Counties. 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. 3/13/07 Florida communities that invest in tornado alert sirens are embarking on a "risky" venture, according to Seminole County report. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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
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FLORIDA LOCALITIES
Websites:
Analysis and views: 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. 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. Melbourne: 7/5/07 Wrecks of 70 boats destroyed at Melbourne by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 are just now being removed, at taxpayers' expense. Orlando: 6/7/07 Most Orlando supermarkets do not have emergency generators ready for operation in case of hurricane blackouts. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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." 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." 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. 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. 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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