Emergency Management has published an interesting story on using so-called “Messaging Systems” as a means of quickly reaching residents during emergency events. These messaging systems can contact people through various means including phone or email depending on how they’re set up. While these are generally proprietary systems and aren’t free, the community profiled in this […]
Archive | National
Texas Town Tightens Development Rules
The City Council of Galveston, Texas recently approved new beach-front construction regulations. The new rules push new development 75 feet back from the north toe of dunes, or 350 feet from the mean high-water line, whichever line is farther landward. They are seen locally as a compromise with some wanting stricter regulations while others did […]
County Uses FEMA Funds for Innovative Infrastructure Reconstruction
Good case study from Arkansas on a county using FEMA Public Assistance (PA) 406 Mitigation funds to pay for post-storm recovery using a relatively innovative technique: When technical advice from a Public Assistance Specialist recommended using a geo-textile to stabilize the embankment and make the road more resilient once repairs were completed, Lafayette County’s Emergency […]
FEMA Releases New Mobile Website
Want FEMA assistance from your iPhone, Blackberry, or other smart phone? FEMA head Craig Fugate announced the launch of FEMA’s new mobile website, m.fema.gov. FEMA says that the “mobile website makes it easier to access critical information regarding emergency preparedness and what to do before and after a disaster right on a smartphone.” So far, […]
When Life Gives You Lemons: Galveston Turns Storm Damage Into Art
The City of Galveston (Texas) has taken a novel approach to cleaning up some of the 40,000 stumps left over from Hurricane Ike’s 2008 visit: carving them into sculptures. So far about 20 of them are serving as tourist attractions (and hopefully reminders of the storm’s devastation). UPDATE: Speaking of devastation, the Chronicle is reporting […]
Eight Hurricanes, Fifteen Tropical Storms for 2010 Forecasters Say
The leading storm forecasting team at Colorado State University is predicting eight hurricanes and fifteen tropical storms for this year’s hurricane season. “While patterns may change before the start of the hurricane season, we believe current conditions warrant concern for an above-average season,” researcher William Gray said. Not good news. “U.S. forecaster sees increased 2010 […]
When Are My New Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) Going to be Ready?
FEMA has released a list of all communities scheduled to have new Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) go active during 2010. WARNING: the list isn’t particularly reader-friendly. I’d recommend downloading it, then doing a search for the name of your community in the document. If it appears, look at the top of the table on […]
National Flood Insurance Program Expires (Again)
At the same time that parts of New England are threatening to float away from record-breaking floods, Congress allowed the National Flood Insurance Program to expire for the second time this year. As legislators won’t be reconvening until April 12th, the program looks likely to sit in limbo for a couple of weeks (at least). […]
How Does Coastal Alabama's Risk Compare to Our Neighbors?
Great interactive map from the NOAA Coastal Services Center quickly tells you for any state: Population growth of the Coastal Flood Hazard Area (CFA) Percentage of people living in the CFA who are: Living below the poverty line Over 65 years old What percentage of the state’s total land area is within the Coastal Flood […]
New FIRMs Tested in Massachusetts
The Boston Globe has an interesting article on how the updated National Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) did in last week’s floods there. In a word: well. This wasn’t good news to many who were sure the the updates, which had designated their properties as high flood risk, were wrong. Some were even fighting to […]