Disasterology: August 2021
This newsletter is a compilation of recent disaster ~things~ that I think are cool, important, or otherwise of interest to people who are intrigued with disaster (broadly defined).
There’s a little something for everyone!
Hello Friends!
Last month’s newsletter was just an excerpt of my book so we’ve got some catching up to do! This newsletter will cover July & August. Please brace yourselves.
The State of Emergency Management
The state of emergency management is… reading Disasterology: Dispatches From The Frontlines of The Climate Crisis. I’ve loved hearing about your adventures in getting the book and reading it. Disasterology seems to have taken up residence in EOCs across the country and, by my count, has reached 4 of 7 continents! If you haven’t picked it up yet you can read a review from USA Today here, order it here, or get it as an audiobook here.
On to the news…
If you feel like we have been bombarded with one disaster after another it's because we have. Everyone seems to be struggling to keep up with some just resorting to lists like this one: “Here are the 6 major regions literally on fire right now”. Here’s a rundown of the past two months (apologies in advance for any I may have missed).
There was flooding in Omaha, and Tropical Storm Fred brought flooding and tornadoes across the east coast. There was extensive flooding throughout western North Carolina with a death toll so far of five. The northeast was hit with Henri which made landfall in Rhode Island and caused extensive flooding primarily in New York and New Jersey. At the same time, the most deadly flood of the month occurred in Tennessee. As of today, the death toll stands at a shocking 18 people.
The wildfires in the United States- particularly the Dixie fire- have been unyielding. There has been so much loss. I was particularly moved by this Eulogy for Greenville. There was another round of extreme heat in the pacific northwest. Arguably the biggest disaster in the U.S. continues to be COVID with parts of the country turning a deep red yet again. ICUs are full and politicians are bannin schools from requiring masks. Millions of people are refusing to get vaccinated. This coverage of Missouri and Tennessee are both infuriating reads. Orlando had to reduce water usage so liquid oxygen could be redirected to COVID patients. Managing COVID in southwest Louisiana has been especially difficult as they’ve had to do so in the midst of recovering from multiple other disasters. It’s a mess.
Then there was the 8.2 earthquake off the coast of Alaska which triggered tsunami evacuations. Thankfully there was minimal damage but, as the strongest earthquake experienced in the U.S. since 1964, it was a reminder of our very serious earthquake risk.
There were a weird few days last month where it seemed like every subway around the world flooded simultaneously. The flood that really captured international attention, though, was Germany which we just learned was up to nine times more likely because of climate change. There were notable floods in Turkey and Cameroon as well. Wildfires burned in Siberia, Greece, Turkey, and Algeria. The earthquake in Haiti (followed by Grace) was particularly devastating and the death toll continues to grow. Grace then continued on to Mexico making landfall as a category 3.
NASA, a group of people who definitely did not read the room, announced there is a slightly greater chance than previously believed of an asteroid the size of the empire state building hitting earth 100 years from now. So at least we have that to look forward to.
In an effort to end this deeply depressing start to the newsletter on a positive note-- New Zealand shut shit down.
~MEME~ Break:
(This meme originated from this incredible photo taken by Jessica Rinaldi for this story in the Boston Globe that isn’t about disasters but is about an extremely badass 101-year-old Maine lobsterwoman which we also love.)
The IPCC Report
Part one of the IPCC Report (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) dropped this month! The report is essentially a synthesis of research findings on climate change which ideally should help guide global policymaking. You can learn more about the purpose of the report in this video or this article and why it’s important.)
The findings can most quickly be summarized in the notorious words of Dr. Kimberly Nicholas “It’s warming. It’s us. We’re sure. It’s bad. But we can fix it.” Watch this video for a seven minute summary of the key findings. Or read the report yourself.
The report feels particularly timely as there has been discussion in recent weeks over whether we are experiencing the consequences of climate change more quickly than climate science has led us to expect. Most simply, the IPCC report is a dire reminder of what emergency managers will be dealing with in the decades to come which is why it was excellent to see FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell discussing the findings. (Part II of the report, which comes out next year, will also be especially important for emergency management as its focus is adaptation.)
I wanted to highlight just one small part of the report-- attribution. You may have noticed in recent years when a climate-related disaster occurs there is often a research study that comes out a few weeks/months later that explains how that particular event was related to climate change. This methodology of extreme weather attribution has been evolving over the past 20 years and, excitingly, has advanced to the point it can be completed very quickly.
For example, following the pacific northwest heat wave earlier this summer researchers were able to identify the connection to climate change while the heat wave was still happening. Their finding: the extreme temperatures would have been “virtually impossible” without man-made climate change. This research has transformed how we are able to discuss climate change and its relationship to individual disasters. This research also opens the door, potentially, for huge legal implications in the future.
Although the report is depressing it does underscore that we can change course. It does not have to be this way. As Dr. Katharine Hayoe wrote “we must act so we can feel hopeful”.
Shall we end this with a laugh? McSweeney’s has some “Studio Notes on The UN Climate Report”
The Book of the Month:
“Angry Weather: Heat Waves, Floods, Storms, and the New Science of Climate Change” by Dr. Friederike Otto
I do love a theme so it only makes sense that this month’s book recommendation is about weather attribution. This book focuses on how they determined climate change’s role in Hurricane Harvey but also explains what the profound implications of this work could be. Dr. Otto is the associate director of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University and was a lead author on the IPCC report. Last month I had the pleasure of being on a panel with her and climate activist Oladosu Adenike to discuss extreme weather which you can watch here. You can read more about her team’s work here.
The Disasterology Monthly Newsletter gives this 10/10 stars.
You can buy the book here.
Important Disaster-Related Media Coverage This Month:
This media coverage round up covers both July and August. A few articles defied being categorized by a single phase:
San Francisco Chronicle. A Vietnamese refugee served as one of California’s inmate firefighters. Then the state gave him to ICE
E&E News. Historic Floods Fuel Misery, Rage In Detroit
Southerly. Offshore oil and gas worker fatalities are underreported by federal safety agency
And one that feels too cool to put with the stories below:
Gizmodo. Meet the Unlikely TikTok Star Who Hunts Wildfires From the Top of a Mountain
Response
The Texas Tribune. Texas enabled the worst carbon monoxide poisoning catastrophe in recent U.S. history
The Washington Post.[Photos] ‘We can’t catch a break:’ California’s brutal wildfires are exhausting firefighters
The Conversation.Report from Europe’s flood zone: researcher calls out early warning system gridlock amid shocking loss of life.
PBS NewsHour.California prison inmates become a critical resource for fighting wildfires.
The Fuller Project.Female ‘Hotshot’ Firefighters Want Action on Reproductive Health Risks
KQED.‘Breathing Fire’ Profiles the Incarcerated Women on the Front Lines of California’s Wildfires
Grist.The Dixie Fire is moving too fast for California’s emergency alert systems
PBS. We don’t know exactly how many people are dying from heat -- here’s why
The New York Times. Pandemic Aid Programs Spur a Record Drop in Poverty
Southerly. Toxic floodwaters threatened a Florida jail. Nearly 800 were locked inside.
San Francisco Chronicle. This SF woman convinced 1,270 people to get vaccinated. Here’s her secret.
LastWeek Tonight. Emergency Medical Services
Grist.COVID left Portland’s homeless population in crisis mode. Then the heat wave hit.
CBS News. ‘The fires are outpacing the resources’: Western wildfires take toll on firefighters
Mitigation
Texas Observer. Communities of Color in Houston will Face Another Hurricane Season Without Adequate Flood Control
The New York Times. Biden Announces Record Amount of Climate Resilience Funding
The New York Times.In the Infrastructure Bill, a Recognition: Climate Change Is a Crisis
NBC News. Three states take half of FEMA’s new disaster fund. Hundreds of communities receive nothing.
The New York Times. A Battle Between a Great City and a Great Lake
CNN.FEMA funeral assistance tops $1 billion to families of Covid victims.
The Washington Post.Where America’s developed areas are growing: ‘Way off into the horizon’
NPR.Who Will Pay To Protect Tech Giants From Rising Seas?
National Geographic.Here’s what makes earthquakes so devastating in Haiti
The Washington Post.Louisiana needs sand to rebuild its coast. Old oil and gas pipelines are blocking the way.
The Hill. Climate change is only one driver of explosive wildfire seasons -- don’t forget land management
The New York Times Magazine.The Long, Slow Drowning of the New Jersey Shore
The New York Times. In Charleston, S.C., Saving Historic Homes Means Hoisting Them in The Air
Audubon Magazine. This Ambitious Project Aims to Rebuild Lousiana’s Vanishing Coastal Wetlands
Scientific American. Walling Off One Coastal Area Can Flood Another
Bangor Daily News.Urban heat even affects small cities. Biddeford is doing something about it.
Recovery
The New York Times.Devastated by Disasters, Lake Charles Is Still Waiting for Help
The Washington Post.Americans in Lake Chales, La., are frustrated. We need aid now.
The Counter. Millions of felled trees, shade loss, and ‘volunteer corn’: how last year’s catastrophic derecho made Iowa more vulnerable to climate change.
Houston Chronicle.Houston homeowners say state is coercing them to build smaller homes with Harvey funds.
Los Angeles Times. California’s climate nomads: The 2018 Camp fire left them homeless, struggling to survive
DeSmog.Tribal Leaders Raise ‘Serious Concerns’ About Plans to Turn Their Shrinking Louisiana Island Home Into a ‘Sportsman’s Paradise’
Democracy Now.Climate Profiteering: $13.5B Trust for California Fire Victims Funnels Funds to Lawyers & Consultants
The Washington Post.‘The real damage’: Why FEMA is denying disaster aid to Black families that have lived for generations in the Deep South
NPR. Why FEMA Aid Is Unavailable To Many Who Need It The Most
The Advocate.Calcasieu Parish finally has a hurricane recovery plan. Now comes the hard part: finding funding.
Preparedness
The Hollywood Reporter. Feds Ask: Should Netflix Air Emergency Alerts?
Sierra Magazine.Wildfires Have Changed. Why Hasn’t Firefighting?
CNN.The official hurricane forecast track could be confusing the public
Grist.As wildfires worsen, more California farms are deemed too risky to insure
PBS NewsHour.California may spend billions on permanent relief shelters as sweltering heat blankets the state
The New York Times. Athens Is Only Getting Hotter. Its New ‘Chief Heat Officer’ Hopes to Cool It Down.
Weird Disaster Thing
Barenaked Ladies wrote a song called “New Disaster” which I’m deeply unsure about but figured we should discuss. Ed Robertson said the song “is about the distraction of modern politics coupled with the pressures of the 24-hour news cycle. It seemed like the Nostradamus predictions of new disasters were getting worse and worse, even after we recorded the song.” Really into the anti-profit-driven media narrative but I’m not sure “Nostradamus predictions” is fair given how this newsletter started. What do I know… it’s art! Or something...
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