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For Myrtle Beach's poorest residents, Hurricane Florence is a reminder of the city’s economic and racial inequality. Many residents cannot afford to invest in risk reduction measures for their homes, and also cannot leave because they cannot afford a car. Their only option is to rely on the bonds they have forged with other community members.
According to a landmark forecast, Hurricane Florence is expected to bring about 50% more precipitation, delivering as much as 20in (51cm) of rainfall in coastal areas, than it otherwise would if human activity had not warmed the planet. This is the first climate change attribution made before a storm actually reaches the shoreline.
In 2012, North Carolina, now in the path of Hurricane Florence, reacted to a prediction by its Coastal Resources Commission that sea levels could rise by 39in over the next century by passing a law that banned policies based on such forecasts. The law was intended to limit increases in insurance costs and decreases in property values.
Puerto Rico has raised the official death toll from Hurricane Maria to 2,975 people – a dramatic increase from the previous figure of 64 – almost a year after the storm struck the island. This is the first official change to the death toll following efforts by journalists, activists and academics to get the government to acknowledge the scale of devastation.
A new report reveals that California’s summer of deadly wildfires and dangerous heatwaves will soon be the new normal if nothing is done to stop climate change. City heatwaves could lead to two to three times as many deaths by 2050 and rising temperatures could lead to up to 11,300 additional deaths in 2050.
Economists warn that extended spells of frigid and baking weather seen during the winter and summer will likely increase household food bills by an estimated £7.15 a month. Wheat is a particular concern, and much of the UK’s grain is imported from Europe, where record-breaking weather has also hit production, with the harvest expected to be 5% down in 2018.
Fears have risen about the condition of infrastructure across Europe after the deadly collapse of a stretch of a motorway bridge in Genoa, with experts warning that some road bridges are in a dangerous state. In France especially, the road network is in a critical state after a recent study carried found a third of its road bridges required repairs and that 841 posed a potential risk.
There are many ways to mitigate the urban heat island effect – while also creating more attractive places to live, work and play. These include: sky gardens, which involve vegetation growth on buildings and roofs; reflective roofs, which contain lighter pigments to deflect solar radiation; water outlets; and dynamic buildings shades, which don't trap sunlight.
Voluntary Commitments
The organization has no registered commitments.
The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.