Search
Results for " "
Displaying 15 of about 6309 resultsWhen the power goes out on a cold winter night, some people head to a hotel. Others huddle around a fireplace bundled up in hats and blankets.But after a blizzard knocked out the power at Katrin Klingenberg’s home in Illinois, her house stayed warm and comfortable.Klingenberg: “I was sitting in my living room in a T-shirt, and outside it was negative 40…
This research analyzed Twitter communications about wildfires and smoke from 2022 authored by institutional public health and environmental accounts in Washington and Oregon. This study compared Tweeting patterns over time, in connection with potential wildfire smoke exposure, and evaluated communications based on whether they encouraged the adoption of…
As Hurricane Ernesto is approaching the US Gulf coast, it is important to recall how preparedness is the key to saving people. The arrival of Hurricane Ernesto coincides with the one year-anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that killed more than a thousand people in New Orleans partly because of a lack of preparedness and emergency transport measures.
Family homes with a room built atop the garage are common across the U.S. In an earthquake, these buildings risk collapse, but they are not currently covered by most local seismic regulations.Early in the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake shook Los Angeles. At the Northridge Meadows Apartment complex, a three-story struct…
The increasing number and intensity of wildfires in the Western U.S. are overshadowing other achievements at reducing emissions, aggravating air pollution and increasing disease and mortality, according to a new study led by University of Maryland researchers.Published on Monday in The Lancet Planetary Health, the paper analyzes the long-term relationsh…
The U.S. has sustained 373 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2023). The total cost of these 373 events exceeds $2.655 trillion.2023 in progress…In 2023 (as of December 8), there have been 25 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 bi…
This publication details how eight counties in Southeast Texas formed a non-tax authority flood control partnership to provide a forum for communication, create a regional database and improve flood modeling, early warning, and flood mitigation decisions. This partnership is able to successfully deploy and manage an early warning flood system network at…
Wildfires, pushed by powerful winds, raced through Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 8 and 9, 2023, leaving a charred and smoldering landscape across the tourist town of about 13,000 residents that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. At least six people died, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen told reporters. Others were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after g…
The disappearance of the ephemeral lake has made earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault even more unpredictable. In the arid expanse of what is today Southern California, a vast lake once waxed and waned. Lake Cahuilla spanned thousands of square kilometers before drying away to nothing and then reappearing in a decades-long cycle that repeated ov…
Residents who experienced direct harm from Oregon’s 2020 wildfires are more likely to take steps to mitigate their fire risk in the future, an Oregon State University study found.They’re also more apt to participate in community-helping activities like donating to and volunteering with emergency response groups after wildfires.Disaster preparedness acti…
Daily climate and health care utilization data from Virginia illuminate the health care costs of extreme heat, which amount to approximately $1 billion every summer when extrapolated nationally.Introduction and summaryHot summer days have always posed a risk of health complications, but climate change is causing an increase in prolonged periods of extre…
This paper explores the history and prehistory of tsunamis in the Hawaiian archipelago, while proposing methods to narrow the gaps in our current understanding of their impacts. The Hawaiian Islands have a long history of destructive and deadly tsunamis from both distant and local sources. Gaining a more detailed understanding of the historical record o…
A data set on seismic and tsunami hazards of a coastal Oregon town has received a 2023 DesignSafe data set award, given in recognition of the data set's diverse contributions to natural hazards research.The resort town of Seaside, Oregon (pop. 7,115) was chosen as the focus of study that modeled community response in the crosshairs of potential disaster…
This nature-based solution involves creating up to 20 acres of engineered oyster reefs and up to 30 acres of salt marshes to attenuate wave action and help protect the vulnerable coastline and critical infrastructure from erosion. The project also provides ecological uplift through oyster repopulation, habitat enhancement and improved water quality.Abou…
[...]A disaster declaration by the president could allow states to be reimbursed for taking action that could save lives — such as opening cooling centers, distributing water and checking in with residents door-to-door. States could also ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to launch an emergency response, such as supplying medical teams or round…