12 October 2017 (UN News) – Recent devastating natural events – from hurricanes in the Caribbean to floods in South Asia and earthquakes in Mexico – have again shone a spotlight on the importance of efforts to reduce disaster risk, and how impossible it is to achieve global development goals without addressing such hazards.“If you […]
13 October 2017 (United Nations) – Sudden onset disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and tropical cyclones, are likely to displace nearly 14 million people worldwide each year, warns a United Nations-backed study released Friday – International Day for Disaster Reduction.“This is an important baseline against which we can measure progress in reducing disaster risk. […]
WASHINGTON, 12 October 2017 (Associated Press) – President Donald Trump lashed out at hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico on Thursday, insisting that federal help will be limited and blaming the U.S. territory for its financial struggles. The broadside came as the House headed toward passage of a $36.5 billion disaster aid package, including assistance for Puerto Rico. […]
By Eliza Barclay and Alexia Fernández Campbell 11 October 2017 (Vox) – Death tolls are the primary way we understand the impact of a disaster. And for nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, as a humanitarian crisis was intensifying, the death toll was frozen at 16.“Sixteen people certified,” Trump said on 3 […]
By Daniella Diaz 12 October 2017 Washington (CNN) – President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that Puerto Rico is going to have to shoulder more responsibility for recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria, saying the federal government’s emergency responders can’t stay there “forever.” His comments — in which he also blamed the beleaguered island for a financial […]
By Manuel Roig-Franzia and Arelis R. Hernández 11 October 2017 YABUCOA, PUERTO RICO (The Washington Post) – Late each night, Rafael Surillo Ruiz, the mayor of a town with one of Puerto Rico’s most critical ports, drives for miles on darkened roads, easing around downed power lines and crumpled tree branches — to check his […]
WASHINGTON, 9 October 2017 (Reuters) – Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello said on Monday he ordered an investigation of water distribution on the hurricane-battered island and warned that there would be “hell to pay” for mishandling of the supplies. In an interview with CNN, Rossello said drinking water supplies have been restored to roughly 60 […]
By Rebecca Leber 3 October 2017 (Mother Jones) – The former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief has some advice for the Trump administration after back-to-back hurricanes in the past month: You have to look at climate change science if you want smarter disaster relief.Drawing on eight years of experience leading FEMA under President Barack Obama, […]
7 October 2017 (United Nations) – Having seen first-hand the destruction wrought by the recent hurricanes in the Caribbean, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday called for the full mobilization of the international community to support the people of the affected areas, while stressing the need to accelerate climate action.“I have just witnessed a […]
By Evan Halper 4 October 2017 (The Los Angeles Times) – Interior Department manager Joel Clement figured his new bosses in the Trump administration might disapprove of his climate-change-focused work protecting Alaskan villages from rising seas. But the reassignment slip Clement received in June stunned him. He was not only removed from his post as […]
