Disaster

What is geospatial intelligence? A geographer explains the powerful melding of maps and data

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 5, 2023

The good news, through all of this: Geospatial intelligence has offered valuable insights to help governments and organizations protect communities.

Key Points: 
  • The good news, through all of this: Geospatial intelligence has offered valuable insights to help governments and organizations protect communities.
  • Geospatial intelligence is the collection and integration of data from a network of technologies, including satellites, mobile sensors, ground-control stations and aerial images.

Disasters sudden and slow

    • For example, the National Hurricane Center actively monitors the location, formation and trajectory of tropical cyclones.
    • Detailed information on the timing, location and strength of a given hurricane helps officials distribute resources and personnel, as well as issue storm warnings and evacuation orders.
    • With climate change intensifying extreme weather events, there is likely to be a corresponding increase in threats to human safety and security.

Military and civilian logistics

    • In this way, geospatial intelligence represents an extension of the free press.
    • Another use of geospatial intelligence is in transportation, logistics and global supply chains.
    • Digital twins are being used in many civilian and military settings to improve decision making.
    • Digital twins have been highly effective in conflict settings by simulating weather and terrain to help militaries and peacekeepers develop and enact strategies.

Growing need

    • The need for geospatial intelligence is more important than ever.
    • Average temperature is projected to increase between 2 to 9.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 to 5.4 degrees Celsius) by the end of the century.
    • Whether reconstructing the past, describing the present or anticipating the future, geospatial intelligence provides valuable information to help keep people and communities safe.

Johannesburg fire disaster: why eradicating hijacked buildings is not the answer

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, September 2, 2023

They have placed the blame on the informal occupation of abandoned buildings, a phenomenon known as “hijacking”.

Key Points: 
  • They have placed the blame on the informal occupation of abandoned buildings, a phenomenon known as “hijacking”.
  • They have also blamed immigrant populations who, they say, are the primary residents of such buildings.
  • To solve the problem, they argue, hijacked buildings should be expropriated and redeveloped by the private sector.
  • The rhetoric by politicians and city officials treats the latest tragedy as a freakish problem of hijacked buildings occupied by migrant populations.

A pervasive problem

    • Yet this problem is not limited to hijacked buildings.
    • As these cases show, eradicating “hijacked” buildings would not have solved failures to comply with fire regulations in legally occupied buildings in the city.
    • Nor would eradicating “hijacked” buildings remove the risk of fire posed to low income groups across the city as a whole.
    • But the shack dwellers movement Abahlali Basemjondolo successfully challenged this initiative in the Constitutional Court.

Disposable lives

    • According to the geographer Martin Murray, shack fires underscore the disposability of the lives of the poor.
    • South Africa’s acute levels of inequality and poverty mean that some people can afford to buy their way out of risks while others cannot.

Helping without eradicating

    • Government does indeed have a vital role to play in promoting the right to decent housing for all.
    • A good example is the City of Johannesburg’s recent inclusionary housing policy that obliges developers to include affordable housing in all projects.
    • These and many other measures – rather than the impulse to “eradicate” – are the basis through which society cares for vulnerable people.

All Hands and Hearts Mobilizes Rapid Response for Hurricane Idalia Disaster Relief Efforts

Retrieved on: 
Friday, September 1, 2023

All Hands and Hearts, a global nonprofit, mobilizes rapid response for Hurricane Idalia disaster relief efforts.

Key Points: 
  • All Hands and Hearts, a global nonprofit, mobilizes rapid response for Hurricane Idalia disaster relief efforts.
  • The AHAH team acknowledges the vital role that the public's support plays in facilitating effective disaster relief efforts.
  • By contributing to AHAH's response program for Hurricane Idalia, individuals can actively participate in helping impacted communities recover and rebuild.
  • To support AHAH's Hurricane Idalia disaster relief initiatives, please consider making a donation .

Upbound Group Donates $25,000 to the American Red Cross for Wildfire Relief Efforts in Maui, Hawaii

Retrieved on: 
Friday, September 1, 2023

Upbound Group, Inc. (the "Company" or "Upbound") (NASDAQ: UPBD), a leading provider of technology-driven, flexible leasing solutions for consumers, has donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross to aid in disaster relief for the residents of Maui affected by the wildfires on the Hawaiian island last month.

Key Points: 
  • Upbound Group, Inc. (the "Company" or "Upbound") (NASDAQ: UPBD), a leading provider of technology-driven, flexible leasing solutions for consumers, has donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross to aid in disaster relief for the residents of Maui affected by the wildfires on the Hawaiian island last month.
  • “Assisting those in need within the communities where we operate is part of our core values at Upbound, particularly when people’s lives are affected by disasters,” said Mitch Fadel, CEO of Upbound.
  • “Our contribution will support the American Red Cross and its essential work in providing immediate and ongoing aid to those impacted on Maui by these tragic wildfires.”
    Upbound’s businesses operate more than 2,400 company-branded retail units across the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico, including a Rent-A-Center® store in the city of Kahului on Maui.

Smithfield Foods Delivering 28,000 Pounds of Food to Help Victims of Hurricane Idalia

Retrieved on: 
Friday, September 1, 2023

SMITHFIELD, Va., Sept. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithfield Foods is trucking 28,000 pounds of food, the equivalent of 112,000 servings, to Live Oak, Florida, to provide hot meals to communities devastated by Hurricane Idalia.

Key Points: 
  • SMITHFIELD, Va., Sept. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithfield Foods is trucking 28,000 pounds of food, the equivalent of 112,000 servings, to Live Oak, Florida, to provide hot meals to communities devastated by Hurricane Idalia.
  • Mercy Chefs will serve free, chef-prepared, restaurant-quality hot meals to hurricane victims, volunteers and first responders in western Florida.
  • "The devastation we have already seen from Hurricane Idalia has been tragic, with hundreds of thousands of families impacted by the storm," said Jonathan Toms, senior community affairs manager for Smithfield Foods.
  • "As we respond to Hurricane Idalia, we are immensely grateful for our friends at Smithfield Foods," said Chef Gary LeBlanc, founder and chief executive officer of Mercy Chefs.

National Disaster Resilience Conference to Convene Nations's Experts - Agenda Now Available

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Disaster Resilience Conference (NDRC23) is pleased to announce the dynamic 2023 agenda featuring disaster safety and resilience experts is now available. The conference will take place from November 6-8 in Clearwater Beach, FL.

Key Points: 
  • TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Disaster Resilience Conference (NDRC23) is pleased to announce the dynamic 2023 agenda featuring disaster safety and resilience experts is now available.
  • The conference will take place from November 6-8 in Clearwater Beach, FL.
  • The best and most creative problem solvers in disaster safety have been coming to NDRC for 25 years.
  • Some of the NDRC23 presenters include the following:
    Matt Devitt, Chief Meteorologist - Wink News, Ft Myers, FL
    A Leadership Voices: Media and Weather roundtable discussion will explore meteorologists' critical role in disaster resilience.

How to get federal disaster aid: FEMA is running out of money, but these strategies can help survivors of Hurricane Idalia and the Maui fires get aid faster

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

Residents in communities hit by Hurricane Idalia, the Maui fires or other recent disasters have a long, tough journey ahead.

Key Points: 
  • Residents in communities hit by Hurricane Idalia, the Maui fires or other recent disasters have a long, tough journey ahead.
  • I am a law professor who focuses on disaster recovery and preparedness and has created several legal clinics to assist survivors.

Declaring a disaster

    • The level of damage will determine whether the president approves a major disaster declaration or simply an emergency declaration.
    • That information is then used to determine the extent of the disaster, its impact on infrastructure and the type of aid needed in the request for a federal disaster declaration.
    • Once the federal government issues an emergency or major disaster declaration, individuals can apply for disaster recovery funding.

Documenting the damage

    • Amid the grief and the rush to find temporary housing and rebuild lives, it can be hard to focus on meticulously documenting what was lost and dealing with insurance.
    • As soon as possible, disaster survivors should take photos of the damage and record every affected area of their property.
    • That includes capturing details of damage to structures, personal belongings, vehicles and any medical equipment.
    • FEMA recently amended its policy to also allow affidavits to prove ownership of homes passed down through generations, known as heirship property.

Finding disaster aid

    • People generally have four options for aid: insurance coverage, FEMA benefits, community or nonprofit funding, and private funding, including loans.
    • Disaster survivors must apply for their relevant insurance payouts before FEMA will pay benefits.
    • The agency provides up to $41,000 for housing assistance after emergencies or disaster declarations.
    • To cover the costs that go beyond FEMA’s limits, survivors may need to secure private loans or disaster loans, such as Small Business Administration disaster loans, to bridge the gap.

Community partnerships are crucial

    • Amid the complexities of disaster recovery, the importance of community planning and collaboration cannot be overstated.
    • These disaster recovery centers can be the cornerstone for long-term recovery groups that help a community both recover and build resilience.
    • Five years after Hurricane Maria, community groups were still on the ground in Puerto Rico providing aid and resources to the local community.

CoreLogic: No US States Post Annual Mortgage Delinquency Increases in June

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

To gain a complete view of the mortgage market and loan performance health, CoreLogic examines all stages of delinquency.

Key Points: 
  • To gain a complete view of the mortgage market and loan performance health, CoreLogic examines all stages of delinquency.
  • U.S. mortgage performance remained exceptionally strong in June, with both overall delinquency and foreclosure rates at or near historic lows.
  • “The national mortgage delinquency rate remained at a historic low in June,” said Molly Boesel, principal economist for CoreLogic.
  • For example, two Florida Gulf Coast communities continued to post annual increases in serious delinquency rates in June, nine months after the property damage from Hurricane Ian in September 2022.”
    No U.S. states posted year-over-year increases in overall mortgage delinquency rates in June.

The Salvation Army Aiding Those Affected by Hurricane Idalia

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) teams are beginning to meet the needs of Florida communities affected by Hurricane Idalia and the life-threatening storm surge it brought to the coast. Before the storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on August 30, trained disaster relief personnel, including more than 35 mobile feeding units, were put on standby to begin serving immediately after the storm passed. Officials have stated that, due to wind damage and substantial storm surge, many affected areas will be difficult to access for weeks to come.

Key Points: 
  • Officials have stated that, due to wind damage and substantial storm surge, many affected areas will be difficult to access for weeks to come.
  • "The Salvation Army will continue to serve communities affected by emergency disasters, just as we have since 1900," said Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder, National Commander of The Salvation Army.
  • Supply Distribution: The Salvation Army disaster warehouse in Tampa, Florida, was stocked with critical emergency relief supplies, such as food, water, clean-up kits, and baby supplies.
  • Those who are able to donate can do so through a variety of convenient methods:
    Venmo: @SalvationArmyUSA and use the keywords Hurricane Idalia, Hurricane, or Idalia
    To learn more about The Salvation Army's disaster relief efforts, click here .

Catholic Charities USA prepares to provide disaster relief to communities impacted by Hurricane Idalia

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Idalia brings catastrophic, life-threatening conditions to communities in Florida and Georgia, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), the official domestic relief agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S., has launched a dedicated disaster donation page .

Key Points: 
  • ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Idalia brings catastrophic, life-threatening conditions to communities in Florida and Georgia, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), the official domestic relief agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S., has launched a dedicated disaster donation page .
  • One hundred percent of all donations will support families and individuals impacted by Hurricane Idalia.
  • To make a gift today in support of families and individuals whose lives have been upended by Hurricane Idalia, please visit the CCUSA Hurricane Idalia relief donation page .
  • One hundred percent of all donations will be allocated to local Catholic Charities agencies, which will provide critical relief – including shelter, food and other humanitarian needs – to members of their communities.