Resources / Articles from the Week of 10/12/2020

Resources

See GAO: Disaster Recovery: COVID-19 Pandemic Intensifies Disaster Recovery Challenges for K-12 Schools GAO-21-62R   Since 2017, more than 260 major disasters were declared—many of which disrupted K-12 schools and students’ lives. Now, these challenges are compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Local education officials in disaster-affected areas said the pandemic exacerbated mental health issues, delayed recovery projects, and more. Officials said student mental health was a top priority but services needed to treat disaster-related issues were not readily available.  The U.S. Department of Education awarded nearly $1.4 billion to help schools recover from these disasters. Some local officials said the pandemic made it difficult to use these funds

Resources to Help You Protect Communities from Wildfire (US Fire Admin) The United States is seeing a very active wildfire season and it shows no signs of slacking off. Responders need all the tools they can to plan response and track incidents in their areas.

• InciWeb is a great interactive mapping resource available from the U.S. Forest Service to show where wildfires are burning in areas close to your location, allowing you to better prepare your community for wildfire safety. It serves as both a trusted reporting tool for public affairs specialists and as a single source of incident-related information for the public. Official announcements include evacuations, road closures, news releases, maps, photographs, and basic information and current situation about the incident. 
• Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) The U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) webpage offers a collection of resources for you to learn more about wildfire response and management, whole-community involvement and training. This includes information on how to do all these things safely during the pandemic as well as links to other community risk reduction resource

Podcasts: Engineering With Nature (US Army Corps of Engineers) To mark the 10^th anniversary of Engineering with Nature, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created a 10-episode podcast series to share stories of how communities are harnessing the power of nature to innovate, solve problems, and create sustainable solutions. A new episode is posted each Wednesday through Oct. 28, 2020.

Training: IAEM Certification Cohort Class (IAEM) IAEM is offering U.S. local, state/territory or tribal emergency managers the opportunity to apply to have their IAEM CEM^® fees waived. Eligible candidates will be selected through a random lottery. Follow the hyperlink to check your eligibility and apply.

Maintaining Healthcare Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic (HHS/ASPR) The Technical Resource, Assistance Center, Information Exchange (TRACIE) produced a series of videos to create the collection “Maintaining Healthcare Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” now available through its Speaker Series. Speakers share how their organizations are focusing on healthcare safety during the pandemic and the solutions to system-based issues and concerns. The presentations are for healthcare workers in all settings but focus on hospital-based providers. TRACIE is part of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). ASPR TRACIE maintains a large collection of information related to COVID-19 response, much of which are applicable to pre-hospital response.

Articles

voAll-Hazards:

Hope to Action: Special Children’s Needs Post-Disaster (Dom Prep)

Natural Disasters May Push Global Finances to the Brink (Scientific Am)

Hurricane Irma Caused 400 Senior Deaths in Florida (US News)

Shift Needed From ‘What the Weather Will Be’ To ‘What the Weather Will Do’ (UN News)

Slow Relief, Deep Divide in Hurricane Housing Recovery (Next City)

UN: “Staggering” Rise in Climate Emergencies in last 20 Years (HS Newswire)

Unveiling the Accuracy of Tsunami Predictions (Phys.org)

Bmore Responsive: Home-Grown Emergency Response Coordination (CGN)

Iowa Derecho This August Was Most Costly Thunderstorm Event In Modern U.S. History (NPR)

Resilience:

Is The Risk Of Sea Level Rise Affecting Florida Home Prices? A New Study Says Yes (NPR)

Insuring Public Buildings, Contents, Vehicles, and Equipment Against Disasters (RAND)

Detroit Aims To End Basement Flooding and Cut Water Pollution with Sponge-Like Medians (Det Free Press)

Public Health / Biosurveillance:

National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, 2020-2025 (HHS)

HHS Selects Third Pilot Site to Demonstrate Better Approach to Disaster Medical Care (Dom Prep)

Feds Have Cut Anti-COVID Workforce by More Than 60% (Defense One)

FDA Approves Immazeb as First Treatment for Ebola Virus (Homeland Prep News)

FDA Commissioner Maps Out Route to Request COVID-19 Vaccine Approval (Homeland Prep News)

Critical Infrastructure & Cyber:

Boiling Point: Climate Change Is Wreaking Havoc on the Power Grid in Ways You Never Knew (LA Times)

Hydrology Data Tool Helps Manage Water Resources, Protect Infrastructure (HS Newswire)