Take Action to Be Ready and Resilient

America’s first PrepareAthon! National Day of Action is April 30. I encourage organizations and people across the country to participate. America’s PrepareAthon is a new campaign to increase every community’s ability to withstand disasters. In 2012, natural disasters caused more than 450 weather-related fatalities and nearly 2,600 injuries. Every disaster holds the potential to impact health, but most people are still unprepared for emergencies…

 

 

Obama: Nation moved by Boston’s resilience

President Barack Obama on Tuesday joined those remembering the bombing attacks on the Boston Marathon one year ago today, which killed four people and injured hundreds more. Obama released a statement remembering Krystle Campbell, Lingzi Lu, Martin Richard, and Sean Collier and sending his “thoughts and prayers to those still struggling to recover.” The president said, “We also know that the most vivid images from that day were not of smoke and chaos, but of compassion, kindness and strength: A man in a cowboy hat helping a wounded stranger out of harm’s way; runners embracing loved ones, and each other; an EMT carrying a spectator to safety. Today, we recognize the incredible courage and leadership of so many Bostonians in the wake of unspeakable tragedy…

 

10 Innovative Designs Unveiled for Post-Sandy Resilience

Last Thursday, Rebuild by Design’s ten teams presented their final Design Proposals to build resilience in communities across the Sandy-affected region. The proposals are as ambitious as they are innovative, ranging from a comprehensive flood protection plan for Hoboken, NJ to the construction of a new system of barrier islands stretching from New Jersey to Rhode Island. The ten ideas have already begun to catch the attention of residents, policymakers, and big thinkers everywhere, and the competition—which was named one of the Top 10 Ideas of 2013 by CNN—is proving to be a critical innovation lab for coastal resilience…

 

Cost Of Natural Disasters On The Rise, TD Bank Warns

Now, with severe weather events becoming increasingly frequent and costly, economists are urging government policy-makers to consider the long-term benefits of major infrastructure investments. A new report Monday from TD Economics lays out the confluence of factors that is dramatically hiking the cost of natural catastrophes — and the economic indicators that tend to mask the true toll of such disasters. Toss in crumbling public infrastructure that is increasingly likely to fail under severe conditions and experts say it’s high time for a clear-eyed assessment by governments and business…

 

Feeling resilient? Then City Hall has got a job for you

Here’s what the Landrieu administration says the “CRO” will be asked to do: “provide the essential central point of focus within city government and beyond for establishing a compelling resilience vision, driving the conversation about resilience, building and implementing effective resilience strategies, and leveraging the benefits of services of the 100 Resilient Cities network and platform.” Got all that? Good. In fairness, the position isn’t something the Landrieu administration invented. In fact, there soon will be “chief resilience officers” in 33 cities around the world, thanks to grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, which is pumping $100 million into an effort to help cities “prepare, withstand and bounce back” from disasters…

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