Flood insurance program needs update

More than 12,000 property owners in Nevada, including at least 1,400 in Clark County, rely on the National Flood Insurance Program for flood coverage because it is basically the only policy mortgage lenders can accept to meet the federal government’s mandatory purchase requirement. Unfortunately, the outdated program has been hit with wave after wave of claims after major disasters strike, and has been forced to borrow more than $36 billion from U.S. taxpayers…

USVI Hurricane Recovery And Resilience Task Force Issues Report With 2018 Recommendations

The U.S. Virgin Islands Hurricane Recovery and Resilience Task Force on Friday released its initial 280-page report to help guide reconstruction and resiliency efforts in the territory in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. According to a release also issued Friday, the report includes more than 200 recommendations on the USVI’s long-term recovery to improve critical infrastructure and public services and make businesses more resilient to future storms and other natural disasters…

An Entire Island of Vanuatu Is Being Evacuated Due to a Volcanic Eruption, Again

The Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Friday again ordered thousands of people to leave Ambae island as a volcano erupted and filled the sky with ash.

Government lawmaker Ralph Regenvanu said on Twitter that the Cabinet had re-imposed a state of emergency and ordered the compulsory evacuation of the entire island, which was once home to about 10,000 people.

The island was temporarily evacuated last September when the eruption cycle began. Since March, authorities have been encouraging people to permanently relocate by offering residence on two neighboring islands….