Caribbean countries and the United States launch the US-Caribbean Resilience Partnership
At a recent meeting of ministers and disaster management officials from the United States and 18 Caribbean countries a new ‘US-Caribbean Resilience Partnership’ was officially launched.
The US-Caribbean Resilience Partnership aims to improve resilience to natural disasters in the Caribbean region and involves the following initiatives:
Weather Information-Sharing and Storm Surge Mapping: the United States, through funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will roll out storm surge mapping to additional countries in the Caribbean, enabling governments to assess and mitigate flooding risks from tropical cyclones and tsunamis. The United States, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…
Spring Memories of Why We Must Protect Wetlands and Streams
Wetlands and streams are personal to me. I grew up wading through wetlands in Northern New York, seeing and smelling skunk cabbage growing near streams before the snow was fully melted, and uncovering crayfish under rocks in the little streams near our house. That’s why it has been difficult for me to write about the Trump Administration’s destructive proposal to dramatically reduce the scope of Clean Water Act (CWA) protection of wetlands and small streams by redefining what constitutes “waters of the U.S.”
I grew up with a long leash, and I’m grateful for that today. There were six of us and my mom was seriously outnumbered. In the summer, we woke up early, had a quick breakfast and went out for the day. We explored our surroundings, wandered until we encountered electric fences we were too scared to test, and came back for lunch. In the afternoons, we swam and continued our outdoor explorations for hours until we got hungry. The little streams and wetlands were ever-present, and I couldn’t tell you then or now which were “ephemeral,” “intermittent” or “perennial,” terms that only took on meaning for me 40 years later….
