Social media posts predict economic recovery after natural disasters

Experts at the University of Bristol are describing how social media can be used to track economic recovery after natural disasters, including as the COVID-19 pandemic.

By charting social media data that coincided with three global natural disasters, the researchers were able to accurately estimate the downtime and recovery of small businesses across affected countries.

Traditional methods for acquiring economic recovery estimates, such as interviews and surveys, can be very time-consuming and expensive…

 

Tornado And Wildfire Season Will Be More Treacherous Because Of Coronavirus. Here’s Why.

Topline: As severe weather season (March through August in the United States) continues, an uptick in natural disasters—including wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding—would challenge disaster relief plans, especially community shelters, because of the social-distancing mandates caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Natural disaster relief often depends on close, in-person contact with those affected by the crisis, but as The Washington Post reports, coronavirus fears are leading states to engage in a complicated risk-benefit calculus.

In Alabama, for example, where a tornado recently ripped through Colbert County, officials released a statement, saying, “The decision to seek shelter in a community storm shelter is certainly made more difficult by the consideration for COVID-19. At this time, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is recommending that your first priority should be to protect yourself from a potential tornado.”…