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Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12)

Wed, 2013-11-27 09:27 — debbiefook

http://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance-reform-act-2012

 

Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012

 

In July 2012, the U.S. Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) which calls on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other agencies, to make a number of changes to the way the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is run. Some of these changes already have occurred, and others will be implemented in the coming months. Key provisions of the legislation will require the NFIP to raise rates to reflect true flood risk, make the program more financially stable, and change how Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) updates impact policyholders. The changes will mean premium rate increases for some—but not all—policyholders over time. Homeowners and business owners are encouraged to learn their flood risk and talk to their insurance agent to determine if their policy will be affected by BW-12.

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Nov. 18: Controversial Predictions of the 5th Climate Report

Sat, 2013-11-09 15:19 — Gina Angiola
Date: 
Monday, November 18, 2013 - 18:00 to 20:00

Local & Global Impacts of Extreme Weather: 

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Reinsurance Association of America's Senate Testimony on Climate Change

Sat, 2013-10-05 17:08 — admin

On July 18, 2013, Frank Nutter, President of the Reinsurance Association of America, testified before the Senate Committee on Environment Protection and Public Works as to the RAAs perspective on weather and climate-related impacts in the United States.

 

Following are excerpts from his report:

"In the 1980’s, the average number of natural catastrophes globally was 400 events per year. In recent years, the average is 1000. Munich Re’s analysis suggests the increase is driven almost entirely by weather-related events. North America has seen a fivefold increase in the number of such events since 1980. In comparison, Europe has seen a twofold increase.

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Urban Resilience in an Era of Climate Change: Global Input for Local Solutions

Thu, 2013-09-12 21:18 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

nyc.gov

The National Park Service, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the City University of New York, and Natural Areas Conservancy are pleased to announce the Urban Resilience in an Era of Climate Change: Global Input for Local Solutions symposium at Kingsborough College, Brooklyn on October 17-18, 2013.

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As Storm Recovery Continues, Looking to the Future

Fri, 2012-11-02 19:55 — Maeryn Obley

GOES-13 satellite image captured on Oct. 31 at 1240 UTC. Credit: NASA GOES Project.

Image: GOES-13 satellite image captured on Oct. 31 at 1240 UTC. Credit: NASA GOES Project.

sciencefriday.com - November 2nd, 2012

Communities along the East Coast are reeling from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, dealing with electric outages, flooded streets, damaged sewage plants, and fractured transportation lines. Can cities rebuild stronger, more resilient infrastructure to weather the storms of the future?

(LISTEN TO STORY AT WEBSITE)

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The battle against Big Energy's rush to ruin our planet

Fri, 2012-11-02 19:30 — Maeryn Obley

One plume of oil from BP's 2010 Deepwater Horizon well blowout produced a slick 22 miles long and a mile wide. Photograph: Ted Jackson/Times Picayune/AP

Image: One plume of oil from BP's 2010 Deepwater Horizon well blowout produced a slick 22 miles long and a mile wide. Photograph: Ted Jackson/Times Picayune/AP

guardian.co.uk - October 31st, 2012 - Daryl Hannah

Extreme killer superstorms, historic drought, vanishing sea ice, an increase in ocean acidity by 30%, the hottest decade on record and mega forest fires have increasingly become our new reality.

"That's all happened when you raise the temperature of the earth one degree," says author Bill McKibben, "[t]he temperature will go up four degrees, maybe five, unless we get off coal and gas and oil very quickly." Additional temperature rises could compromise our safety and cause incalculable damage from a large number of billion-dollar disasters in coming years – if we don't address our emissions, insist upon an appropriate climate policy and curtail the rogue fossil fuel industry.

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Sandy forces climate change on US election despite fossil fuel lobby

Thu, 2012-11-01 21:37 — Maeryn Obley

Currie Wagner looks over the debris from his grandmother Betty Wagner's house, destroyed by Sandy, in New Jersey. Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

Image: Currie Wagner looks over the debris from his grandmother Betty Wagner's house, destroyed by Sandy, in New Jersey. Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

guardian.co.uk - October 31st, 2012 - Bill McKibben

Here's a sentence I wish I hadn't written – it rolled out of my Macbook in May, part of an article for Rolling Stone that quickly went viral:

    "Say something so big finally happens (a giant hurricane swamps Manhattan, a megadrought wipes out Midwest agriculture) that even the political power of the industry is inadequate to restrain legislators, who manage to regulate carbon."

I wish I hadn't written it because the first half gives me entirely undeserved credit for prescience: I had no idea both would, in fact, happen in the next six months.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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In Hurricane’s Wake, Decisions Not to Evacuate Hospitals Raise Questions

Thu, 2012-11-01 21:25 — Maeryn Obley

Patients are taken to ambulances outside of Bellevue Hospital during an evacuation on Oct. 31, in New York. Bellevue Hospital continued to evacuate its patients on Wednesday after flooding inundated the basement and knocked out electricity. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

Image: Patients are taken to ambulances outside of Bellevue Hospital during an evacuation on Oct. 31, in New York. Bellevue Hospital continued to evacuate its patients on Wednesday after flooding inundated the basement and knocked out electricity. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

propublica.org - November 1st, 2012 - Sheri Fink

At 9:30 p.m. Monday, Eugene Tangney burst into a meeting of doctors at the command center for Long Island's North Shore-LIJ hospital system. Ceiling tiles creaked in the wind and television screens showed images of Hurricane Sandy slamming into New York City.

"NYU called," Tangney said. "They want to evacuate. I don't know how to help them right now. They're in a panic mode."

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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It's Global Warming, Stupid

Thu, 2012-11-01 19:34 — Maeryn Obley

Hurricane Sandy churns off the coast of Florida as a line of clouds associated with a powerful cold front approaches the U.S. East Coast on Oct. 26, 2012

image: Hurricane Sandy churns off the coast of Florida as a line of clouds associated with a powerful cold front approaches the U.S. East Coast on Oct. 26, 2012

businessweek.com - November 1st, 2012 - Paul M. Barrett

Men and women in white lab coats tell us—and they’re right—that many factors contribute to each severe weather episode. Climate deniers exploit scientific complexity to avoid any discussion at all.

Clarity, however, is not beyond reach. Hurricane Sandy demands it: At least 40 U.S. deaths.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Hurricane Sandy's Economic Damage Could Reach $50 Billion, Eqecat Estimates

Thu, 2012-11-01 19:25 — Maeryn Obley

huffingtonpost.com - November 1st, 2012 - Matthew Craft

Widespread power outages and subway shutdowns may wind up making Superstorm Sandy the second most expensive storm in U.S. history, according to the forecasting firm Eqecat. That would rank it right behind Hurricane Katrina.

Eqecat said Thursday that the damage from the storm will likely be far worse than it previously predicted, largely a result of Sandy hitting the most densely populated area in the country.

The firm doubled its previous estimate for the total bill and now says Sandy may have caused between $30 billion and $50 billion in economic losses, including property damage, lost business and extra living expenses.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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