Government and Business Leaders Sharing Perspectives About Post-Harvey Housing Recovery Needs in 2018 Cities from Jacksonville to Gary, IN are embracing the importance of public-private partnerships for resilience. This is important for multiple reasons. Here are just three to consider: Access to more skills, resources, and competencies. Threats like hurricanes, tornadoes, or pandemics affect everyone. No single organization is good at everything. Partnerships enable community leaders to deploy more resources and know-how. Better coordination. There's a common saying in emergency management ..read more

(Shout out to our friends at the ,Tin Shack Bakery in Puna, who hung tough during the Kilauea eruption and helped a lot of other people too) The short answer is because small businesses and non-profits (which are businesses too) are vital for community resilience and development. Imagine a community without a Main Street. A few houses sited in an area is not a community. It might be a good neighborhood, but it's not self-sustaining. People have to go elsewhere to get groceries, look for jobs, or have a central place to gather. Likewise, in many low income zip codes, and even low income countr ..read more

An Israeli firefighter kneels to compose himself after he and his colleagues extinguished cars set on fire by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, Israel, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) There is no justification for October 7. Israel suffered their worse day of loss since the Holocaust. The Hamas thugs killed babies, mothers, and concert goers like Shani Louk. They bear responsibility for the pain and suffering that they have caused, not just to Israel, but to their own people. But the future cannot be like the past. To promote Israel's future security, Israel nee ..read more

Hard to believe that it’s been five years since the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) started the current research cycle. We have been focusing on why and how disasters affect various aspects of human communities, including: 2018 – the impact on small towns and rural communities through the lens of Hurricane Harvey 2019 – the life cycle of small business recovery through the lens of the Thomas Fire 2019 – the need for state-level economic resilience strategies through the lens of the two back-to-back thousand-year floods in Maryland 2021 – ways that large metro areas can overcome t ..read more

Photo: ,BBC In July 2021 in South Africa, riots broke out in Durban, across the KwaZulu-Natal province, and greater Johannesburg. They appeared initially to be a spontaneous reaction to the former President, Jacob Zuma, being arrested and sent to jail for contempt of court. In reality, they were part of a carefully inspired and led insurrection against the sitting President, Cyril Ramaphosa, by the Zuma family and its (mainly Zulu) political allies. The riots lasted a week, with fires, looting and killing on a massive scale, leading to 300 deaths and thousands of buildings and businesses gutt ..read more

Though every ecosystem is facing climactic challenges, Alaska is warming three times faster than the rest of the world. The state is often referred to as the “ground zero” of climate change. This is showing up in multiple ways, from rapid habitat changes to noise pollution and increasing food insecurity. To better adapt to these challenges, policy makers should take advantage of Alaskan Indigenous knowledge and include these community voices in future mitigation and adaptation strategies. As the climate warms, sea ice is melting at rapid rates, allowing for the use of previously inaccessible ..read more

While storms are seasonal, you need to be prepared for extreme weather events year-round. Here are eight ways to reduce how much they disrupt you, your family, or home. Know What to Expect. If you have just moved to a region, investigate local weather patterns and ,learn what severe weather your new region experiences. Sign up for ,local weather alerts to get the most recent and verified information for your area. Know where shelter can be found during severe storms and what routes will be used in case of evacuation. Look for signs in your local area that point toward ,evacuation routes or d ..read more

Keeping a close eye on the weather can help you prepare for hurricanes and tropical storms, but when a storm is on the way, it may be too late. These storms create dangerous conditions that can cause property damage and even loss of life. That’s why every household should prepare before hurricane season hits with these tips from the ,Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD). Planning Ahead Enable ,severe weather alerts on your smartphone so you know when a storm is on the way. Create ,a family evacuation plan. Practice escaping from your home in the event of a flood and identify multiple ..read more

Hurricane insurance is typically not a standalone policy, but rather, a combination of different policies, such as homeowner’s and flood insurance. In 2020, 27% of homeowners reported having flood insurance. However, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) estimates that this number is even lower, as homeowner’s versus flood insurance and what each one covers can be hard to fully understand. Get the facts straight and know your homeowner’s policy front to back before peak hurricane season. Many of the questions below can also be asked regarding flood insurance. Ask your insurance agent th ..read more

Perhaps this is the year that environmental and climate policy makers put innovation at the center of the global climate agenda. Despite Rio, Kyoto, Paris, and the rest of the 27 UN COP Summits, the predominant climate narrative is depressingly and consistently negative. To keep below warming temperature targets, the world would need to cut carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 to stay on course. Now the IPCC reports that it is likely that the world will exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold within 10 years. Meanwhile, a quarter of all natural disaster-related costs over the last 40 years have ha ..read more