Category:

Disaster & Management

More US industries depend on weather tracking

About one-third of the U.S.’s $18 trillion gross national product is generated by industries vulnerable to changes in the weather. There were 14 weather events that caused at least $1 billion in damages in the U.S. last year, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. That’s more than the 6.2 per year average from 1980 to 2018.

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NYC Mayor proposes $10B plan to flood-proof Manhattan as Climate Risk grows

President Donald Trump’s skepticism that climate change is the result of carbon-dioxide emissions from the use of fossil fuels means that the city can’t rely on federal funds unless someone else occupies the White House, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Climate scientists overwhelmingly consider such emissions as the driver of rising global temperatures.

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California considers insurance to help with wildfire costs

The most populous state should follow the lead of Oregon, the World Bank and the Federal Emergency Management Agency after outspending its emergency fund in seven of the last 10 years, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Treasurer Fiona Ma said.California spent nearly $950 million two years ago, about $450 million more than was budgeted and by far the highest annual amount. It spent about $677 million last year, as wildfires again swept through cities, suburbs and more rural areas.

California has experienced 11 of the top 20 most destructive fires in its history since 2007.

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Weather catastrophes drive majority of $225 billion economic cost of natural perils in 2018 – Aon report

Of that total, private sector and government-sponsored insurance programs covered USD90 billion of the total – the fourth-highest year on record. This means the protection gap, which is the portion of economic losses not covered by insurance, was 60 percent and at its lowest level since 2005.

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IMD working to give forecast on thunderstorms 6-12 hours in advance

M Rajeevan from the Ministry of Earth Sciences said this year the IMD plans to have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place for dealing with thunderstorms instances and it will be working more closely with the National Diaster Management Authority (NMDA). Sending early warnings to states will give them more time to respond, he said, adding the system should be in place by April. 

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