The National Flood Insurance Program: Factors Affecting Actuarial Soundness

Congressional Budget Office
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/106xx/doc10620/11-04-FloodInsurance.pdf
[From the Director's Blog] “In 2005, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), experienced an unprecedented volume of claims resulting from hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Total payments on those claims were greater than the total for all of the program’s previous years combined and led [...]

The Wrath of God : Macroeconomic Costs of Natural Disasters

World Bank / by Claudio Raddatz
http://tinyurl.com/yh2eemu
[Abstract] The process of global climate change has been associated with an increase in the frequency of climatic disasters. Yet, there is still little systematic evidence on the macroeconomic costs of these episodes. This paper uses panel time-series techniques to estimate the short and long-run impact of [...]

Natural Disasters : Thinking Beyond Immediate Response

Brookings Institution. Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement / by Elizabeth Ferris
http://tinyurl.com/yzjhzgv
[Summary] The tragic earthquake in Sumatra, the tsunami in Samoa and the typhoon that hit the Philippines are just the latest in an increasing number of natural disasters. Last year alone natural disasters affected over 200 million people, killing 16,000 and displacing close to 50 million. Elizabeth Ferris [...]

Disaster Recovery : Experiences from Past Disasters Offer Insights for Effective Collaboration after Catastrophic Events

General Accountability Office
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09811.pdf
[From summary] In the wake of the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, coordination and collaboration challenges created obstacles during the government’s response and recovery efforts. Building on GAO’s September 2008 report which provided several key recovery practices from past catastrophic disasters, this report presents examples of how federal, state, and local governments have effectively collaborated [...]

Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes in the United States

Congressional Research Service
http://opencrs.com/document/R40097/
[Abstract]  Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affect communities across the United States every year,  causing fatalities, destroying property and crops, and disrupting businesses. Tornadoes are the most destructive products of severe thunderstorms, and second only to flash flooding as the cause for most thunderstorm-related fatalities. Damages from violent tornadoes seem to be increasing, similar to [...]

Public Health Preparedness and Response to Chemical and Radiological Incidents : Functions, Practices, and Areas for Future Work

Rand Corp. / by Tom LaTourrette, Lynn E. Davis, David R. Howell, Preethi R. Sama, David J. Dausey
http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR719/index.html
[Abstract] One area of public health emergency preparedness that has not been examined in depth is preparedness for incidents involving the release of chemical or radiological substances. Past experience — with chemical and nuclear plant accidents, train collisions, [...]

Addressing the Challenge : Recommendations and Quality Criteria for Linking Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change

United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security / prepared by Jörn Birkmann and Korinna von Teichman
http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/LIB/DHLRefWeblog.nsf/dx/30072009113442AMCEMLAS.htm
[This report] reveals existing limits and challenges to link disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.  In addition, the report outlines key recommendations and quality criteria in order to further enhance the promising use of potential synergies and [...]

Weathering the Storm : Measuring Household Willingness-to-Pay for Risk-Reduction in Post-Katrina New Orleans

Department of Economics, Appalachian State University / by Craig E. Landry, Paul Hindsley, Okmyung Bin, Jamie B. Kruse, John C. Whitehead and Kenneth R. Wilson
http://econpapers.repec.org/paper/aplwpaper/09-18.htm
Abstract: The city of New Orleans suffered extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina overwhelmed the natural and built environment, inundating the city. As rebuilding proceeds, decisions on investment [...]

Cost Estimate : S. 1288 Emergency Management Assistance Compact Grant Reauthorization Act of 2009

Congressional Budget Office
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/105xx/doc10506/s1288.pdf
[From summary] S. 1288 would authorize the appropriation of $4 million a year over the 2010-2012 period for grants to administer and coordinate activities under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). This compact enables member states to provide assistance to each other during disasters and specifies the general structure for such assistance. [...]

FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program : Overview and Issues

Congressional Research Service
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34537/
[From summary]  Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM), as federal law and a program activity, began in 1997. Congress established a pilot program, which FEMA named “Project Impact,” to test the concept of investing prior to disasters to reduce the vulnerability of communities to future disasters. P.L. 106-390, the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, authorized the PDM [...]