Private insurers pulling out

Private insurers are deciding not to write policies in the gulf states, California, and New York. This is leading to an increase of homeowners using state-funded programs, and a heated debate on the role of government in protecting property owners from disaster.

from the Washington Post

An overlooked utility problem

In the face of all the other infrastructure needs the region faces, sewerage has largely been overlooked. A new study commissioned by the Washington DC nonprofit Water Environment Federation details the problems.

from the Times Picayune

download the report

Mosquito fish to the rescue

Thousands of temporarily abandoned properties in the city provide many places for mosquito larvae to develop. Activists and scientists are responding by colonizing these water bodies with a small fish that feeds on the larvae.

from the Times Picayune

LRA approves rebuilding plan

The Louisiana Recovery Authority has approved the final draft of a plan for rebuilding hurricane-stricken areas.

from the Times Picayune

Pump status

This graphic summarizes important data about New Orleans area pumps, including a comparison of their capacity before Katrina and now.

from the Times-Picayune

Psychological water marks

The effects of the disaster on the minds of children are deep and long lasting, psychologists say.

from ABC news

Clearer messages

There was discussion at the meeting of the American Meteorological Society meetings that more clarity and transparency in language about hurricanes is necessary so that individuals and government officials can better make decisions about risks.

from Reuters via MSNBC

Care shortage

Federal officials have confirmed what local residents know, declaring Orleans parish as a professional shortage area for primary, mental, and dental health care. This will put in place incentives to bring health professionals to the area.

from the Times Picayune

Two stories

According to testimony before Congress, a soon-to-be-released federal report will blame most of the post-Katrina flooding on overtopping of levees, not levee breaches. This claim was hotly contested by other testimony.

from the Baton Rouge Advocate

Diversions

Scientists at a meeting on diversions urge further study of their impacts and uses.

from the Baton Rouge Advocate

New Orleans on its mind

This interview with a Geologist compares the situation in the Sacramento River Delta with the Katrina disaster in New Orleans.

from the NY Times

Lessons from 1906

Can New Orleans learn from San Francisco's legendary recovery?

from Newsweek

Evacuee health

Families displaced by Hurricane Katrina are suffering from mental disorders and chronic conditions like asthma and from a lack of prescription medication and health insurance at rates that are much higher than average, a new study has found.

from the NY Times

Raising homes

In the first specific directive about rebuilding, it appears that new FEMA guidelines will require many rebuilt homes to be raised higher off the ground.

from the Washington Post

from the Times Picayune

FEMA's Flood Recovery Louisiana webpage

get the flood zones map

get the current floodmap

examples of rules for raising

Suit to stop below sea level development

An environmental group in California sued on Tuesday to block the city of Oakley's plan to allow 4,000 new homes on land that is behind levees and 6 feet below sea level.

more from the SF Chronicle

Changes at Red Cross

Red Cross has announced changes to its disaster response and preparedness campaign.

from the Washington Post

If it hits Delaware

The Army Corps has released vulnerability maps for parts of the Atlantic coast, suggesting that a hurricane strike there could cause serious damage.

more from The News Journal, DE

Changes at FEMA

Dept of Homeland Security chief Chertoff announced reforms in the way FEMA will respond to disasters.

more from the Washington Post

Skepticism falls as levees rise

Outside engineers formerly very critical of the Army Corps of Engineers rebuilding of New Orleans area levees are now more postitive.

more from the NY Times

State of emergency

With more rain adding to river volume of melting mountain snows, which also will increase river volume, Gov. Schwarzenegger delared an emergency in 7 counties threatened by flooding.

more from the Washington Post

Unwelcomed to the Neighborhood

According to Aldrich, an assistant professor in the political science department at Tulane University, post-Katrina New Orleans is fertile for the social phenomenon known as NIMBY ("Not In My Back Yard"). In dealing with the immediate needs for temporary housing and debris clearing--along with concerns for long-term redevelopment--citizens and civic leaders are often in conflict about the best solutions.

"New Orleans needs to bring in workers to fill jobs, but that will require new housing, often in the form of trailer parks," says Aldrich. The NIMBY mentality results from the conflict of "focused costs" and "diffused benefits." Those living within the immediate locale of a such a project typically receive less benefit and have more risk, than the portion of the community that lives farther away.

read more at Tulane's New Wave Publication

Rebuilding cash may not arrive until fall

State officials announced yesterday that, due to delays in congressional appropriations, state aid for rebuilding will not be available until at least the late summer.

more from the Times Picayune

High lead in soils

EPA reported yesterday on 14 sites in New Orleans where they have found high levels of lead in the soil. This problem goes back well before Katrinaaa.

more from the Times Picayune

Corps makes announcements

Two announcements regarding New Orleans' levees came from the Army Corps of Engineers yesterday:

Armoring won't be ready this summer

Design flaw in levee structure

Patchy recovery

Although 40% of the city's population is back, only slightly less than 10% of it's businesses are open.

more from the NY Times

Is the US ready for another disaster?

Time Magazine asks this question in a recent article.

read more

Another reason for sinking

A new study published in the Geological Society of America's Geology journal suggests that faults under southeast Louisiana may causing more subsidence in the region. Roy Dokka of Louisiana State University says that the Michoud fault's slumping has been the cause of as much as 73% of the subsidence in eastern New Orleans.

more from the Washington Post

Active Season

Colorado State University scientists are predicting another above-average hurricane season. Warm waters in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, and a weak La Nina in the Pacific will fuel the storms.

more from the Times Picayune

read the Scientists' Report

Raising levees, raising price tag

The Army Corps issued information today about raising levees to meet updated protection requirements. This explains the new, $5.9billion rise in costs for the levee system.

more from the Times-Picayune

Energizing the Neighborhoods

When residents gather to talk about rebuilding plans for the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans, which still does not have drinking water or electricity for every residence, their meetings are full of hope and visions of a better future.

read more

Wetlands rising

Tulane's Green Club is helping to rebuild the wetlands around the region

read more