A home destroyed during the landfall of Superstorm Sandy is pictured in Mantoloking, New Jersey March 22, 2013.  Credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

reuters.com - by Barbara Liston - September 24, 2013

(Reuters) - More than a million homeowners living in older houses along the coastlines and riverbanks of the United States are being jolted by federal flood insurance rate hikes under a law passed in the wake of devastating storms.

Carol Giovannoni, 51, of St. Pete Beach, a barrier island community off Florida's west coast, is one of the people dreading October 1, when the law takes effect. Giovannoni said the annual flood insurance premium on her standard 1950s concrete-block, ranch-style home on the waterfront will jump from $1,700 to $15,000 over the next few years.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012

submitted by Gina Angiola

climatechangecommunication.org

This report present findings from a survey mailed to over 2,000 adults about public perceptions and policy preferences regarding the health implications of energy choices and climate change in Maryland. The report can be downloaded here (44 page .PDF report):
Public health, energy and climate change: A survey of Maryland residents, summer 2013.

Akerlof, K., Maibach, E. W., & Mitchell, C. S. (2013). Public health, energy and climate change: A survey of Maryland residents, summer 2013. Fairfax, VA: Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University; Baltimore, MD: Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Survivors of Hurricane Katrina arrive at New Orleans Airport where FEMA's D-MAT teams have set up a medical hospital and where people will be flown to shelters in other states.New Orleans is being evacuated as a result of floods and damage caused by hurricane Katrina. Photo: Michael Rieger/FEMA

asianfortunenews.com - by Jewel Edwards - July 24, 2013

In the wake of the Boston Bombings and a rash of destructive tornadoes in the Midwest, emergency preparedness is arguably more important in the U.S. than ever. Resilient DC is working to construct a framework by which communities in the Metropolitan area can map their assets, organize, and respond to disasters before they strike. The program is particularly helpful to ethnic and cultural minorities, who need more assistance navigating the chaotic environment that large scale catastrophic events bring about.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Under Governor O'Malley's leadership, Maryland set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

WATCH LIVESTREAM OF TODAY'S (JULY 25TH) CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT HERE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF PLAN

ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS REGARDING MARYLAND CLIMATE CHANGE PLANS

A Philip Merrill College of Journalism Investigative Project

INTERACTIVE MAP HERE

This map shows which areas in Maryland could be underwater at different levels of sea level rise and storm surge. It also shows the demographic characteristics of those areas based on census data. NOAA storm models predict that a major hurricane could bring up to 30 feet of storm surge in the Chesapeake Bay and along Maryland's Atlantic coast. Loading times may vary, please allow time for each layer to load before adding additional layers.

The Sea Level Rise buttons on the map display impacts based on U.S. Geological Survey topographical data. The effect of local man-made structures such as seawalls is difficult to determine and not included in the calculations. The precise impact of rising sea levels on individual addresses is hard to predict. The Census Data button on the map displays information from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-year census block group estimate data set. The median margin of error is 14 percent for the value of housing and for the year the structure was built.

inhabitat.com - by Yuka Yoneda - July 12, 2013

It's already hurricane season - would you be ready if another Superstorm Sandy hit today? If you hesitated for a moment, you might be one of the many who meant to prepare for the next big storm but then just got sucked into the daily grind and forgot. The good news is that there's still time to gather up the essentials so that you'll be ahead of the game for the next hurricane instead of having to fight some lady for the last pack of batteries at Duane Reade. Read on for the 12 important items you should have at home in case of an emergency situation like a serious storm or other natural disaster. . .

Event Website: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/CHIDSWHITE/

November 15-16th, 2013
Washington Marriott at Metro Center
775 12th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

About the Workshop on Health IT and Economics (WHITE):

Submitted to HUD on June 10, 2013......

...Based on damage assessments conducted by the Federal government and the declaration that Somerset County was eligible for Individual Assistance, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) was allocated $8,640,000 to undertake recovery efforts in the County under the first tranche of funding.

In order to receive this funding, the State is required to submit an Action Plan which is an Amendment to the State’s Consoldiated Plan. The Consolidated Plan is a five-year planning document required by HUD that sets out overall State wide goals and priorities for housing, community development, and economic development activities. Special emphasis is given under the Plan to provide assistance for extremely low, low, and moderate income persons. A substantial amendment is made to the Consolidated Plan when certain conditions are met, including the award of disaster relief funding.

Based on consultation with local government officials in Somerset County, the highly impacted municipality of Crisfield and other local stakeholders, the State has decided to do, as HUD allows, a Partial Action Plan, which will allocate $4.4 million of the $8.6 million at this time......

June 26, 2013 6:40 PM

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)—It’s coming and Maryland better get ready. That’s the thrust of a scientific report on sea level rise commissioned by Governor Martin O’Malley.

Alex DeMetrick reports what began in the 20th century is speeding up in the 21st.

When Hurricane Sandy hit last October, storm surge produced destructive flooding, especially in Crisfield.

“My building took a big beating. It’s the worst I’ve seen,” said one Crisfield man.

“Clearly, Crisfield took it the hardest in terms of sea level rise and the tidal surge,” said Governor Martin O’Malley.

And a sea level study is what Governor O’Malley commissioned after Sandy. The finding: more rising water along Maryland’s 3,000 miles of coastline....

FULL ARTICLE WITH VIDEO CLIP HERE

— Jun. 24 2:20 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A silver lining frames the cloud of destruction left by Superstorm Sandy. In their hour of greatest need, families and communities — not the government — were the most helpful sources of assistance and support....

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Following Hurricane Ike, many towns in Southeastern Texas were destroyed or significantly damaged, in ways similar to Sandy-impacted areas in Somerset County. Inhabitants that had been in these beach communities for generations no longer could afford to rebuild under the economic burdens of new federal and state guidelines. The homes that were rebuilt cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the homes that were there before.

Five years later, towns are beginning to re-emerge in Southeastern Texas, but with different demographics and new cultures. The attached story and video hint at what is emerging in Southeastern Texas, but say nothing about who was displaced, where they are, and how they are doing today.