This message was sent to ##Email## November 2, 2017   |   Home  |   About  |   Membership  |   Education & Training  |   Resources  |        TOP NEWS FEMA chief: Feds spending $200 million a day on hurricane, wildfire recovery The Hill The federal government is spending an estimated $200 million per day on recovery efforts following a trio of hurricanes and a severe wildfire season, a top official said Tuesday. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long told senators that the agency still has “numbers coming in” about the costs associated with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as the wildfires in western states.  READ MORE What is the Stafford Act and why might it be making disaster relief worse? Federal News Radio After the U.S. and its territories were slammed by natural disasters ranging from catastrophic hurricanes to deadly wildfires this year, one law is coming to the forefront of emergency response talks: the Stafford Act. The nearly 29-year-old bill was created to bring a systematic way for the federal government to assist state and local governments during a natural disaster.  READ MORE    SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Travelers Public entities are planning to use drones in many ways Many public entities discuss cyber coverage with their agents, but remain unprepared Travelers’ insights for public entities: managing the risks of smart technology for transportation and mobility. Law enforcement risks are front page news, and body-worn cameras are here to stay. Are you cyber-prepared? Put your data and network security to the test.   Rethinking the role of the private sector in disaster relief Homeland Security News Wire Natural disasters have filled the news in recent months, occurring so frequently that they seem to intimate apocalypse: wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes. Global damages from disaster continue apace — currently pegged between $250-300 billion per year. But as national and international media coverage of these events recedes, the local effects persist — often for years. Small businesses, which account for the vast majority of enterprises in the U.S. and employ half of the private-sector workforce, are particularly vulnerable when disaster strikes.  READ MORE New approaches to response, recovery and resilience Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience As emergency managers, we plan for the unexpected. That’s what we do. But when we look at the world around us — no matter what country — we see that we are not making our lives any easier. We need to understand the difference between a hazard and a disaster. In July 2017, Alaska experienced a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that was a natural hazard but it was not a disaster. Why? Simply put, the very low population density in the hazard area meant that the earthquake had very little impact on people or property. Contrast that with Hurricane Harvey and even the heavy rains in Louisiana in 2016. These hazards resulted in significant disasters because they affected the built environment and vulnerable populations.  READ MORE     .  SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT     What happens to the internet after a disaster? New York Magazine It’s often easy to imagine the internet as a frivolous amenity. But when the most important thing is to communicate your plight to authorities, relief workers, and the outside world, reconnecting to the internet can become as important as food or clean drinking water — especially because you might not be able to get the latter without the former.  READ MORE Northern California wildfire recovery may take years, officials say Voice of America Sonoma County officials said Saturday that it would take at least months and most likely years to fully recover from devastating wildfires that ripped through Northern California this month, destroying at least 8,900 structures and killing 42 people.  READ MORE   Excess Liability Insurance exclusively for Public Entities States Self-Insurers Risk Retention Group, Inc provides quality, cost-effective excess liability coverage and superior, personal service to our public entity owners in order to promote a long-term risk management partnership. MORE   How long will Facebook be your company's friend? By Emma Fitzpatrick If you're like most businesses, Facebook plays an integral role in your marketing. It's the place you go to build and maintain relationships with followers. It's where you drive traffic to your newest blog post. It may even be your main platform for customer acquisition. But what if that all stopped? That's exactly what happened recently to businesses and news outlets in Bolivia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Serbia, Slovakia and Sri Lanka.  READ MORE    MISSED AN ISSUE OF RISKWATCH? VISIT AND SEARCH THE ARCHIVE TODAY. Harvey caused more than $74 million in damage to flood control infrastructure Emergency Management Hurricane Harvey caused more than $74 million in damage to Harris County flood control infrastructure, a number that's likely to continue to grow as officials continue to assess the scope of the storm's devastation. The Harris County Flood Control District said it has identified more than 500 needed repair projects over 150 miles of county waterways, including fixes to sinkholes, damaged pipes and concrete and erosion that could threaten homes and inhibit the ability of channels to manage floods.  READ MORE Museums are better prepared than most Americans to survive the next natural disaster Grist When Superstorm Sandy ripped through New York City in October 2012, it did not discriminate. At the construction site of the new Whitney Museum of American Art, chief operating officer John Stanley recalls "mechanical equipment bobbing like corks" in the floodwaters. And at the Rubin Museum of Art, a few blocks uptown, and upland, the museum lost power — a necessity for preserving the artifacts from environmental damage — and the backup generators weren't enough to keep the facility running. "We thought if we do lose power, in the history of New York City, it would be for a day or two," executive director Patrick Sears says. "No one really anticipated we could go without power for a week."  READ MORE 10 ways to foster innovation through diversity leadership By Simma Lieberman In this business era of speed, competition and globalization, innovation rules all. Good diversity management and culturally intelligent leadership can make the difference between repeatedly hearing mediocre ideas from the same people, or mining the hidden genius in your organization. Conversely, not knowing how to access that genius or motivate employees to be creative will eventually make you and your products commodities, competing for lower prices.  READ MORE    TRENDING ARTICLES Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most. 2 simple steps to handle stupidity (By Catherine Iste) Houston ranked as one of the riskiest places to live in the country for natural disasters (Houston Chronicle) Congress approves $36.5 billion disaster aid for Puerto Rico, wildfires and hurricane relief (Emergency Management ) California needs to rethink urban fire risk after wine country tragedy (The Conversation) US warns of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure (Computer Weekly) Don't be left behind. Click here to see what else you missed.   PRIMA Risk Watch Connect with PRIMA Recent Issues | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Advertise | Web Version  Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469-420-2601 | Download media kit Natalie Thomas, Assistant Executive Editor, 469-420-2635  | Contribute news Public Risk Management Association 700 S. 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