This message was sent to ##Email## December 7, 2017   |   Home  |   About  |   Membership  |   Education & Training  |   Resources  |        TOP NEWS Wind is the culprit in 2017's horrific wildfire season Los Angeles Times More than drought or heat, winds can determine whether California burns or doesn’t. October’s devastating Northern California wildfires exploded on a night when Diablo winds raged across parts of eight counties, tossing embers into Santa Rosa and ultimately claiming 44 lives. Southern California managed to escape major wildfires during the final years of the state’s big drought because the Santa Anas didn’t blow much. But this year is different.  READ MORE Good and bad news for Houston's post-Harvey rebuilding efforts By Michelle R. Matisons Recovery efforts are still underway after the devastating hurricanes and wildfires in late summer and early fall. For all of the rebuilding efforts in California, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and Texas, the phrase "one step forward, two steps backward" is rather fitting. Now that the scope of the problems has sunk in, innovative solutions are on the horizon. Consider Puerto Rico's post-Maria foray into solar power, or California's engagement with production-scale home rebuilding.  READ MORE    SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by ACL Services Ltd. [eBook] 7 key trends in enterprise risk management [Whitepaper] How to master risk with data-driven GRC [Report] How a government organization recovered $2.9 million in vendor overpayments using technology [eBook] How to combat government fraud, waste and abuse: A focus on government programs   FEMA staffers told they might be billed for working too much Bloomberg The Federal Emergency Management Agency has informed employees who’ve worked extra hours battling a record wave of natural disasters in 2017 that they may have to pay back some of their overtime. Federal law caps some federal employees’ premium pay and permits agencies to recover money paid in excess of the maximum from future paychecks. FEMA says the extraordinary year of hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters means it may have to take that step.  READ MORE Do we need a new hurricane scale? Gambit Meteorologists have long been aware of the limitations of the Saffir-Simpson scale, which ranks from 1 to 5 a hurricane's strength and the danger it poses, based on maximum sustained wind speed. Critics, meteorologists and the public know that hurricane danger is not limited to the speed of the storm's cyclonic winds.  READ MORE Top emergency management official: Hit the 'reset button' on disaster recovery roles Route Fifty State and local governments should own the disaster recovery process by creating integrated, outcome-based mitigation plans like Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s administrator said Thursday at a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill.  READ MORE    MISSED AN ISSUE OF RISKWATCH? VISIT AND SEARCH THE ARCHIVE TODAY.     .  SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT     Space technologies key to risk reduction UNISDR A number of meetings and declarations in recent weeks have emphasized the importance of space technologies in supporting UN Member States to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the global plan to reduce disaster losses by 2030.  READ MORE Wildfires emphasize need to improve emergency alert systems Emergency Management At a legislative hearing in Sacramento Monday, officials agreed that resiliency and redundancy were lacking in local emergency communication systems across the state.  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   The vital role of social media in the eye of the storm Route Fifty When Hurricane Harvey hit, the social team at Texas Children’s Hospital anticipated only a few patient inquiries via Facebook and Twitter. We ended up working 16-hour days for one week, monitoring and answering patient inquiries on social media to ensure the community could access vital information.  READ MORE How the Internet of Things can prepare cities for natural disasters Harvard Business Review When a disaster strikes, federal, state, and local governments need a coordinated strategy, accessible data, and a skilled workforce to manage the response. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods have devastating effects on communities across our country. Since 1980 the U.S. has sustained more than 200 weather and climate disasters, with cumulative costs exceeding $1.1 trillion.  READ MORE Creative leaders: Look outside your circle By Catherine Iste Leaders can get stuck in a rut. To avoid the rut, it helps to have a few simple tricks to keep the creative juices flowing. While it is not always about embracing every new, shiny theory, it does require effort. This three-part series for creative leaders will highlight a few nontraditional strategies to add to that leadership bag of tricks. In Part 1, we discussed the reverse pilot. Here we examine the spheres of influence that can confine us and simple ways to look outside those circles.  READ MORE    TRENDING ARTICLES Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most. Earth's rotation is mysteriously slowing down: Experts predict uptick in 2018 earthquakes (Forbes) New tornado-prediction method could add vital minutes to warning times (UPI) How Tulsa became a model for preventing floods (NPR) How to let go at the end of the workday (Harvard Business Review) In tough times, what you learn matters more than what you lose (By Fred Berns) Looking for new employees? Find them on social media (By Emma Fitzpatrick) 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. Washington St., Suite 218 | Alexandria, VA, 22314 | 703-528-7701 | Contact Us  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063