Washington Update

Recognizing that drought is a regular occurrence in the U.S., the National Drought Policy Commission has issued recommendations saying, essentially, that we as a nation need to be better prepared to cope with this hazard. In 1998, Congress passed the National Drought Policy Act (see the Observer, Vol. XXIII, No. 1, p. 10), which created the commission and charged it with recommending to Congress policies for improving drought response. On May 16, 2000, the commission announced its proposals in its report Preparing for Drought in the 21st Century (2000, 60 pp., free).

The commission concluded that federal policy must shift from its current emphasis on drought relief and instead focus on reducing vulnerability. Programs should:

• Favor preparedness over insurance, insurance over relief, and incentives over regulation.
• Base research priorities on their potential to reduce drought impacts; and
• Coordinate the delivery of federal services through collaboration with nonfederal entities.

The commission urges Congress to pass a National Drought Preparedness Act that would:

• Incorporate planning, mitigation measures, risk management, resource stewardship, environmental considerations, and public education as key elements of a national drought policy;
• Promote collaboration among scientists and managers to improve drought monitoring, prediction, education, and preparedness;
• Incorporate comprehensive insurance and other financial strategies into drought planning;
• Establish emergency assistance measures that encourage and reward natural resource stewardship and self-help; and
• Coordinate drought programs and response through a National Drought Council made up of both federal and nonfederal representatives. Among its many tasks, the council would oversee the timely and effective delivery of more than 80 existing federal drought programs, assess drought-related assistance efforts, identify regions with the most pressing needs, develop drought response coordination strategies, develop a handbook of emergency drought preparedness measures, establish drought impact assessment teams to survey impacts, and advocate drought-related educational programs within universities, agencies, and public sector programs.

The full text of the report, as well as a 16-page Executive Summary, are available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web site: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/drought/finalreport/accesstoreports.htm.

Project Impact: IG Examines Partner Contributions

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Inspector General (IG), the agency needs to improve the identification and reporting of partner contributions for its Project Impact program. Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities is an initiative developed by FEMA to help communities create public-private partnerships that work to improve local disaster resistance (see the Observer, Vol. XXIII, No. 1, p. 15). The IG was recently asked to evaluate nonfederal contributions to this program by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies, and their report is contained in Project Impact: Identifying and Reporting Partner Contributions (Publication No. I-01-00, 2000, 51 pp., free).

The IG determined the following:

• Reported partner contributions are not accurate. Communities are reporting funds and activities that preceded or cannot be attributed to Project Impact. They are reporting contributions with no evidence of partner commitments, are identifying matching funds as partner contributions, and do not always recognize legitimate contributions.
• Project Impact creates intangible contributions. Although these qualities cannot be quantified, Project Impact has created attitudinal and behavioral changes. The IG urges FEMA to improve its strategies for reporting these contributions.
• "Best Practices" information should be disseminated. The IG recommends FEMA disseminate examples other communities can emulate and establish a forum on its Web site through which communities can exchange ideas.
• Some communities are spending Project Impact funds so slowly that it may be difficult for FEMA to justify future increases in program funding.
• The number of regional project coordinators is not keeping pace with the number of Project Impact communities, jeopardizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the program.

Copies of the report can be obtained from the FEMA Office of Inspector General, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-4166; fax: (202) 646-3901; WWW: http://www.fema.gov/ig.

GAO Recommends Budget Cutting Strategies

Recently, both the Senate and House Budget committees asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to compile a single document that describes program reforms suggested by GAO but not yet implemented by federal agencies. The report was created to help Congress identify options that could be used to reduce federal spending or increase revenues. Among the 120 options suggested by GAO, the report indicates FEMA could improve its budget by:

• Limiting eligibility for public assistance--GAO notes that the Public Assistance Program has expanded over the years, and costs could be contained by limiting the number of appeals for funding, eliminating eligibility for some facilities that lack flood insurance or do not deliver government services, and upgrading only disaster-damaged portions of structures.
• Eliminating the flood insurance subsidy on properties that suffer the greatest flood losses--GAO notes that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is not actuarially sound because about a third of the 4.1 million policies in force are subsidized, making total income from premiums about $500 million less than if these properties were charged rates based on actual risk.
• Eliminating flood insurance for certain repeatedly flooded properties--Repetitive flood losses are one of the major factors contributing to the financial difficulties facing the NFIP. These losses account for about 36% of all program claims, even though these structures represent only 1% or 2% of the total number of insured properties. Although FEMA has targeted most of these properties for acquisition, relocation, or elevation, GAO believes eliminating flood insurance for some of them would save the federal government money.

Copies of Budget Issues: Budgetary Implications of Selected GAO Work for Fiscal Year 2001 (Report #GAO/OCG-00-8, 2000, 327 pp., free) can be obtained from GAO, P.O. Box 37050; Washington, DC 20013; (202) 512-6000; fax: (202) 512-6061; e-mail: info@www.gao.gov; WWW: http://www.gao.gov.

CDC Evaluates Health Impacts of Hurricane Floyd

When Hurricane Floyd struck North Carolina on September 16, 1999, the leading cause of death from the storm was drowning of occupants of motor vehicles. The storm dropped up to 20 inches of rain in eastern regions of the state, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gathered epidemiologic information from the state's medical examiner to monitor illness and injury related to the hurricane and its subsequent flooding. The agency recently released its data in its weekly publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, in the article "Morbidity and Mortality Associated with Hurricane Floyd--North Carolina, September-October 1999" (May 5, 2000; Volume 49, No. 17; pp. 369-372).

Floyd caused 52 deaths, two-thirds of which were drownings--many among persons who attempted to drive through moving water and were swept away. Others died due to car crashes, heart attacks, and fires. Seven people died in capsized boats, and five rescue workers also lost their lives. The CDC also tracked emergency room visits to 20 hospitals in 18 flooded counties and found that hypother- mia, carbon monoxide poisonings, dog bites, violent crime, diarrhea, and asthma attacks all rose significantly.

The CDC suggests public health intervention strategies that should be followed in future hurricane-related disasters. They recommend state agencies identify regional and local organizations that represent at-risk communities, better coordinate disaster response, identify flood-prone areas, and educate the public on how to take appropriate actions. In particular, motorists should be warned not to drive through areas in imminent danger of flash flooding or onto roads and bridges covered by rapidly moving water. Safe evacuation routes should be identified in advance. Finally, the CDC suggests that appropriate mental health services be made available through all phases of disaster relief.

Copies of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report can be found in any federal repository library. It can also be viewed on-line: http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr. To receive a free electronic copy every Friday, send an e-mail to listserv@listserv.cdc.gov with the message "SUBscribe mmwr-toc."

For a paid subscription, contact the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402; (202) 512-1800.

FEMA and Berkeley Examine EQ Economic Losses

When, not if, a major earthquake takes place on the Hayward Fault in the San Francisco Bay Area, the economic losses will be staggering--$4 billion in physical destruction and economic losses of $1.2 billion. A recent study commissioned by FEMA and the University of California-Berkeley underscores the possibility of long-term and widespread economic losses due to significant quakes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is a 67% chance of a magnitude 7 or larger quake in the Bay Area in the next 30 years, and the Hayward Fault passes next to or under several structures on the Berkeley campus.

Designated a Disaster Resistant University, the university is part of FEMA's Project Impact, an initiative to reduce future disaster risks. This initiative will eventually involve the development of disaster recovery and business resumption plans for other universities facing the threat of natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

In the report, researchers conclude that the Berkeley campus alone contributes $685 million annually to the local and regional economies and provides 20,000 jobs. Extensive earthquake damage would create staggering losses to the immediate area and also impact the regional high technology economy by reducing the number of engineering and other graduates.

History provides some telling examples. The 1994 Northridge earthquake forced California State University-Northridge to close for a month and reopen with temporary buildings. The 1989 Loma Prieta quake shut down a dozen buildings on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, some of which are still closed. Because of these experiences, Berkeley is retrofitting six major buildings and plans to retrofit four more by 2006.

The complete text of the report, The Economic Benefits of a Disaster Resistant University: Earthquake Loss Estimation for UC Berkeley, by Mary C. Comerio (2000, 47 pp.), can be viewed on-line: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2000/05/01_disaster.html. For more information, contact Mary Comerio, (510) 642-2406; or John Quigley: (510) 643-7411.

Copies of the report, along with South Florida Ecosystem Restoration: A Land Acquisition Plan is Needed to Supplement the Strategic Plan Being Developed (Testimony No. GAO/T-RCED-00-137, 2000, 8 pp., free), which contains the Testimony of Jim Wells, Director of GAO's Energy, Resources, and Science Issues Division before the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, can be obtained from GAO, P.O. Box 37050, Washington, DC 20013; (202) 512-6000; fax: (202) 512-6061; e-mail: info@www.gao.gov; WWW: http://www.gao.gov.

President Endorses GDIN

On May 2, President Clinton issued an Executive Order directing the executive branch of the federal government to support the creation of a "Global Disaster Information Network [GDIN] to use information technology more effectively to reduce loss of life and property from natural and man-made [sic] disaster." In part, the order states:

Section 1. Policy. (a) It is the policy of this Administration to use information technology more effectively to coordinate the Federal Government's collection and dissemination of information to appropriate response agencies and State governments to prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters. . . . While many agencies provide disaster-related information, they may not always provide it in a coordinated manner. To improve the provision of disaster-related information, the agencies shall, as set out in this order, use information technology to coordinate the Federal Government's provision of information to prepare for, respond to, and recover from domestic disasters.

(b) It is also the policy of this Administration to use information technology and existing channels of disaster assistance to improve the Federal Government's provision of information that could be helpful to foreign governments preparing for or responding to foreign disasters. . . .

(c) To carry out the policies in this order, there is established the Global Disaster Information Network. . . The Network is defined as the coordinated effort by Federal agencies to develop a strategy and to use existing technical infrastructure, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations and under the guidance of the Interagency Coordinating Committee and the Committee Support Office, to make more effective use of information technology to assist our Government, and foreign governments where appropriate, by providing disaster-related information to prepare for and respond to disasters.

The order then defines the above-mentioned Interagency Coordinating Committee that will oversee the development of the GDIN. The committee will include representatives from the Office of the Vice President, the Department of Commerce (through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and the Department of State, who will serve as co-chairpersons of the committee. It will also comprise representatives from at least 13 other departments and agencies. The order further directs the Committee Support Office to "assist the Committee by developing plans and projects that would further the creation of the Network." The goals and duties of both the committee and its support office are also enumerated.

The complete executive order is available on the World Wide Web: http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-res/I2R?urn:pdi://oma.eop.gov.us/20 00/4/28/1.text.2.

FEMA and Army Agree to Promote Nonstructural Flood Solutions

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of the Army (DA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on March 29, 2000, to improve cooperation and consistency between FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) open space acquisition projects and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' flood-damage-reduction levee projects.¹ This agreement establishes a standard process for addressing existing conflicts.

FEMA and the DA share a common interest in reducing the property damage and loss of life from flooding through the use of nonstructural approaches where practicable. The Corps, in cooperation with nonfederal sponsors, plans, designs, and constructs projects to reduce future flood losses in a community. While the Corps recognizes that permanent removal of people and property from the floodplain often is the ideal solution, after all economic, environmental, financial, and local preference factors are considered, at times structural measures such as levees are the only practical alternative.

The HMGP provides grants to states and local governments for measures that will reduce or eliminate long-term risks to people and property from the impacts of natural hazards. In response to flood hazards, the HMGP emphasizes nonstructural measures, such as the purchase or relocation of flood-prone properties. At-risk structures are removed and acquired lands are required to have permanent open space restrictions placed on their deeds to restore and preserve the natural and beneficial functions of the floodplains. The MOA acknowledges that constructing flood-damage-reduction levees and floodwalls on HMGP land is incompatible with open space uses.²

A number of cases have surfaced in which the Corps has proposed construction of levees on HMGP open space. These cases prompted the development of the MOA to improve cooperation between the two programs. The MOA also sets forth criteria to address these current land-use conflicts. In response, this agreement prescribes an improved joint coordination process to better ensure HMGP lands are preserved permanently for open space.

In an effort to ensure applicant communities are aware of the HMGP's restrictions at the earliest stages of project development, the MOA requires FEMA regional offices and Corps district offices to coordinate activities to ensure applicants understand that acceptance of HMGP funds for the purchase of flood-prone properties precludes the construction of flood-damage-reduction levees on those parcels. Further, FEMA now requires local governments developing HMGP acquisition projects to undergo a preapplication planning process, in cooperation with the Corps, that considers fully both structural and nonstructural measures in their long-term flood mitigation strategies.

In addition, prior to the commencement of acquisition projects or the construction of flood damage reduction levees, the MOA requires FEMA and the Corps to coordinate their activities to avert future land-use incompatibilities.

The MOA also sets forth criteria to resolve several cases where FEMA has received requests for amendments to deed restrictions that would allow construction of levees on previously acquired HMGP lands. The criteria provide an objective, consistent method for evaluating these limited cases and determining if there is sufficient justification for granting an amendment. In cases where the agencies agree an amendment is warranted, open space lands made available for flood-control structures will be limited to only the amount needed for levee construction, operation, and maintenance activities.

FEMA and the DA are confident the joint procedures in this agreement will be instrumental in resolving existing conflicts and providing a framework that supports the distinct flood reduction efforts of each agency.

The MOA can be found on both FEMA's Web site: http://www.fema.gov and the Corps' site: http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/functions/cw/cecw p/cecwp.htm. For further information about this agreement, contact Jan Rasgus, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, (202) 761-0121; e-mail: Janice.E.Rasgus@HQ02.usace.army.mil or  Robert F. Shea, FEMA, Program Support Division, Mitigation Directorate, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-3619; e-mail: bob.shea@fema.gov.

1. Flood damage reduction levee projects include berms, floodwalls and dikes.
2. This restriction on levee construction generally does not apply to structures designed specifically for ecosystem preservation, restoration, or enhancement, which are deemed consistent with the open space uses requirement of the HMGP.

The Internet Pages

Below are some of the more useful disaster Internet resources we've encountered recently. For a comprehensive list of selected sites dealing with hazards and disasters, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html.

All Hazards

http://www.doi.gov/nathaz/index.html
The U.S. Department of the Interior has devoted one portion of its Web site entirely to natural hazards, with sections on wildfires, volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, landslides, wildlife diseases, geomagnetism, storms and tsunamis, and other hazards. For each topic, the site offers selected links--primarily to U.S. Geological Survey Web pages--as well as a link to a "Fact Sheet" on the given subject.

http://www.ericssonresponse.com/
Recognizing that they may have critical knowledge and expertise concerning disaster management, the Ericsson Corporation, specialists in advanced communication technology, have launched a major initiative to support disaster response worldwide. The company has stated, "As we have in the past, we will continue to provide communications aid. But we want to do more. To build knowledge about disasters and disaster response. To champion involvement of the global business sector in support of established relief organizations. To advance the development of new ideas and approaches to reducing human suffering caused by disasters." To further these goals, Ericsson has launched this highly interactive Web site, providing information and case studies, links to other resources, and various forums for exploring new ideas and options to improve response, lessons learned, and new technologies.

http://www.helpage.org
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that on average 10% of refugees in humanitarian crises are over 60 years old, the majority being women. Based on research supported by the European Union and UNHCR, HelpAge (an international network of nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of older people) recently published an instructive guide focusing on this population--Older People in Disasters and Humanitarian Crises: Guidelines for Best Practice. The organization is making the document available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, with the complete English version available from their Web site. The guidelines address priorities expressed by older people: basic needs (shelter, fuel, water), mobility, health care access, psychological/emotional issues, family contacts, and economic and legal concerns. For further information, or to obtain a copy of the guidelines, see the Web site above, or contact HelpAge International, 67-74 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8QX, U.K.; tel: +44 20 7404 7201; fax: +44 20 7404 7203; e-mail: hai@helpage.org.

http://members.spree.com/education/helpu
http://members.spree.com/education/helpu/maynews2000.html
http://members.spree.com/education/helpu/hurricanpage5.htm
The HELPU Web site is intended to serve all members of the disabled community, their care-givers, attendants, fire and rescue personnel, and emergency services departments. The site offers numerous pages with tips on emergency/disaster preparedness for various hazards. For example, the May HELPU newsletter at the second URL above includes a "Hurricane Season Mitigation and Preparations Guide," available at the third address. Interested persons should also take a look at http://members.spree.com/education/helpu/mitigationcalendar.html for a "Mitigation and Preparation Scheduling Calendar."

http://www.tallytown.com/redcross
In support of FEMA's Project Impact and disaster reduction generally, the Mitigation and Community Disaster Preparedness Unit of the American Red Cross publishes a newsletter, What's New--Mitigation and Preparedness Activities Across the Country, which is available in PDF format from the Web site of Florida's Capital Area Chapter of the Red Cross. Click on the "News" button to obtain a list of downloadable issues.

http://coe-dmha.org
The Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance in Hawaii has completely revamped its Web site (including moving to the new address above). The new site lists the many training and education opportunities supported by the center, incorporates an on-line version of the Center's magazine The Liaison, and provides much other information about disaster management and humanitarian aid worldwide.

http://www.dec.org.uk
http://www.unhcr.ch/evaluate/main.htm
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have decided to make evaluations of their efforts publicly available via their Web sites. The DEC, an umbrella organization that launches and coordinates national appeals in Britain in response to major disasters overseas, is posting evaluations of all its appeals since 1998. The first, on response to Bangladesh floods in 1998, is on-line, and an evaluation of Hurricane Mitch response is due shortly. The UNHCR is posting all evaluation reports since 1996; earlier reports are available in hard copy.

http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com
Need a map? The Microsoft Corporation has scanned more than 57,000 U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps into digital form and made them available on the Web. Users can search for locations by place name or by zooming in on a world/U.S. map. The maps can be downloaded and printed for free. The data are primarily for the U.S., although a few other selected regions around the world are also displayed.

http://atlas.gc.ca/
http://atlas.gc.ca/english/index.html
Need a map of Canada? With hazards? Natural Resources Canada has published a new on-line edition of the Canadian National Atlas of Canada at the URL above. The atlas, available in French and English, includes extensive information about natural hazard occurrence in Canada, including data on earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, hailstorms, and forest fires.

disastercom-request@disastercenter.com
The Disaster Center--a nexus of considerable disaster information--has established an e-mail list for discussion about improved ways of collecting and communicating information during and after disasters using the Internet. To subscribe to this list send an e-mail message to the address above with the single word "subscribe" in the body of the message.

Severe Weather

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/svrawar/svrwx.htm
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/index.html
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats.htm
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/nwspub.htm
The National Weather Service Office of Meteorology, a prodigious producer of Web-based hazards information, has created two new Web pages: a remodeled "Severe Weather Awareness Page" with information on thunderstorms, tornadoes, and floods; and a "Winter Weather Awareness Page" with links to awareness and preparedness guides, forecasts, warnings, outlooks, historical information, and a calendar of upcoming events and meetings. These pages are available at the first two addresses above.

The Office of Meteorology also recently released U.S. natural hazard statistics for 1998 at the third URL. Among the many significant numbers: 687 lives were lost to weather and flood-related hazards; 11,171 people were injured; and property and crop damage totaled $16 billion. Extreme heat ranked as the number one weather-related killer, with 173 fatalities. Floods resulted in 136 deaths; tornadoes in 130. More than one-fourth of the damage was due to tropical storms and hurricanes.

The final address provides a list of the numerous publications available on-line or from the office. The newest include, Saving Lives With an All-Hazard Warning Network, a report that outlines the potential benefits of a national initiative to improve hazard warnings, and Thunderstorms . . . Tornadoes . . . Lightning: Nature's Most Violent Storms--A Preparedness Guide, which describes these meteorological hazards and tells what individuals, families, and schools can do to protect themselves when threatened. All National Weather Service publications listed are available for free and can be ordered from your local National Weather Service office or National Weather Service Headquarters, attn: Publications, 1325 East West Highway, SSMC2, Room 14408, Silver Spring, MD 20910; (301) 713-0090, ext. 118.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s334.htm
At the end of last year, the climate and weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published yet another "Top [pick a number] List for the 20th Century"--this time, the top weather, water, and climate events. In fact, NOAA published two lists--one for the U.S. and one for the world. Together they provide students of meteorological disasters a good overview of the diverse storms and climate events that shaped our world this century--from the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 to the Oklahoma/Kansas tornado outbreak in 1999; from the great China floods of 1931 to Hurricane Mitch in Central America in 1998. Some factors taken into consideration in preparing the lists included an event's magnitude, its meteorological uniqueness, and its economic impact and death toll. Beyond the lists, this site also provides extensive background information on the named disasters, as well as other meteorological and disaster information.

http://www.comet.ucar.edu/resources/cases
The Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology Education and Training (COMET--see the Observer, Vol. XXIII, No. 1, p. 13) provides materials, including numerous Web-based case studies, for the education of meteorologists and other hazards professionals. The program has recently added studies of the May 1999 Oklahoma/Kansas tornado outbreak, Hurricane Floyd, severe rain and flooding in Kansas in October 1999, and an outbreak of severe weather in the Northeast in June 1998. More than 20 case studies are now available. Interested persons can stay informed of the latest developments in the COMET case study project by subscribing to the COMET mailing list; for details, see http://www.joss.ucar.edu/cometCases.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/papers/overpass.html
This URL provides a paper prepared by National Severe Storms Laboratory and National Weather Service personnel on the effectiveness of using the undersides of highway overpasses as shelters from tornadoes and other severe storms. The authors conclude that the public has wrongly identified such areas as appropriate shelters (in fact, they are extremely dangerous places in which to hide) and that public education about tornado/severe-storm safety should specifically point out the danger of such shelters.

Hurricanes and Coastal Hazards

http://state-of-coast.noaa.gov
In 1996, Vice President Al Gore challenged federal agencies to develop a "report card" on the state of the nation's environment. In response, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) created the State of the Coast Report provided at this Web site. The foundation of the report is a series of essays on important coastal issues, two of which are entitled "Population at Risk from Natural Hazards" and "Reducing the Impacts of Coastal Hazards." These thorough articles include overviews of the problem of coastal hazards nationally, regional analyses, specific case studies, interviews with experts, suggested readings and references, and glossaries.

Earthquakes

http://www.nycem.org/default.asp
Recognizing the poor condition of the area's infrastructure and the lack of prior planning, a group of concerned organizations has banded together to form the New York Consortium for Earthquake Loss Mitigation (NYCEM--see the Observer, Vol. XXIII, No. 3, p. 4). The group is developing a detailed seismic vulnerability study of the New York City region, which (surprisingly to some) has been assessed by the U.S. Geological Survey as moderately susceptible to earthquakes. Sponsored principally by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and coordinated by the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, the consortium has as its primary aim the promotion of action by businesses, government, and other organizations to reduce possible damage and loss due to earthquakes and other natural hazards. The initial objective for 1999 was to determine risk in Manhattan below 59th Street. In the future, the project will examine seismic hazards in other parts of the city and northern New Jersey. The NYCEM Web site provides background information on the project, a description of current research and education/outreach efforts, and several on-line technical documents, including an extensive bibliography on the economic effects of disasters on the New York City area.

http://www.scec.org/instanet
The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) recently launched "SCEC INSTANeT News," an e-mail/Web-based service that provides weekly coverage of earthquake research and news. A SCEC INSTANeT article is announced via e-mail in the form of a short summary, with a link to the complete article, commentary, interview, announcement, event description, etc. available from the Web site above. The SCEC INSTANeT News service replaces the SCEC Quarterly Newsletter. Subscription instructions for the INSTANeT News e-mail list are available at http://www.scec.org/instanet/subscribe.html.

listserv@listserv.buffalo.edu
The Northeast States Emergency Consortium (NESEC), in partnership with the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has created an e-mail list called HAZUSNET-USA as a discussion forum for persons interested in HAZUS, FEMA's hazard evaluation software program. HAZUSNET-USA is an unmoderated discussion group open to anyone. The list includes announcements of upcoming events, new publications, and other resources; stories; questions; ideas; and other material related to HAZUS. To subscribe, send a message to the e-mail address above; leave the subject line blank and send only the message: sub hazusnet-usa-list <your first and last names>. For more information, consult the NESEC Home Page: http://www.nesec.org.

Tsunamis

http://www.nerc-bas.ac.uk/tsunami-risks/
The Tsunami Risks Project, based in the U.K., was launched to introduce the British insurance industry to the risks posed by tsunamis and to quantify tsunami hazards by determining frequency-magnitude distributions and direct and indirect insurance risks. The project is currently examining subjects ranging from how tsunamis are generated and how they propagate across the oceans, to the mechanisms by which they cause damage when they make landfall, the means by which disaster planning can reduce the economic losses that result, and the sources of postdisaster information and mapping that can be consulted to validate tsunami-related insurance claims. The project's Web site provides details about this initiative, as well as an interactive map with accompanying articles about historic tsunami disasters of the world; a "Risk Atlas"--another interactive map showing tsunami risk around the world; a case study of the 1964 Alaska earthquake and tsunami; an extensive report by A.G. Dawson entitled, Tsunami Risk in the North Atlantic Region; a bibliography; and an index of related Web sites.

Floods

http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/pubs/fact-sheets/fs.024-00.html
Not to be outdone by NOAA (see the description above of http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s334.htm), in March of this year, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) issued a fact sheet entitled Significant Floods in the United States During the 20th Century--USGS Measures a Century of Floods, by Charles A. Perry. According to Perry, during the 20th century, floods were the number one disaster in the United States, both in terms of lives lost and property damage. Since 1900 flooding has killed more than 10,000 people, and property damage from flooding now totals over $1 billion a year. The fact sheet discusses 32 significant floods that occurred during the 20th century. These events are broken down into six types: large regional floods, flash floods, storm surge, ice-jam floods, dam and levee failures, and mudflows. The USGS agrees with NOAA, naming the flood in Galveston, Texas, brought on by the September 1900 hurricane, as the worst of the century. Besides examining these disasters, this Web site describes the Survey's efforts to measure floods and lists additional sources of flood information on the Internet. Printed copies of Fact Sheet #024-00 are available from the USGS, Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225-0286; (888) 275-8747.

http://www.egroups.com/group/Floodsystems
A new Internet list has been established for professionals involved in flood warning. The free "Floodsystem" listserv is distributed via e-mail and offers a convenient way of posing a technical question or posting information to a large number of people in the profession. To obtain more information or to subscribe, see the Web site above.

http://www.egroups.com/group/waterforum
"WaterForum" is a free and open forum for discussion of surface water and groundwater issues. Topics include drinking water, water conservation, environmental chemistry, wetlands, wastewater, irrigation, recreational uses, fisheries and wildlife, aquaculture, coastal issues, oceanography, environmental and public health issues, contamination/remediation, computer modeling, climatology, flooding, and any other relevant water resources topics. WaterForum seeks a broad range of members from academia, industry, government, and the general public, as well as wide ranging geographic diversity, to ensure an interesting and helpful forum. To join, simply send a blank e-mail to waterforum-subscribe@eGroups.com, or consult the Web site above.

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