#Disaster response

[thatdisasterauthor]

Trump wants to phase out FEMA after hurricane season.

🫠🫠🫠 I would like to exit the bad place now please.

[alwaysbewoke]

i have to remember not everyone in florida voted for these people in power because it's hard to feel sorry for them sometimes. really hard (watch til the end smfh)

and she's going to turn around the vote for him AGAIN smfh

[thepastisalreadywritten]

𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗘: 𝗠𝗬𝗔𝗡𝗠𝗔𝗥 𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦 𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘 𝟳.𝟳 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗞𝗘

Here are two satellite snapshots of the nighttime lights in Myanmar and neighboring countries: one from March 27 and the other from the night after the devastating earthquake on 28 March 2025.

The stark difference reveals widespread blackouts across Myanmar, including its capital, Naypyidaw.

The Magnitude 7.7 earthquake near Mandalay, Myanmar, caused massive destruction in the country and even affected even the neighboring countries.

To date, the death toll from the said earthquake already surpassed 1,000, according to the Military Junta.

The strong shaking brought down several structures and caused massive blackouts across Myanmar, with its full extent as seen from space by NASA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).

Satellite imagery plays a vital role in disaster response, offering a clear view of the damage and helping authorities and humanitarian organizations mobilize resources more efficiently.

[reasonsforhope]

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

With Spain and Portugal saying that hundreds of people have died from the heat waves sweeping through Europe this month, the longer-term view might come as a surprise. Over the past 50 years, the number of deaths attributed to weather-related disasters has actually fallen. Yes, you heard that right. The World Meteorological Organization says that the number of disasters has increased five times over the past 50 years, but the number of fatalities has fallen by two-thirds. Vox climate writer Umair Irfan has delved into this paradox and joins us now. Welcome to the program, Umair.

UMAIR IRFAN: Thanks for having me, Ayesha.

RASCOE: So how can this be? Like, how can the number of deaths be falling even though we hear the news, we see the disasters? You know, seas are rising, summers are hotter, hurricanes seem to be getting stronger. So how is it possible that deaths can be down?

IRFAN: Well, there are two main factors here. One is better forecasting - basically being able to get ahead of these disasters and then hopefully being able to get people out of harm's way. So that's really prominent with things like hurricanes and heat waves. We can actually see those things days in advance. The other side of the equation is how well we can cope with things like storms, fires and heat waves when they do occur. So we have better tools - things like sea walls. We have better building codes. We have firefighting teams that can get people out of fire zones. And so between those two aspects - you know, the better forecasting and the better tools - we've been able to avert a lot of deaths, even though the global population has grown about fourfold since the start of the 20th century.

RASCOE: Are the technological advances that you're talking about available even in less-developed areas?

IRFAN: It's not, unfortunately. And you're hitting on a very important point. You know, the WMO pointed out that about 90% of disaster-related fatalities that occur today are occurring in developing countries. And there's a huge gap in terms of being able to anticipate these disasters before they occur and being able to respond to them and being able to rebuild in their aftermath. And that really is a big shortfall that a lot of world leaders are starting to get concerned about...

You know, the World Meteorological Organization, they launched this initiative to basically say that they want the whole world covered by disaster early warning systems over the next five years. And they think that this is something that's going to be taking a big bite out of the fatalities and the casualties caused by these disasters. So I think it's worth highlighting the progress that's made, but also the progress that we still need to make.

-via NPR, July 17, 2022

Thanks so much to @gardening-tea-lesbian for the link!

[tomorrowusa]

Kristi Noem quickly leapfrogged to the forefront of Trump administration ineptitude. ICE Barbie's main qualification for office was her sycophancy for Donald Trump.

Last year Noem was essentially the MC at a town hall where TACO abruptly stopped taking questions and swayed to canned music for over half an hour. Instead of trying to get the event back on track, Noem mindlessly swayed along with Trump.

Noem is still swaying to Trump's craziness but this time people are dying because of it.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem whined over a The New York Times report finding thousands of victims couldn’t get through to FEMA as catastrophic flooding engulfed Central Texas. A Times report found the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to answer “nearly two-thirds” of all distress calls from victims of the catastrophe, which has claimed the lives of at least 129 victims, with 160 still missing. “It’s just false,” Noem said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday. “It’s discouraging that during this time, when we have such a loss of life and so many people’s lives have turned upside down, that people are playing politics with this because the response time was immediate.” Noem has earned the nickname “ICE Barbie” for her love of dolling up for the cameras on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and inviting reporters to photograph her in front of detainees, among other unsavory publicity stunts.

When MAGA politicians claim something is "false" or "fake news", what that really means is "damn, they caught us!".

Noem has always been a despicable individual – well before she began kissing up to Trump.

'No one should be surprised Kristi Noem is vile - this is a woman who shot her own dog'

[protoslacker]

After Hurricane Helene, this community network proved its strength and importance, with local businesses stepping up, too. Queer haven Rosetta’s Kitchen, for instance, became a free soup kitchen and distribution spot, while Neng Jr’s, led by transmasculine chef Silver Iocovozzi, provided hundreds of free hot meals. Firestorm Books, a cooperatively-run bookstore and trusted community space since 2008, also stepped up during the crisis, using its physical and online platforms to share reliable information and support others' creative efforts. Co-op members also transformed the space into a temporary distribution center stocked with food, hygiene products, and emergency supplies. With power and cell coverage down after the storm, people shared information through handwritten notes posted on the bookstore’s windows, which started to resemble a patchwork quilt of central information.

Basil Vaughn Soper at Yahoo, originally at them.. We Are The Relief: How Queer Appalachian Mutual Aid Showed Up After Helene

I am very alone, so this post really hits home. I think it's an important story and happy that Yahoo thinks so too.

[the-apparatus]

Me, trying to flirt: hey babe, did you know that cis men are 40% less likely than women and gender minorities to seek assistance in the wake of a natural disaster?

[sparkmantis]

Central Texas Floods July 2025: Death Toll Rises Amid Ongoing Rescue Efforts

Central Texas Floods: Catastrophic Flooding Leaves Dozens Dead, Search Ongoing Torrential Rains Trigger Historic DisasterThe July 2025 Central Texas floods have become one of the deadliest weather disasters in recent state history, as relentless rains over the July 4th weekend unleashed catastrophic flooding across the Texas Hill Country and beyond. The disaster has claimed at least 82 lives,…

[thatdisasterauthor]

Since you like disaster recovery and education, I saw an article on county extension offices in KY creating disaster recovery strike teams and thought you'd be interested. Focus more on flooding than wildfire. Links won't send, but you can search "UK extension launches strike teams"

That's super neat! I'll go check it out.

[nando161mando]

The hub Sarah and Nicole are co-organizing on Sarah’s land serves as many as 100 people, but these organizers are also helping to create additional hubs. “With that drop we just made a little bit ago to Swannanoa, we helped them set up one of the first hubs for that particular community. It was an apartment complex that opened up their little picnic area”. Just prior to our conversation, the organizers made a supply run that exhausted their resources, but they said the organization Southerners on New Ground would be bringing more supplies soon. “There’s so many groups on the ground”, Nicole Townsend told me. “BeLoved [Asheville] is a large organization that’s been moving since day one. They’re able to get big trucks in and set up at different spots. They have been trained in disaster relief for a really long time”.

https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/10/08/neighbours-as-lifelines-the-power-of-mutual-aid-in-asheville/

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to more than 1,000 as hundreds trapped under rubble | BBC News

29 March 2025

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Myanmar and thousands more injured following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that was also felt in neighbouring countries.

Hundreds are believed to be trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings - including at least 50 construction workers who are unaccounted for after a high-rise was flattened by the earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand.

More than 90 people are believed trapped in the rubble of an apartment block in Mandalay, Myanmar, a Red Cross official tells AFP.

A rescue team in Mandalay tells the BBC: “We are digging people out with our bare hands.”

[thechurchoftheatom]

A Sermon for February 26th: When the Sky Burns, Stay Inside

Brothers and Sisters in the Atom, our faith teaches us to look toward the future, to preserve knowledge, and to prepare not in fear, but in wisdom. Today, we focus on survival—on what to do in the unthinkable event of a nuclear detonation. This is not a message of panic, but of preparedness. Knowing what to do in the first hours after such an event could be the difference between life and death.

A Reading from Ready.gov: Nuclear Detonation Safety

"Get Inside. Stay Inside. Stay Tuned."

These are the three most important steps to remember. If a nuclear explosion occurs, your survival depends on quick action:

Get Inside: The greatest danger in the moments following a detonation is radioactive fallout. Seek shelter immediately, preferably in the center of a sturdy building, away from windows and exterior walls. Underground locations are best.

Stay Inside: Do not leave for at least 24 hours unless authorities instruct otherwise. Fallout radiation is most dangerous in the first few hours and will weaken over time.

Stay Tuned: Radio, emergency broadcasts, and official alerts will provide the best guidance. The internet and mobile networks may fail, but information will still be transmitted through radio signals.

Protecting Food, Water, and Medicine

Radiation exposure is invisible, but its dangers are real. Fallout consists of radioactive particles that settle onto surfaces, including the ground, roofs, and anything left outside. These particles emit radiation, which can be harmful if inhaled, ingested, or left in prolonged contact with the skin. This is why decontamination measures are critical.

Food already inside your home or in sealed containers is safe. The radiation from fallout cannot penetrate metal, glass, or plastic packaging, meaning that canned or bottled food and drinks remain uncontaminated. However, any fresh food that was outside or exposed to fallout should not be consumed.

Water from sealed bottles, a covered toilet tank, or a water heater is safest. If those are not available, tap water is still safer than dehydration. However, surface water, such as from lakes and streams, is likely to be contaminated and should be avoided unless properly treated.

Medicine should continue to be taken. If it was already inside, it is safe. If it was outside, wipe down the container before using it to remove any radioactive dust.

Why Wipe Down Surfaces?

Fallout particles are too small to see, but they settle on surfaces just as dust does. These particles continue to emit radiation and can transfer onto skin, food, or objects we touch. Wiping down surfaces with a damp cloth helps remove radioactive material and reduce exposure. After wiping, dispose of the cloth in a sealed bag away from living areas to further prevent contamination. Simple actions like this can greatly reduce the risk of radiation exposure in a sheltering situation.

A Tradition of Preparedness

This knowledge must be passed on, not just stored away for ourselves. The Church of the Atom is not merely a faith—it is a commitment to carrying knowledge into the future. Every time we learn, every time we prepare, we ensure that this wisdom will not be lost.

We do not know what the future holds. We cannot predict every crisis. But we can be ready. And in doing so, we honor the power of the Atom—not by fearing it, but by understanding it.

A Call to Action

This week, take a moment to prepare:

Read the full Ready.gov Nuclear Detonation Safety guide.

Ensure you have access to emergency supplies, including food, water, and a battery-powered radio.

Share this knowledge with someone who may not have it. Preparedness is a gift that can save lives.

Closing Words

Let us go forth with wisdom, carrying this knowledge with us. May we never need it, but should the day come when the sky burns, may we remember: Get Inside. Stay Inside. Stay Tuned.

Go forth and be radiant.

[journey-to-balance]

Call me stupid, or silly, or naïve, but never did I ever think something like this would happen.

I want to talk about Hurricane Helene, specifically as it relates to Western North Carolina, especially since our mainstream media doesn't seem to want to, or at least that's how it feels to me.

Truth is, my hands shake as I thumb through the pages of my photobook. Heartsick and in horror, I recall memories of The Blue Ridge Mountains, and Lower Appalachia. It was autumn of 2021, the road-trip was planned to celebrate Bernie's birthday. I didn't know it then, but this would become the last road trip I took with my beloved, my soul dog, Patch. He would pass that fall, shortly after this trip.

We made incredible memories, all thanks to the incredibly welcoming hospitality of the people of Lower Appalachia. I remember stopping in for coffee pretty much anywhere and they would welcome my dog, always with a treat, or a paw shake, or a kind word. I remember stopping in a restaurant prepared to take my food to go, and the staff encouraging me to stay, providing a table in the courtyard, bringing my golden retriever a bowl of water, and offering a micro brew that based on my tastes, they'd think I'd like. They knew my dog was family, welcomed, accommodated and earned my business. And damn it, I remember I was lost on a backwoods road after a long hike, was dangerously low on fuel, and an old man in a beat-up Chevy truck, stopped and said: "follow me, I'll show you to the nearest station."

Now, as I browse the pages of this photobook, with my memories, my priceless memories, I think of these people, not rich, not city dwellers from "New York" like me... I think of these mountain folk, simple folk, salt of the earth folk and I'm overwhelmed with emotion and horror. A hurricane? In the mountains of Western North Carolina? Unfathomable! Dear God, all my photos, Boone, Blowing Rock, Chimney Rock, idyllic dreamlike mountain villages, leveled. Route 40, I know it well, clearing it due west on my way to Tennessee, gone, leveled, under mud, people, stranded, bridges, collapsed, bucolic farmland, devastated. The images on the web, sickening, while the media remains eerily silent.

Please keep Boone, Western North Carolina and all those affected by Hurricane Helene in your hearts. It is my understanding that 911 and cell service is down, landslides have barred people from leaving, and they remain trapped. Infrastructure is down, and God knows when, how, or if these mountain towns will be able to rebuild.

Lord have mercy. I hold you up in prayer. My sincere gratitude for the memories and for showing this out of towner so much love.

Maritza

Our Journey to Balance