Preparedness and Communications

A growing body of research shows that storms are growing stronger faster, a trend that will challenge coastal cities’ ability to safely move residents out of danger zones — and climate change may be a factor.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee promised to use state and federal funds — including funds from President Biden's recent infrastructure bill — to ease the effects of climate change.

County responders are comparing this flood event to the severe flooding of 2009, when both the Skagit and Samish rivers overflowed and caused damage to homes, farms and infrastructure, according to a news release from the county.

Power was out in the border town of Sumas and at scattered locations throughout Whatcom County as breezy winds and torrential rain from a Pineapple Express swept Western Washington on Monday, Nov. 15.

As of February, the Washington State Department of Transportation has retrofitted 323 bridges and partially retrofitted another 114. That’s about a $144 million investment.

These dilemmas are often unpredictable, but you can prepare for them ahead of time. One of the best ways to do that is to build an emergency kit of necessities: food, water, first aid and other survival gear.

Communities along south Baltimore’s Middle Branch of the Patapsco River have long benefited from the waterfront but are now facing increasing risk of flooding and the negative effects of the warming climate.

"If parents are really questioning or having concerns about the vaccine, we really strongly recommend that they reach out to their health care provider, their pediatrician or family medicine doctor."

The lawmakers say their goal is to ensure the program is sustainable financially, accountable to taxpayers and affordable to policyholders. The bill will place guardrails on FEMA's new Risk Rating 2.0. system.

A study published by the National Association of School Resource Officers may indicate that most SROs seek to engage school administrators before making an arrest, but there's still opposition to their presence on campuses.

For Miami Beach, it’s the latest challenge to efforts to deal with rising seas — and an example of the legal hurdles that cities around the state (and nation) may face as they plan for the future.

Cybercriminals, who are becoming increasingly sophisticated, could take advantage of natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes to wreak havoc on critical infrastructure, experts say.

The “water and drought resilience” piece was allocated $5.2 billion to be rolled out over three years. Of that, roughly $400 million is money left over from three old water bond issues. The rest is new cash.

Lessons learned for the next pandemic include clinical trials that examine vulnerable groups like pregnant women and minorities and a better information campaign about the efficacy and safety of vaccinations.

“We had 28, but we lost another member on Monday due to time constraints. That’s 90% of the issue we face. This used to be a farming community where people lived and worked here and had a strong sense of community.”