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August 22, 2024

Nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, what policies have changed?

A look at some key legislation since Hurricane Katrina. By Zayna Syed  Streets that looked like canals, the Superdome surrounded by water, scores of displaced people on highway overpasses—these are some of the historic images that emerged from the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. As we approach the hurricane’s 19th anniversary, it is worth looking at how …

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NCDP 20th Anniversary Reflections and Impacts

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax exposures, centers throughout the United States were set up to prepare for and make our nation more resilient. In 2003, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia University, was founded to provide an academically based, interdisciplinary center focused on the capacity to prevent, respond to, and …

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The Beginnings of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP)

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax exposures, centers throughout the United States were set up to prepare for and make our nation more resilient. In 2003, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia University, was founded to provide an academically based, interdisciplinary center focused on the capacity to prevent, respond to, and …

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Federal Disaster Funding at Play in Fiscal Year 2024 and Government Shutdown Negotiations

The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is running dangerously low as the busiest time of the disaster season arrives and lawmakers debate spending levels for the coming year. Members of Congress are negotiating a budget deal to fund the federal government for FY 2024, as well as a Continuing Resolution (CR) as a stopgap measure for …

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Avoidable Fatalities in “Tipping Point” States: Impact of Presidential Actions and Policies on States

The avoidable death count from COVID-19 continues to rise. Using simple comparative mortality rates we have expanded the prior national comparative study to look at how we can also estimate the number of lives that might have been avoided if these states had the same benefits from national leadership as the neighboring province of Ontario, …

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Financing catastrophe: 4 ways we pay for disasters

This piece was originally published on January 28, 2019, in The Hill. Looking back, 2018 was another remarkable year of billion-dollar disasters. In the last 20 years, climate-related disasters have cost the world $2.25 trillion, a 250 percent increase from the $895 billion spent between 1978 and 1997, and that trend is only looking to increase …

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Five reasons not to underestimate Hurricane Florence

This piece was originally published on September 12, 2018, in The Hill. As Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast as a major hurricane, there is also a collective sigh of relief among many that the route of the storm avoided areas like Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico that are still recovering from the 2017 hurricane …

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