LA Times: In a test, one home burns, the other is unscathed. A lesson for fire-proofing L.A.?
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-11/house-burning-demonstration
Good news: crews finally did all the wildfire clearance around our neighborhood that should have been done before June 1st.
(Of course, they didn't have to do a single thing behind my house and my neighbor's houses, since I just went ahead and cleared them all last week myself).
On the plus side, this year it looks like they again hired a professional clearing crew which is doing a good job on the brush; last year they attempted to use in-house staff who left about 4-6 inches of stubble everywhere...
The crew the year before last (I believe SoCal Brush) was excellent, don't know who did it this year.
The government plans to set a target of reducing the expected death toll from a possible megaquake in the Nankai Trough by 80% in the next 10 years from its recent estimate of up to 298,000 deaths, sources have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/10/japan/reduction-megaquake-death/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #nankaitrough #earthquakes #disasterpreparedness
https://www.alojapan.com/1294680/japan-plans-to-target-80-reduction-of-likely-megaquake-death-toll-in-10-years/ Japan plans to target 80% reduction of likely megaquake death toll in 10 years #DisasterPreparedness #earthquakes #Japan #JapanNews #NankaiTrough #news The government plans to set a target of reducing the expected death toll from a possible megaquake in the Nankai Trough off the country’s Pacific coast by 80% in the next 10 years from its recent estimate of up to 298,000 deaths, sources said Tuesday. The target will be included in a new basic…
Houston Public Media: Houston residents distrust disaster preparedness of state officials, Rice researcher tells city council
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba urged members of his Cabinet Friday to accelerate preparations for submitting a bill to establish a disaster management agency to next year's ordinary session of the Diet. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/06/japan/politics/disaster-agency-bill-urge/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shigeruishiba #diet #disasterpreparedness
The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gave the green light on Friday to the government's new five-year anti-disaster program worth over ¥20 trillion. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/06/japan/politics/anti-disaster-program/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shigeruishiba #disasterpreparedness
https://www.alojapan.com/1291437/japan-adopts-%c2%a520-trillion-anti-disaster-program/ Japan adopts ¥20 trillion anti-disaster program #DisasterPreparedness #Japan #JapanNews #news #ShigeruIshiba The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gave the green light on Friday to the government’s new five-year anti-disaster program worth over ¥20 trillion, about ¥5 trillion larger than the current one. The fiscal 2026-2030 program, starting next April, focuses on rebuilding aging infrastructure and stepping up preparations for huge d…
Finally cleared the normal defensible space around all my neighbor's homes on either side of me, since the normal agency in charge of those efforts are so far behind this year. (I see they are starting in the neighborhood, but it's probably a week more of work before they get over to this side of the world -- looks like they might have at most 5 people doing clearing this year?). I believe they are having a hard time at it because they started so late, and the brush in many places is now shoulder high. #FireWx #DisasterPreparedness #wildfires
Houston-area residents lack faith in state officials’ and electric companies’ disaster preparedness, according to a presentation to Houston City Council members Thursday by a researcher at Rice University.
A Swiss mountain slope bursting and unleashing a cascade of rocks and ice over an idyllic Alpine village last week was a chilling image, but also the symbol of a well-managed climate crisis. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/06/04/climate-change/swiss-glacier-climate-disaster-management/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #climatechange #switzerland #climatechange #landslides #glaciers #disasterpreparedness
https://www.alojapan.com/1287860/japan-looking-to-draft-fire-warning-guidelines/ Japan looking to draft fire warning guidelines #DisasterPreparedness #Japan #JapanNews #news #Wildfires The Fire and Disaster Management Agency is planning to introduce guidelines for municipalities to issue fire warnings to restrict its use by residents when risk gets higher due to dry conditions and strong winds. Such warnings are designed to prevent fire from occurring or spreading, but there are no nationwide standards. It is common for
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency is planning to introduce guidelines for municipalities to issue fire warnings to restrict its use by residents when risk gets higher due to dry conditions and strong winds. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/01/japan/fire-warning-guidelines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #wildfires #disasterpreparedness
Please join me in urging Congress to prioritize disaster preparedness in the next surface transportation bill
Please join me in sending a message to members of Congress urging them to prioritize disaster preparedness in the next surface transportation bill.
Parliament passed legislation that features creating a sub-Cabinet-level post at the Cabinet Office to oversee the country's overall disaster response and coordinate between the central and local governments. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05/28/japan/japan-disaster-prevention-law/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #disasterpreparedness #diet #upperhouse #ishikawaearthquake
https://www.alojapan.com/1281983/japan-to-create-public-private-network-on-disaster-relief-2/ Japan to create public-private network on disaster relief #DisasterPreparedness #earthquakes #floods #Japan #JapanNews #news #Wildfires The Japanese government plans to launch a disaster relief network comprising local governments, companies and nonprofit organizations so that they can collaborate smoothly in the event of a crisis. It aims to build a network that facilitates cooperation by grasping the human and material resources held by the…
The Japanese government plans to launch a disaster relief network comprising local governments, companies and nonprofit organizations so that they can collaborate smoothly in the event of a crisis. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05/24/japan/society/japan-disaster-relief-network/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #disasterpreparedness #floods #wildfires #earthquakes
A bike is a great post-disaster vehicle. But what will bikes look like in a long term disaster? Mad Max trucks won't run without gas, but Mad Max bikes run on leg power.
Apocalypse Bike Builds at BESPOKED Manchester
Propublica: Prescient Warnings About Helene Didn’t Reach People in Harm’s Way.
Here Are 5 Lessons for the Next #Hurricane
After four months of reporting, ProPublica found that the warnings about Helene were eerily accurate.
Yet, local residents remained largely unaware of the enormity of danger approaching as the storm closed in.
https://www.propublica.org/article/hurricane-helene-lessons-evacuation-orders-messaging
For the first time, cashless payments have exceeded 40% of consumer spending in Japan, though the rate remains relatively low compared with those of other countries. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05/21/japan/society/japan-cashless-payments/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #cashless #shopping #apps #disasterpreparedness #fraud
