The aid and assistance Britain’s Caribbean territories will need to rebuild will make highlight the fault lines in the relationship between Westminster and its former colonies.
Social media apps are becoming as important as water, food and batteries when communities face natural disasters. One key function is helping people connect with neighbors and support each other.
Hurricane Irma descends on the Caribbean islands.
NOAA National Weather Service National Hurricane Center/Handout via Reuters
Saturated media coverage of hurricanes like Harvey and Irma can make it seem like disasters happen all the time. Is the frequency of billion-dollar disasters really rising?
Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Jansen Schamp rescues two dogs after floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey reached the grounds of a shelter in Vidor, Texas, Aug. 31, 2017.
Christopher LIndahl/U.S. Navy
During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, some people died rather than evacuating without their pets. Now emergency managers are required to include animals in their response plans.
Unless you live near a disaster area, sending money may do more good than a mountain of toilet paper.
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Researchers examined credit data on the victims of Hurricane Katrina to understand how the disaster affected their personal finances, revealing important lessons for those hurt by Harvey.
Hurricane Harvey from the International Space Station on August 28.
NASA
Three atmospheric scientists from Texas say Hurricane Harvey shows how the country needs to adapt to the effects of climate change and cut carbon emissions.
Red Cross volunteers registered evacuees from Houston’s storm damage.
REUTERS/Nick Oxford
There are reasons to channel Harvey aid through the nonprofit despite evidence that it wasted money following Haiti’s earthquake and fumbled Superstorm Sandy relief efforts.
Cars leaving Beaumont, Texas during a mandatory evacuation before the arrival of Hurricane Gustav, August 30, 2008.
Patsy Lynch/FEMA
Why did some Texas coastal cities order mandatory evacuations ahead of Hurricane Harvey while others, including Houston, did not? There is no formula for these decisions; either choice can backfire.
Interstate 69 in Humble, Texas is covered by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Many people may have stayed put during Hurricane Harvey because no storm that big had struck Texas since 1961. But like New Orleans after Katrina, Texas is likely to be much better prepared next time.
Libraries are a good place for kids to hole up during emergencies.
Daria Chichkareva/Shutterstock.com
Nepal has blamed India for exacerbating intense monsoon flooding that has killed at least 1,200 people in the last two months.
Brenda Bradley, 72, and her husband Jimmie, 78, survey flooding from Hurricane Harvey in their neighborhood in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, August 28, 2017.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
Evacuations and disruptions to health care during and after disasters like Hurricane Harvey are serious threats for older adults, who may need support well after relief operations end.
The widespread discussion as to whether the Hurricane Harvey disaster was caused by climate change or not is a dangerous distraction from the real issues.