Billion In Damage Research Articles

False springs in the Netherlands: climate change impact assessment with the false spring damage indicator model

Strong night frosts in spring have the potential to cause severe damage to fruit trees, causing up to €3.3 billion of damage in Europe in 2017. If temperatures drop below − 2.2 °C after the growing season starts, this phenomenon is referred to as a false spring. For the Netherlands, the risk of false spring damage increased during the past 70 years, due to the decreasing time between the last strong night frost and the flower budburst. This raises the question of whether this trend will continue under future influences of climate change. To analyse the development of false spring damage risks, we developed the False Spring Damage Indicator (FSDI) model. Applying this model to the Dutch KNMI’14 climate change scenarios for 2050 and 2085 showed a decrease in false spring damage risk. The historical risk for 60% bud damage was reduced to around 40% for the moderate scenario in 2050 and to less than 15% for the severe scenario in 2050 and all scenarios in 2080. False spring damage varied spatially throughout the Netherlands. Currently, more severe damage can be expected in the east, while coastal regions in the north and west are less prone to false spring damage. In the future, this is expected to become more uniform over the Netherlands, as the risk in the east is predicted to decrease strongly, becoming similar to the low damage risk in the coastal regions.

How Might the May 2015 Flood in the U.S. Southern Great Plains Induced by Clustered MCSs Unfold in the Future?

AbstractThe historic 22–26 May 2015 flood event in Texas and Oklahoma was caused by anomalous clustered mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) that produced record‐breaking rainfall and $3 billion of damage in the region. A month‐long regional convection‐permitting simulation is conducted to reconstruct multiple clustered MCSs that lead to this flood event. We further use the pseudo global warming approach to examine how a similar event may unfold in a warmer climate and the driving physical factors for the changes. Tracking of MCSs in observations and simulations shows that the historical simulation reproduces the salient characteristics of the observed MCSs. In a warmer climate under a high‐emission (SSP5‐8.5) scenario, the Southern Great Plains is projected to experience a near surface warming of 4–6 K, accompanied by enhanced moisture transport by the strengthened Great Plains low‐level jet. A warmer and moister lower troposphere leads to 36%–59% larger convective available potential energy, supporting wider and more intense convective updrafts and rainfall production. Consistently, MCSs have wider convective areas and stronger rainfall intensities, producing 50% larger rain volumes during the mature stage. Extreme (99.5%) MCS rainfall frequency and amount will increase by threefold. However, MCS stratiform rain area decreases as a result of elevated stratiform cloud bases that lead to stronger sublimation and evaporation of precipitation in response to warming, resulting in reduced weak‐to‐moderate surface precipitation. Results suggest that global warming greatly increases precipitation intensity of clustered MCS events under strong synoptic influence, with much higher potential to produce serious floods without additional climate adaptation.

Quantifying the influence of profile variability on dune impacts during Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy was undoubtedly one of the most impactful storms of the past half century, resulting in $74 billion of damage and destroying thousands of homes. Yet not all communities suffered the same. In New Jersey, impacts exhibited mesoscale trends with northern portions of the state generally suffering greater damage than the southern portions. Mantoloking experienced widespread major damage; however, less than 5 km away, Point Pleasant escaped with significantly less damage. The disparate outcomes are associated with vastly different berm widths and dune volumes, with Point Pleasant protected by wider, more resilient beaches. Here, a recently developed dune vulnerability model is used to quantify differences in vulnerability resulting from spatial variations in storm intensity and pre-storm morphology for beaches along the New Jersey coastline. Spatial analysis of pre-Sandy beach conditions exhibits trends in vulnerability, which align with observed impacts. The vulnerability analysis accounts for gradients in storm intensity, dune volume, and berm width. Comparison of different outcomes while isolating for a single variable (e.g. intensity, volume or width) suggests the vulnerability model is robust and can quantify temporal vulnerability due to changes in beach state. For example, the results suggest Point Pleasant Beach would have been four times as likely to suffer major impacts had Sandy occurred with beach conditions observed in 1995.

Damage Curves Derived from Hurricane Ike in the West of Galveston Bay Based on Insurance Claims and Hydrodynamic Simulations

Hurricane Ike, which struck the United States in September 2008, was the ninth most expensive hurricane in terms of damages. It caused nearly USD 30 billion in damage after making landfall on the Bolivar Peninsula, Texas. We used the Delft3d-FM/SWAN hydrodynamic and spectral wave model to simulate the storm surge inundation around Galveston Bay during Hurricane Ike. Damage curves were established through the relationship between eight hydrodynamic parameters (water depth, flow velocity, unit discharge, flow momentum flux, significant wave height, wave energy flux, total water depth (flow depth plus wave height), and total (flow plus wave) force) simulated by the model and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insurance damage data. The NFIP insurance database contains a large amount of building damage data, building stories, and elevation, as well as other information from the Ike event. We found that the damage curves are sensitive to the model grid resolution, building elevation, and the number of stories. We also found that the resulting damage functions are steeper than those developed for residential structures in many other locations.

Wildfires and climate change have lowered the economic value of western U.S. forests by altering risk expectations

There is a lack of evidence regarding how natural resource markets have responded to recent increases in climate-induced extreme events like wildfire. Wildfire can affect the economic value of forests by directly damaging the existing tree stock and by altering landowner risk expectations of future wildfire arrival. This paper uses parcel data over a seventeen-year period to estimate the effects of large wildfires and drought stress on market prices for private timberland across the three Pacific states of the western U.S. In addition to estimating the land price impacts of wildfires on parcels that were directly burned, we identify changes in risk expectations by estimating the impacts from wildfires that burned in close proximity rather than directly on timberland that was sold in the land market. Results indicate that recent increases in large wildfires and drought stress over the past two decades have lowered the economic value of timberland by approximately 10%, or about $11.2 billion in damages across the three Pacific states, with approximately 5.5% (∼$6.2 billion) due to climate change. Most of the wildfire damages arise from changes in risk expectations. Results provide evidence on the costs of climate-induced extreme events on natural capital that have already occurred.

REVEALING THE GEOMORPHOLOGIC IMPACTS OF HURRICANE IAN IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY

Abstract. Geospatial data were used to analyze changes to geomorphology of barrier islands and beaches in Southwest Florida resulting from Hurricane Ian in late September 2022. The hurricane generated high intensity winds and storm surge causing more than $112 billion in damages, along with massive sediment mobilization due to erosion and deposition. This study quantified net sediment loss and gain on specific barrier islands by storm surge (Sanibel, Naples, Fort Myers Beach, others, though this paper focuses exclusively on Sanibel) by comparing pre- and post-Ian topography generated by a drone-flown LiDAR sensor; changes in elevation were used to quantify spatial variation in sediment volume. Data were collected immediately after Hurricane Ian and compared against topographic data collected by NOAA in 2018. Digital elevation models (DEMs) were used to compare topography, shoreline positions (relative to Mean High Water), foredune position, and volumetric changes using GIS technology. In general, the shoreline position after Ian changed little, indicating that the incoming surge had little influence on the beach. The foredunes, however, were deflated and set back by surge overwash. The outgoing surge created a much more dramatic geomorphologic change. Erosional surge channels cut through the foredunes and upper beach berm along many regions of the coastline. The ebb erosion also caused extensive damage to physical structures when located immediately behind the foredune. Lastly, this work demonstrates the value of employing GIS and remote sensing technology to problems of beach and dune management, the restoration of coastal ecosystems, the enhancement of resilience capacity of both natural and developed infrastructure, and the development of new policy needed to contend with the effects of climate change.

Application of the Apriori Algorithm for Traffic Crash Analysis in Thailand

Accidents pose significant obstacles to economic progress and quality of life, especially in developing countries. Thailand faces such challenges and this research seeks to assess the frequency and most common causes of road accidents that lead to fatalities. This study employed the Apriori algorithm to examine the interrelationships among factors contributing to accidents in order to inform policymaking for reducing accident rates, minimizing economic and human losses, and enhancing the effectiveness of the healthcare system. By analyzing road accident data from 2015 to 2020 in Thailand (167,820 accidents causing THB 1.13 billion in damages), this article specifically focuses on the drivers responsible for fatal highway accidents. The findings reveal several interconnected variables that heighten the likelihood of fatalities, such as male gender, exceeding speed limits, riding a motorbike, traveling on straight roads, encountering dry surface conditions, and clear weather. An association rule analysis underscores the increased risk of injury or death in traffic accidents.

Hope, optimism, and self-efficacy predicting mental health andillness in a community sample exposed to Hurricane Harvey.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded more than 300,000 buildings causing an estimated $125 billion in damages and resulting in 68 deaths (National Hurricane Center). This actual or threatened loss of life and physical harm led many to report negative effects on mental well-being and greater mental illness. However, many individuals have been able to experience similar adverse events without a significant negative impact on their mental health and well-being. Positive thinking factors such as hope, optimism, and self-efficacy have been proposed as protective factors in the face of difficult life events. Hope, optimism, and self-efficacy are related but distinct constructs that have often been studied separately, but whose unique impact on well-being and mental illness is less clear, especially in the context of a natural hazard. The current study uses structural equation modeling to measure the unique contribution of hope, optimism, and hurricane-coping self-efficacy on mental well-being and mental illness in a community sample of 300 subjects who experienced Hurricane Harvey, recruited from Mechanical Turk.

Floating Debris in the Northern Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina (category 5 with maximum wind of 280 km/h when the eye is in the central Gulf of Mexico) made landfall near New Orleans on August 29, 2005, causing millions of cubic meters of disaster debris, severe flooding, and US$125 billion in damage. Yet, despite numerous reports on its environmental and economic impacts, little is known about how much debris has entered the marine environment. Here, using satellite images (MODIS, MERIS, and Landsat), airborne photographs, and imaging spectroscopy, we show the distribution, possible types, and amount of Katrina-induced debris in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Satellite images collected between August 30 and September 19 show elongated image features around the Mississippi River Delta in a region bounded by 92.5°W-87.5°W and 27.8°N-30.25°N. Image spectroscopy and color appearance of these image features indicate that they are likely dominated by driftwood (including construction lumber) and dead plants (e.g., uprooted marsh) and possibly mixed with plastics and other materials. The image sequence shows that if aggregated together to completely cover the water surface, the maximal debris area reached 21.7 km2 on August 31 to the east of the delta, which drifted to the west following the ocean currents. When measured by area in satellite images, this perhaps represents a historical record of all previously reported floating debris due to natural disasters such as hurricanes, floodings, and tsunamis.

Disaster for Darwin vs Australia on Fire—a Politico-Legal Review of Governments in Action

For two days in December 1974, from 24 to 26 December, Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, killing 71 people, seriously injuring 145, causing minor injuries to 500, damaging buildings, tearing roofs from houses, sweeping up trees and rubbish bins, rending children’s playground equipment, and bending in half the anemometer needle in Darwin Airport control tower. The festive season ended with a damage bill topping AUD$800 million. From June 2019 through to March/April 2020, bushfires ravaged Australia, burning 10 million hectares, ending lives and destroying livelihoods, killing or injuring some three billion animals, with kangaroos leaping to avoid the inferno, while koalas whimpered as the oncoming flames sped towards them, filling the Australian bush with the agonised cries of animals in danger, distress, dying and death. Some 3,500 homes were burned out, almost 6,000 outbuildings demolished, 34 people killed, more injured, and the cost in monetary terms was estimated at over AUD$103 billion. During Black Summer, the Australian land expanse devastated was as if, were the conflagration to be experienced in England, the entire country would burn from Dover to the Scots’ border. These disasters found both serving prime ministers absent overseas at crucial times. Gough Whitlam, prime minister during the cyclone disaster, returned from Greece immediately. Scott Morrison, prime minister during the fires, left in the midst of the conflagration. Whitlam set up a Darwin Reconstruction Commission. No Bushfire Reconstruction Commission was established by Morrison. Two different leaders, two different responses from government. This paper explores the disasters and the differences, the politico-legal dimensions of the way governments can respond or fail, and the process of recovery.

Geodynamics of the Caucasus – Anatolian-Arabian region and Turkey-Syria Earthquakes 2023

The activation of natural disasters in the world requires the development of new approaches to the study of geological processes, in particular, at the boundaries of lithospheric plates, characterized by earthquakes, increased seismicity, volcanism, landslide processes, tsunamis and other dangerous natural processes and hazards. Earthquake of M 7.8 struck south -eastern Turkey and north - western Syria on 6 February 2023. The M 7.8 earthquake is the largest in Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake, and the second-strongest recorded in the country, after the 1668 North Anatolia earthquake. More than 52,800 deaths were confirmed: more than 46,100 in Turkey, and more than 6,700 in Syria. It is the deadliest natural disaster in Turkey's modern history. The earthquakes caused over US$100 billion in damages. The geodynamic models construction for the deep structure of natural hazards regions is an important contribution to the study of active continental margins, which is necessary for the earthquake forecast, prediction and prognosis, assessing geoecological risks and preparing population actions in the event of natural disasters and catastrophes. The Caucasus - Arabian region is a complex highly-stressed geodynamic structure, characterized by increased heat flow, high seismicity, magmatism and volcanism. The geodynamics of the Caucasus - Arabian region is determined by the collision of the Eurasian and Arabian lithosphere plates, as well as the complex history of the development of the Alpine-Himalayan belt and surrounding territories. The problem solution of geological structures formation and evolution in various complex geodynamic settings and natural hazards forecast and prognosis requires an analysis of all available geological - geophysical data, as well as the formulation and solution of problems of mechanical and mathematical modeling. Slow lithospheric deformations are simulated by models of viscous flow in multi-layered, incompressible, high-viscosity Newtonian fluid, using Navier-Stocks equation and discontinuity equation. The solution of the inverse problem of geodynamics by the direct method is developed. The first inverse problem of geodynamics was solved - the restoration of the velocity fields, pressures and stresses at the depth of the lithosphere according to the available data on the velocities on the surface. The second inverse problem of geodynamics has been posed and solved - the determination of the movement of boundaries at the depth of the lithosphere based on the given movements of the surface. The solutions obtained can be used to analyze deep geodynamic problems, and together with geothermal modeling, geological and geophysical methods and seismic tomography can serve as a reliable apparatus for studying deep geodynamics due to the formation and evolution of geological structures and the lithosphere stress-strain state researches. The solution of the problem is analyzed on the example of the Caucasus - Arabian region geodynamics. The Geodynamic concept of geoenvironment has been developed. Geodynamic models of the regions of hazardous natural processes in order to predict and prevent natural disasters and catastrophes are constructed. An algorithm for creating monitoring systems is suggested.

Using drones to detect and quantify wild pig damage and yield loss in corn fields throughout plant growth stages

AbstractPresently, there are an estimated 6.9 million wild pigs (Sus scrofa) in the U.S., which cause over US$1 billion in damage to agriculture, environmental impacts, and control costs. However, estimates of damage have varied widely, creating a need for standardized monitoring and a method to accurately estimate the economic costs of direct wild pig damage to agriculture. The goal of our study was to integrate remotely sensed imagery from drones and crop harvest data to quantify wild pig damage in corn fields. We used drones with natural color (red, green, blue) cameras to monitor corn fields at different growth stages in an agricultural matrix in Delta County, Texas, USA, during 2019–2020. We flew 36 drone missions and classified wild pig damage in 18 orthomosaics by a combination of manually digitizing and deep‐learning algorithms. We compared estimates of damage from drone imagery to those derived from ground‐based transect surveys, to verify pig damage. Finally, we compared damaged areas of fields to maps of collected real‐time yields at harvest to estimate yield loss. All classified drone orthomosaics of pig damage had >80% overall accuracy for all growth stages. Ground transect surveys, which subsampled 2.6–4.1% of the field, were found to miss damage compared to the complete field coverage provided by drone imagery. Most damage occurred in latter growth stages, when corn ears were maturing, seed was most nutritious, and producers had already invested in the majority of annual crop inputs. Wild pigs damaged up to 9.2% of a single monitored field, which resulted in a mean loss of 3,416 kg of corn/ha and a direct cost to producers of US$17.18–48.24 per ha of damage. Drone imagery, when combined with spatially‐ explicit, harvest yield data, provides an accurate assessment of crop damage and yield loss due to wild pigs in the currency required for the cost‐benefit evaluation of management actions.

Perspectives of Southwest Florida Homeowners and Real Estate Agents before Hurricane Ian

In September 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida, causing an estimated $67 billion in damage and the loss of almost 150 lives. Before this date, demand and house prices in this area were rising faster than anywhere else in the country. What did homeowners in southwest Florida believe about flood risk to their own homes, and what did real estate agents believe about the role of flood risk in the residential housing market? The survey research summarized in this article shows that not only did residents feel that they were not particularly at risk from flooding, but also that damaging floods would not affect future home values in their neighborhoods or for their own homes. We found that political party affiliation was strongly correlated with the direction and strength of these beliefs. Real estate agents also reported strong demand for low-elevation coastal housing, noting that coastal lifestyle outweighed the prospect of flooding in residential decision-making. They also observed that the detailed maps of flood risk that are now available at realtor.com for anyone browsing for houses for sale had no effect on homebuyers, and that most of their customers were generally unconcerned with flood risk.

Woodboring Beetle (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae) Responses to Hurricane Michael in Variously Damaged Southeastern US Pine Plantations

Abstract In October 2018, catastrophic Hurricane Michael caused $1.7 billion in damage to standing timber in Florida, USA. To inform recovery efforts, varying levels of damaged (low, moderate, and high) slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm) stands were sampled for woodboring beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae; Cerambycidae). These beetles generally colonize stressed and damaged trees, and their larval tunneling activities reduce the value of timber salvaged post disturbance. From 2019 to 2020, 3,810 adults of 32 species were trapped. Acanthocinus obsoletus Olivier and Monochamus sp. complex (M. titillator Fabricius; M. carolinensis Olivier) comprised 86% of all catches. Approximately 50% and 60% more woodborers, especially Monochamus sp., were trapped in moderate-damage stands in 2019 than in high- and low-damage stands, respectively. This trend was not present in 2020. From 2019 to 2020, total catches increased by ~29%, reflected by increases in Monochamus sp. and Xylotrechus sagittatus Germar. In 2019, high-damage stands had the greatest species richness, followed by low- and moderate-damage stands. Species composition in 2019 did not differ among variously damaged stands, but was more heterogeneous in low-damage than high-damage stands in 2020. Results indicate that timely salvage harvesting of moderate- and high-damage stands after catastrophic wind disturbances may lower the economic impacts by subcortical woodboring beetles.

Floodwater Ghosts as Social Criticism: A horror film and Tropical Storm Ondoy

Typhoon Ketsana, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ondoy, hit the nation’s capital more than a decade ago. Metro Manila and its neighbouring rural areas were submerged in floodwaters up to 20 metres high resulting in 921 fatalities and $1.15 billion in damages. Most of those who survived the extreme weather event have various Ondoy stories to tell. In 2011 the popular Philippine horror anthology film series Shake, Rattle & Roll portrayed Ondoy victims as floodwater ghosts in a narrative included in instalment 13, in an episode entitled Rain, Rain, Go Away (RRGA). The floodwater ghosts are chilling reminders of various intersecting issues plaguing the country such as child labour, poor infrastructure, graft and corruption, the lack of proper weather forecasting techniques and equipment, and many others. The ghosts also represent how the most vulnerable sectors suffer from such water disasters, and invite possible discourses on actions that need to be taken against the detrimental effects of extreme weather events on the Philippine islands.

The securities fraud class action after Goldman Sachs

This article analyzes a significant Supreme Court securities law decision from the 2020 term, Goldman Sachs v. Arkansas Teachers Retirement System (Goldman). Goldman was a blockbuster class action, brought by shareholders seeking $13 billion in damages from Goldman Sachs based on claims that date back to the 2008 financial crisis. This article proceeds by taking an in‐depth look at the case history of Goldman from start to finish. In the process, it shows that the Supreme Court's recent decision was more impactful than has been widely appreciated. Rather than being a recap of existing precedents, the Court's holding in Goldman made significant changes to some of the core doctrines in securities law that were first set forth in 1988 when the modern securities class action was created by Basic v. Levinson. This article also looks beyond doctrinal categories to assess how the Goldman decision can be understood as the latest chapter in the Supreme Court's longstanding role as a leading policy maker in the law of securities class actions. Lastly, the article explains how the precedent set in Goldman will affect securities litigation on the ground going forward. As a result of Goldman, it will be argued, the class certification stage in shareholder securities fraud suits has been moved closer to an open‐ended totality of the circumstances test, in which the federal courts have an increasing number of tools to act as gatekeepers on the merits of a litigation.

Storms of a feather tweet together: An exploratory study examining Houston-area emergency management communication on Twitter in Hurricane Harvey.

The 2017 hurricane season was particularly troublesome in the Atlantic Ocean Basin. Two storms in particu-lar-Hurricanes Harvey and Irma-severely affected the southeastern United States and Gulf Coast, causing over $175 billion in damage and killing over 200 people. This study seeks to examine Twitter content that emerged from a Houston-area emergency management account during Hurricane Harvey. Specific emphasis is placed on the quantity of emergency management retweets, linguistic characteristics and similarities, and the emergence of opinion leaders in this disaster discussion. Results are discussed with respect to future risk communication in weather events, in addition to comparing with other recent disasters.

Monitoring the super typhoon lekima by GPM-based near-real-time satellite precipitation estimates

As the fifth-largest super tropical cyclone landed on Mainland China in history, typhoon Lekima occurred in August 2019 caused at least 71 deaths, 14 million disaster victims, and cost RMB 65.37 billion in damages. Here we use six latest GPM-based near-real-time satellite precipitation estimates (IMERG-Early, IMERG-Late, GSMaP-NOW, GSMaP-NRT, GSMaP-MVK, and CMORPH-RT) to quantify the spatiotemporal pattern of typhoon rainfall and meanwhile the potentials of these satellite precipitation products in detecting heavy storms are systematically investigated. Retrieval results indicate that the expansive rain belt of typhoon Lekima brought approximately 93.2 billion m3 water in total onto the Chinese mainland during the typhoon period and the precipitation process maintained higher intensities on the earlier two days (August 10 and 11). Specifically, it is found that a “precipitation window” with higher precipitation intensities appeared between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., implying that a greater probability of rainstorms may occur during this period. Moreover, at the storm center around the Dongying City of Shandong Province, the dual-frequency precipitation radar of GPM (GPM-DPR) successfully revealed the existence of precipitation columns with the peak value of 121 mm·h−1, which seem to play a key role in the regional torrential rainfall. Additionally, our evaluation shows IMERG-Late and CMORPH-RT perform better under higher rain rates relative to other satellite precipitation estimates. This can be primarily attributed to their sufficient inputs from PMW sensors and, respectively, the former benefits well from both DPR and GMI while the latter significantly reduces its IR inputs. This study illustrates an example of monitoring the extreme heavy precipitation storms by the latest GPM-based near-real-time satellite precipitation estimates and highlights future possible improvements for algorithm developers.

Hurricane Irma–Navy's Displaced Vessel and Oil Spill Response

On the evening of 09–10 September 2017, the Florida Keys were pummeled by Hurricane Irma - a Category 4 storm that was the fifth-costliest hurricane to hit mainland United States, causing an estimated $50 billion in damages, and 34 lives lost in Florida alone. In the Keys, approximately 1350 boats were destroyed or damaged, and approximately 2000 boats were removed from the waters and shorelines from a Unified Command (UC) comprised of U.S. Coast Guard, EPA and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission funded from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), under an ESF10 Mission Assignment to remove those vessels displaced from the storm where they had sunk, submerged, or been stranded along the shoreline. On September 28, 2017, the UC decided that boats that were on federal property were the responsibility of that agency to manage, and furthermore, since each of these boats had batteries and in most cases fuel on board they posed an immediate hazardous substance and/or oil spill threat, so requested that Navy undertake operations immediately as the lead FOSC to address each of the vessels sunk, submerged, stranded or otherwise displaced on Navy property in the Key West area. On October 1, 2017, the Navy On-Scene Coordinator Representative (NOSC-R) from Navy Region Southeast (NRSE) deployed to Naval Air Station Key West (NASKW) to manage the response. Once adequate funds were identified and secured, NRSE contracted Navy Supervisor of Salvage (SUPSALV), who quickly arrived on-scene with a contracted private salvor. Operations fell into several stages: locating each vessel on NASKW property and determining its condition; identifying each owner/representative; retrieval and temporary storage of each vessel or its remains on Navy property; contacting vessel owners/representatives to making arrangements for owner or insurance company to retrieve the vessel, or surrender it to Navy custody for final destruction at Navy's expense. A number of challenges arose during this response: finding adequate funds at the end of a fiscal year for an un-programmed multi-million dollar project; identifying owners and contact information; negotiating final disposition of each vessel; allowing owners access to vessels stored on Navy property. After 9 weeks of vessel location and identification, and owner notifications, 15 vessels were retrieved by owners, 13 vessels were towed away or otherwise removed by owner insurance companies, and 52 were barged off to a boatyard for final destruction at Navy's expense. In total, $3M was spent by Navy for this operation.

Social Vulnerability and Access of Local Medical Care During Hurricane Harvey: A Spatial Analysis.

When Hurricane Harvey struck the coastline of Texas in 2017, it caused 88 fatalities and over US $125 billion in damage, along with increased emergency department visits in Houston and in cities receiving hurricane evacuees, such as the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex (DFW).This study explored demographic indicators of vulnerability for patients from the Hurricane Harvey impact area who sought medical care in Houston and in DFW. The objectives were to characterize the vulnerability of affected populations presenting locally, as well as those presenting away from home, and to determine whether more vulnerable communities were more likely to seek medical care locally or elsewhere. We used syndromic surveillance data alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index to calculate the percentage of patients seeking care locally by zip code tabulation area. We used this variable to fit a spatial lag regression model, controlling for population density and flood extent. Communities with more patients presenting for medical care locally were significantly clustered and tended to have greater socioeconomic vulnerability, lower household composition vulnerability, and more extensive flooding. These findings suggest that populations remaining in place during a natural disaster event may have needs related to income, education, and employment, while evacuees may have more needs related to age, disability, and single-parent household status.