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Natural Hazards

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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RAND Commentary Highlights of 2021
Vaccine rollouts, an attack on the U.S. Capitol, massive ransomware attacks, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, record numbers of job openings and people quitting, and more. RAND researchers weighed in on all these topics and more.
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Dec 21, 2021

Emergency Preparedness

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Hurricane Ida Is Part of a Cycle of Disasters—Mitigating Their Impact Means Building Back Better
Building back better means focusing on recovery that not only restores damage from a disaster but also reduces future risk. To meet that goal today, we need to look at the ways our disaster preparedness and response systems actually create risk themselves, by reinforcing things like wealth inequality, systemic discrimination, or access to crucial services.
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Sep 13, 2021
Jay Balagna, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg
Racial Discrimination

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Mapping Environmental Racism: Q&A with Jaime Madrigano and Benjamin Preston
Environmental policy experts Jaime Madrigano and Benjamin Preston are leading an effort to highlight how discriminatory policies have shaped environmental health disparities. Their goal: create an interactive map of the United States to motivate environmental policy that advances antiracism.
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Sep 7, 2021
Jaime Madrigano @JMadrigano, Benjamin Lee Preston @bl_preston, et al.
Wildfires

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Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management
The fire seasons that have been scorching huge areas and wiping entire towns from the map appear to be the future. Accepting that wildland fires are a part of our environment and working to live with fires rather than continuously fighting against them may be the most responsible path forward.
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Aug 16, 2021
Jim Whittington, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, et al.
Racial Discrimination

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Historic Lynchings and Voter Registration, China in Space, Firefighters' Mental Health: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the link between historic lynchings and voter registration, Afghanistan in the era of fentanyl, supporting firefighters’ mental health, and more.
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Jul 30, 2021
Workplace Well-Being

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As Fire Season Heats Up, Burnout Looms
Increasingly intense fire seasons are taking a physical and mental toll on wildland firefighters. Without more direct attention paid to firefighters' mental health, burnout could decimate the ranks of those who protect lives and property across the West.
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Jul 21, 2021
Grace Hindmarch, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, et al.
Disaster Recovery Operations

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Disaster Recovery in Puerto Rico: Q&A with Marielena Lara
When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, it peeled roofs from houses, turned roads into rivers, and left millions of people without electricity or safe drinking water. Marielena Lara, a senior physician policy researcher at RAND, was grateful to be part of the recovery planning.
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Apr 26, 2021
Displaced Persons

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For Americans Uprooted by Climate Change, Mental Health Is the Next Crisis
The challenges climate migrants face are not limited to basic needs, such as housing and employment; displacement may also create trauma. It's imperative that policymakers take mental health into account when devising climate change policies.
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Mar 15, 2021
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Saskia R. Vos, et al.
Refugees

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Climate Change Migration: Developing a Security Strategy for All
Over the past decade, an average of 21.5 million people annually have been forced to move due to the impacts of extreme weather. Building an understanding of the intersection between climate change, migration, and security is crucial and should take into account that many who face the most direct impacts of climate change are already among the most vulnerable.
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Mar 15, 2021
Jeannette Gaudry Haynie, Jay Balagna, et al.
Disaster Recovery Operations

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Previous Disasters Provide Important Lessons for Central America's Recovery from Hurricanes
As the global community works to assist Central America in recovering from the disastrous 2020 hurricane season, other recent recovery efforts offer helpful lessons, both for the governments of the region as well as outsiders providing resources and support.
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Jan 11, 2021
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, et al.
Machine Learning

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Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Are Important Tools to Improve Cost Estimation for Natural Disasters in Electric Utilities
Natural disasters in the United States cause billions of dollars of damage to electric infrastructure every year. Applying artificial intelligence and machine learning in a disaster-recovery context for electrical utilities might significantly improve cost estimating capability and responsiveness.
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Dec 4, 2020
Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, Parousia Rockstroh
Natural Hazards

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Disaster Reporting and Its Impacts on Policy and Inequities
Disaster news tropes may capture audience attention, but they ultimately frustrate progress in mitigating the short- and long-term effects of disasters on communities. It's more important than ever that news stories about disasters frame the effects of environmental phenomena in meaningful ways.
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Nov 16, 2020
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Shearon Roberts
Veterans Health Care

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Veterans Day, Psychedelic Drug Policy, Family Caregivers: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on supporting veterans with mental health and substance use disorders, changes to psychedelic drug policy, the vital role of family caregivers, and more.
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Nov 13, 2020
Wildfires

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Another Record-Breaking Fire Season Shows the Need for a Comprehensive Strategy
Year after year, fires across western U.S. states scorch forests, rangeland, and neighborhoods, wreaking havoc on rural economies and pushing smoke into cities. Policymakers should consider a coordinated and comprehensive effort that brings together the best minds in government, communities, and academia.
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Nov 6, 2020
Jay Balagna, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg
Disaster Recovery Operations

commentary
HSOAC Hosts Seminar Series on Improving Equity in Disaster Policy
Natural and biological hazards, and critically the human response to these hazards, have the potential not only to exacerbate existing population inequities but also to create them. To better understand the equity implications of disaster policies, the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center invited several experts to share their knowledge.
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Oct 7, 2020
Max Izenberg
Wildfires

blog
Wildfires, America's Wealth Gap, Screening for COVID-19 at Work: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the growing risk of wildfires, how Americans' incomes have grown (or not), workplace screenings for COVID-19 symptoms, and more.
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Sep 18, 2020

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