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Natural Hazards

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
RAND Commentary Highlights of 2021
Dec 21, 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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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Hurricane Ida Is Part of a Cycle of Disasters—Mitigating Their Impact Means Building Back Better
Jay Balagna, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg
Sep 13, 2021
CNN
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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Racial Discrimination
q&a
Mapping Environmental Racism: Q&A with Jaime Madrigano and Benjamin Preston
Jaime Madrigano @JMadrigano, Benjamin Lee Preston @bl_preston, Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich
Sep 7, 2021
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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Wildfires
commentary
Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management
Jim Whittington, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Jay Balagna
Aug 16, 2021
The Hill
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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Racial Discrimination
blog
Historic Lynchings and Voter Registration, China in Space, Firefighters' Mental Health: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 30, 2021
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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Workplace Well-Being
commentary
As Fire Season Heats Up, Burnout Looms
Grace Hindmarch, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Jay Balagna
Jul 21, 2021
The RAND Blog
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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Disaster Recovery Operations
q&a
Disaster Recovery in Puerto Rico: Q&A with Marielena Lara
Apr 26, 2021
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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Displaced Persons
commentary
For Americans Uprooted by Climate Change, Mental Health Is the Next Crisis
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Saskia R. Vos, Seth J. Schwartz
Mar 15, 2021
The Hill
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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Refugees
commentary
Climate Change Migration: Developing a Security Strategy for All
Jeannette Gaudry Haynie, Jay Balagna, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg
Mar 15, 2021
The National Interest
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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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Previous Disasters Provide Important Lessons for Central America's Recovery from Hurricanes
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, David G. Groves
Jan 11, 2021
The National Interest
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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Machine Learning
commentary
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Are Important Tools to Improve Cost Estimation for Natural Disasters in Electric Utilities
Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, Parousia Rockstroh
Dec 4, 2020
Energy Central
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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Natural Hazards
commentary
Disaster Reporting and Its Impacts on Policy and Inequities
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Shearon Roberts
Nov 16, 2020
Poynter
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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Veterans Health Care
blog
Veterans Day, Psychedelic Drug Policy, Family Caregivers: RAND Weekly Recap
Nov 13, 2020
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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Wildfires
commentary
Another Record-Breaking Fire Season Shows the Need for a Comprehensive Strategy
Jay Balagna, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg
Nov 6, 2020
United Press International
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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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
HSOAC Hosts Seminar Series on Improving Equity in Disaster Policy
Max Izenberg
Oct 7, 2020
The RAND Blog
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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Wildfires
blog
Wildfires, America's Wealth Gap, Screening for COVID-19 at Work: RAND Weekly Recap
Sep 18, 2020
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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