The semester has come to an end! I’ve decided to carry on with these weekly curated lists. More people than just my students have been reading them and it is also a useful exercise for myself. It helps me keep up with the current news and allows me to close some internet tabs.
As usual, these are the articles I stumbled on over the past week and helped me understand the current situation. Preference is given to articles that are most directly related to emergency management.
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CNBC: The US just reported its deadliest day for coronavirus patients as states reopen, according to WHO.
In case you were under the impression that this pandemic is nearing the end, the United States just had the deadliest day this week.
These articles are directly about emergency management:
ProPublica: Grieving families need help paying for COVID-19 burials, but Trump hasn’t released the money
I wrote a longer thread about this on Twitter and Chris Hayes also covered the story on MSNBC.
Bloomberg: FEMA to move out of lead virus role to focus on reopening
Importantly, FEMA seems to deny this claim.
Newsweek: National Guard protecting Maryland’s coronavirus tests in undisclosed location so federal government can’t seize them
FEMA also denies this.
ProPublica: Texas still won’t say which nursing homes have COVID-19 cases. Families are demanding answers.
These articles are about other disasters that can happen during the pandemic:
The Sacramento Bee: A ‘fire of infections’ could sweep California evacuation centers. Here’s the plan to stop it
Axios: FEMA braces for COVID-infected hurricane season
The News & Observer: Hurricane season is coming in the midst of a pandemic. Is NC ready for this?
NJ.com: As hurricane season looms, could N.J. possibly handle a natural disaster, too?
Palm Beach Post: Sheltering during a storm may mean taking Ubers to hotels, asking people to stay at home
The Virginia Pilot: Hurricane season in Hampton Roads could be a doozy if coronavirus lingers
Williamsburg Yorktown Daily: Coronavirus and hurricane season: What happens when two disasters strike at once?
E&E News: Virus hospitals occupy flood zones despite warnings
These articles provide important context for understanding the pandemic as a whole:
The New Yorker: Seattle’s leaders let scientists take the lead. New York’s did not.
The Atlantic: Why the coronavirus is so confusing
New York Magazine: What the coronavirus models can’t see
The New York Times: Trump’s response to virus reflects a long disregard for science
Wired: This is not the apocalypse you were looking for
These articles think about possible future policy changes:
ABCNews: Building blocks of an early warning system for the next pandemic: Analysis
Presumably major policy changes will come in the wake of the pandemic and ideas are already rolling in. This analysis looks at changes to pandemic early warning systems (note: some of these do seem redundant to existing programs).
Morning Consult: Emergency managers hope pandemic lessons will apply to climate preparedness