Like every one of us, the horrific hurricane, wind and water damage in much of Texas compels our attention no matter where we live. Even now, I am awaiting specific predictions about the path of oncoming Hurricane Irma. I think back to my experience working for many years as a county and city-appointed official in… Read more
A dry summer has led to a spate of Western wildfires that county officials worry will affect health conditions and economic viability for years. And they have not been relegated to rural areas — the Columbia River Gorge went up in flames, bringing smoke into the city of Portland, Ore. The wildfire risk jumped exponentially… Read more
Counties and parishes that took a hit from two monster storms — Hurricanes Irma and Harvey — are digging out from flooding, high winds, loss of power and more in Florida, Texas, Louisiana and elsewhere in the Southeast. Hurricane Irma claimed at least 26 lives on the U.S. mainland, The Associated Press reported. Much of… Read more
In mid-September, as tens of thousands of people were still reeling from Hurricane Harvey and while Hurricane Irma was wreaking havoc in the Southeast, representatives of The Nature Conservancy, American Planning Association, and NACo visited South Seaside Park, N.J., which serves as a case study for NACo’s Naturally Resilient Communities partnership. It was a trip… Read more
A little over a month ago, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, found itself facing the third threat of the tropical hurricane season, Hurricane Nate. The storm was rapidly forming in the Caribbean Sea, and the parish had just days to inform and possibly mobilize the public to evacuate. The good news: It was prepared. Before the… Read more
It was about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 9 when Carmel Angelo, Mendocino County, California CEO, was notified by the sheriff’s office that a deadly wildfire was threatening the community. “As I was talking with our captain in the sheriff’s office, who was on the ground notifying neighbors and closing roads, he was trying to apprise me… Read more
For the past two years, NACo has been working with AECOM — a company that designs, builds, finances and operates infrastructure assets — and the American Planning Association and the Association of State Floodplain Managers to explore ways to reduce the long-term impacts of flooding by better integrating mitigation planning into the larger community planning… Read more
Although the House and the Senate remain at odds over how to advance legislation that would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the House on Nov. 14 approved its measure by a vote of 237–189 along party lines. The legislation, the 21st Century Flood Reform Act (H.R. 2874), combines a series of bills that,… Read more
Before disasters strike your county, you should be certain about which local or regional faith-based groups you can work with to help provide temporary shelter, hot meals and other types of assistance to residents, said Gregory Forrester, president and CEO, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. The national group also has state-level associations that you can… Read more
Dear National Association of Counties Membership – Thank you for inviting me to speak at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference. FEMA supports and shares your goal of creating healthy, vibrant and safe counties across the U.S. FEMA is leaning forward, both strategically and operationally. We are building on the successes of 2017 and… Read more
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