Disasters

"Nuclear Rules in Japan Relied on Old Science"

"In the country that gave the world the word tsunami, the Japanese nuclear establishment largely disregarded the potentially destructive force of the walls of water. The word did not even appear in government guidelines until 2006, decades after plants — including the Fukushima Daiichi facility that firefighters are still struggling to get under control — began dotting the Japanese coastline."

Source: NY Times, 03/28/2011

"Wildfire Urgency Unites Congress. The ‘Fix Our Forests’ Act Does Not."

"A House hearing exposed sharp divisions over whether loosening environmental laws and expanding logging will protect communities from catastrophic fires. Scientists urged a shift toward investing in fire-resilient homes and landscapes."

Source: Inside Climate News, 02/04/2026

"Global Aid Cuts Could Lead To 9.4 Million Deaths By 2030, Study Projects"

"A new study published Monday in the Lancet puts a number on the potential human toll as the global humanitarian system cracks apart, projecting an extra 9.4 million deaths by 2030 if the current trends persist." "The Lancet study examines how the dismantling of international aid by the U.S. and other countries could undo decades of health gains."

Source: Washington Post, 02/04/2026

Trump Energy Dept. Exempts New Nuclear Reactors From Environmental Review

"The Trump Administration has created an exclusion for new experimental reactors being built at sites around the U.S. from a major environmental law. The law would have required them to disclose how their construction and operation might harm the environment, and it also typically required a written, public assessment of the possible consequences of a nuclear accident."

Source: NPR, 02/03/2026

What South Carolina’s Soaring Measles Outbreak Means For Rest Of US

"South Carolina is battling the country’s largest measles outbreak since the disease was eliminated from the United States more than a quarter-century ago, with more than 840 cases overwhelmingly in unvaccinated children and adults."

Source: Washington Post, 02/02/2026

"Bomb Cyclone Brings Freezing Temperatures And Snow To Millions In US"

"A bomb cyclone produced freezing temperatures across a large portion of the US from the Gulf coast to New England, bringing heavy snow to North Carolina where two were killed in storm-related conditions, and setting records in Florida, where officials warned of ice and falling iguanas."

Source: Guardian, 02/02/2026

"Kristi Noem Under Fire For $1 Billion Disaster Relief 'Logjam'"

"Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has created a "logjam" for roughly $1 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster prevention projects around the country, NOTUS reported on Wednesday morning."

Source: Raw Story, 01/29/2026

‘Doomsday Clock’ Moves Closer To Midnight Amid Nukes, Climate Change And AI

"Earth is closer than it’s ever been to destruction as Russia, China, the U.S. and other countries become “increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic,” a science-oriented advocacy group said Tuesday as it advanced its “Doomsday Clock” to 85 seconds till midnight."

Source: AP, 01/28/2026

"The Trump Administration Has Secretly Rewritten Nuclear Safety Rules"

"The Trump administration has overhauled a set of nuclear safety directives and shared them with the companies it is charged with regulating, without making the new rules available to the public, according to documents obtained exclusively by NPR."

Source: NPR, 01/28/2026

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