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This single shipping container can start powering a small renewable grid in less than a day

Adele Peters

November 18, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Grass Valley, California

Solar microgrids can improve community resilience to natural disasters by quickly restoring power. California-based startup, BoxPower, has developed an easy-to-install solar panels, packaged in a cargo shipping container. Housing the units in a shipping container allows for easy transport to disaster zones, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and to communities in California left without power due to wildfires.

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As fires rage, California refines an important skill: Evacuating

Heather Kelly Scott Wilson Joy Lanzendorfer

October 28, 2019 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Santa Rosa, California

With wildfires becoming more and more common, Californians have become improved their evacuation procedures. Alerting residents earlier via cellphone and then ongoing door-to-door notices have made a difference, along with residents trusting the evacuation calls more than before. Notable improvements have been made in hospitals, with staff making arrangements with other hospitals as soon as they receive the evacuation notice.

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Haiti and the failed promise of US aid

Jacob Kushner

October 11, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Haiti

Since Haiti's catastrophic earthquake in 2010, the US has spent $2.3 billion in aid money that has failed to alleviate poverty or help the impoverished nation recover. Bill Clinton led the global response to Haiti's recovery and focused efforts on bringing international manufacturers to Haiti by building an expensive new port from which multinational corporations would bring in investments and stable jobs, but the project failed to do so. This strategy was a continuation of previous US solutions that have failed to bring economic independence to Haiti and have often had the opposite effect, leaving it worse.

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After Hurricane Dorian, The 'Wikipedia Of Maps' Came To The Rescue

Joanne Lu

October 03, 2019 |

NPR |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Humanitarian, crowdsourced street mapping has become a crucial part of disaster relief efforts. Initiatives like Missing Maps and OpenStreetMaps call on volunteer cartographers – professional or not – to fill in maps and data gaps so that emergency humanitarian efforts can help as many people as possible. Such platforms became necessary after Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas in September 2019, with over 100 people coming through to map previously unidentified roads and buildings.

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After a Mass Shooting, Who Cares for the Coroners?

Ann Givens

September 30, 2019 |

The Trace |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Las Vegas, Nevada

Following the Las Vegas mass shooting in October 2017, employees at the Clark County coroner’s office found themselves grappling with the psychological effects. The head of the department recognized this struggle and took action: bringing in counselors, offering yoga, meditation, and massages, and having staff and family parties and get-togethers. With a work culture that often emphasizes working alone, this moment allowed for people to come together and create a sense of community.

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How church volunteers are preparing for the next natural disaster

Wyatt Massey

August 27, 2019 |

Chattanooga Times Free Press |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Decatur, Alabama

Rather than wait for disaster to strike, a network of churches across the Southern United States brings volunteers together to pack buckets with the essentials to prepare for families whose homes have been damaged by tornadoes or hurricanes. Though often the supplies run thin in the aftermath of a storm like Hurricane Florence, the church communities manage to get buckets out to those in need much quicker than other networks, who struggle to gather supplies after the storm has hit.

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Amateur Radio Is There When All Else Fails

Roman Battaglia

August 18, 2019 |

Jefferson Public Radio |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Puerto Rico

When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, amateur radio help connect communities with emergency response teams. Across the United States, amateur radio stations are acting as frontline communication systems for those who have no other method of communication. Organizations like Oregon’s Jackson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service provides training and skill -building and -sharing for participants, who are then able to use those skills in an emergency or disaster.

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When Arizona catches fire, prisoners step up

Maya L. Kapoor

August 05, 2019 |

High Country News |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Arizona

As the cost of fighting wildfires rises and the number of firefighters declines, Arizona found a solution: paying incarcerated men and women to do the same job for just five percent of the standard rate for firefighting. Arizona’s Inmate Wildfire Program, while fundamentally exploitative, is seemingly more complex. Those that go through the program find a sense of meaning and are given the opportunity to learn leadership and teamwork skills – things they can translate in life upon release.

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Women lead the way in disaster preparedness, recovery in Odisha's Ganjam

Sahana Ghosh

June 03, 2019 |

Mongabay |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Ganjam, Odisha

A group of women in the state of Odisha, India works as the district's disaster responders in an area that has seen a record number of monsoons and other tropical storms. The women, many of whom live in the region's most vulnerable areas, act as ground-level support, evacuators, and trainers when a storm hits.

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Wildfire escape routes? There's (almost) an app for that.

Krista Langlois

May 23, 2019 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durango, Colorado

Scientists and engineers in Colorado are developing an app that can help firefighters determine the safest routes to safety during wildfires. The app, currently in development, was created with data from another trail and hike tracking app and applied to analyze how long it would take a firefighter – given their unique equipment and uniforms – to escape wildfire.

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