A weekly round-up of news, articles and surveys to make your next emergency better. Have a suggestion for the round-up? Contact me at abetteremergency@gmail.com.

The U.K. has had a very bad run of weather and severe flooding.  This column on disaster mismanagement is a request to temper blame assignment and focus on recovery and development of policies to prevent similar problems in the future.

I’m uncertain how to prevent post-Fukushima deaths outnumbering the original disaster toll, but this is worth consideration.  I suppose that the new rapid response teams could be an answer. I also suspect the Christchurch earthquake may have something to do with the new disaster communication system in Vanuatu.

What stood out to me about the huge landslide striking at a mystery location in Southeast Alaska was the volume of displaced land mass.   I recall the massive tsunami (>1,700 feet) caused by the Lituya Bay slide in 1958. This latest slide was even greater.

How will we pay for the 600 L.A. school buildings that need quake evaluations and retrofits? What liability comes from continuing to hold school in these buildings when the danger is known?  I wonder if this study suggesting earthquake liquefaction models are flawed will slow efforts to make improvements.

A great deal of fire and EMS service is provided by volunteers across the United States. I did my share.  After reading about retirements shrinking ranks of Minnesota’s  rural medical responders, I wonder who will take care of me.

[GARD]