Writing for HuffPost, Michael Windle and Tim Russell of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics say the U.S. can better serve survivors of disasters like Hurricane Maria by offering more permanent opportunities to relocate. “Survivors should be able to choose between programs geared to returning and rebuilding, and those providing permanent relocation services,” urge the researchers.
Meghna Chakrabarti of WBUR’s Radio Boston speaks to Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello ‘01 about the needs and the status of the island, plans to rebuild infrastructure, and how the new tax plan will affect Puerto Rico’s economy. Rossello was in Boston for the MIT Conference on the Resilient Reconstruction of the Caribbean.
Boston Globe reporter David Abel reports on Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló's ’01 visit to MIT for the Conference for the Resilient Construction of the Caribbean. The governor shared his frustration with proposed federal tax policies while expressing optimism about working with MIT on solutions for climate-resilient reconstruction after this fall’s hurricanes.
In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Christopher Matthews highlights a new study by Prof. Kerry Emanuel that shows Texas faces an increased risk of devastating rainfall due to climate change. The study demonstrated how greenhouse gas emissions, “help warm offshore waters—a phenomenon that can magnify the severity of storms and generate more rain, creating bigger floods.”
Prof. Kerry Emanuel released a new paper that analyzes the impact of Hurricane Harvey, writes Bloomberg’s Eric Roston. Emanuel found that “Harvey’s rainfall in Houston was ‘biblical’ in the sense that it likely occurred around once since the Old Testament was written.”
A recent study from Prof. Kerry Emanuel suggests that, due to climate change, “massive hurricanes like Harvey are expected to strike Houston and Texas with much greater frequency in the future than they do now,” writes Deborah Netburn for the Los Angeles Times.
Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press reports on a new study by Prof. Kerry Emanuel, which finds that hurricanes with extreme rainfall could become common as a result of global warming. Borenstein explains that the odds of 20 inches of rain occurring over a large area of Texas is “6 in 100 and by 2081, those odds will be 18 in 100.”
A study by Prof. Kerry Emanuel finds that climate change will triple the likelihood of storms with 20 inches of rainfall hitting Texas, writes Doyle Rice for USA Today. Using computer models of past, present, and future storms, Emanuel “hurried the study to help Houston officials think about what conditions they should consider when they rebuild,” Rice explains.
A study by Prof. Kerry Emanuel finds that storms like Hurricane Harvey, which produced 20 inches of rain, are six times more likely to occur as a result of global warming, reports Robinson Meyers of The Atlantic. Rainfall will worsen because “storms of all types—not just hurricanes—will retain more moisture in a warmer climate,” explains Meyers.
Chris Mooney at The Washington Post writes about a new study from Prof. Kerry Emanuel, which suggests that the extreme rains during Hurricane Harvey were made more likely by climate change, and “such extreme flooding events will only become more frequent as the globe continues to warm.”
Noreen O’Donnell and Estefania Hernandez report for NBC Boston on how sustainable energy could be used to help bring power back to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. O’Donnell and Hernandez note that Francis O’Sullivan, director of research for MITEI, explains that, “new technologies could be introduced in strategic locations, such as around public safety buildings or hospitals.”
Researchers from MIT’s Urban Risk Lab piloted a free online tool that crowdsources social media posts to map flood conditions during Hurricane Irma, writes Frankie Schembri for NOVA Next. “Residents often have the best information about the situation near them,” explains research scientist Tomas Holderness, “and we now have the network to be able to collect information.”
Francis O'Sullivan, director of research at the MIT Energy Initiative, speaks with Emre Kelly of USA Today about the value of microgrids in increasing resilience to natural disasters. O’Sullivan says that the Caribbean islands impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria should “look to integrate today’s newer technologies and not simply rebuild the old system we had.”
Boston Herald reporters Jack Encarnacao and Marie Szaniszlo write that students from the MIT Mexican Association have developed a website to help Mexicans impacted by last week’s earthquake. The students are mapping “the GPS coordinates of places where locals can report specific needs, so assistance can be targeted.”
On PRI's "The World," Francis O'Sullivan, director of research for MITEI, explains how microgrids can help make the electric grid more resilient against mass blackouts in future natural disasters like Hurricane Irma.