infrastructure News

Report: Hurricane Dorian Inflicted $3.4B Losses On Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian inflicted losses of about $3.4 billion on the Bahamas, an amount equal to one-quarter of the Caribbean archipelago’s GDP, according to a report released Friday. The report by the Inter-American Development Bank also said there were 67 confirmed …

Rising U.S. Losses From Powerful Hurricanes Flag Need for Better Protection

Only a few U.S. states are taking significant steps to reduce hurricane risks, as a study this week showed the most damaging storms are now three times as frequent as a century ago and have become the costliest type of …

Cause of Philadelphia Fire Sounds Alarm Over Aging U.S. Refineries

PHILADELPHIA — How did a piece of piping installed when Richard Nixon was U.S. president go without once being checked before leading to a fire that devastated the East Coast’s largest and oldest oil refinery? That’s a question safety experts …

Houston-Area Flood Control Projects Proceed After Harvey

HOUSTON — On a Friday night in August, Diane and Ted Simpson got home from work to find a certified letter from the Harris County Flood Control District notifying them that a portion of their backyard was in a public …

Cedar Rapids Struggling To Maintain Rare Houseboat Harbor

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Time is running out on Ellis Harbor as erosion buckles infrastructure and creates safety hazards, residents of the out-of-the-way refuge on the Cedar River say. And while the city has invested, they say, it has put …

FEMA Bought 44,000 Flood-Prone Homes and May Have to Buy Millions More

As the climate crisis worsens, more Americans will be forced from their homes. Many won’t be able to afford it, and the U.S. isn’t prepared for a massive, government-subsidized migration away from flood-prone areas, according to the first comprehensive analysis …

FEMA Officials Charged With Puerto Rico Hurricane Aid Fraud

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who oversaw the reconstruction of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid and the former president of Cobra Acquisitions were arrested on fraud and conspiracy charges linked to recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria, according to federal prosecutors. FEMA’s …

Commission Says Humanity to Pay Massive Cost for Not Adapting to Climate Change

Slowing the planetary march toward climate catastrophe—and the multitrillion-dollar investment required to do it—has become a central issue of global and national debate. But there’s the equally expensive matter of dealing with the here and now: From historic wildfires to …

Baltimore on the Bottom for Auto Crashes; Brownsville, Texas Stays on Top

Baltimore, Maryland retained its title as the most accident-prone metropolitan area in the nation for automobiles, while Brownsville, Texas took the No. 1 spot for auto safety, according to Allstate’s annual America’s Best Drivers Report. The careful motorists in Brownsville …

U.S. Hurricane Season Is Unnecessarily Dangerous

Forecasters are expecting this year’s North Atlantic hurricane season to be roughly average, with about 14 named storms including six full-fledged hurricanes. Last week, the government finally dealt with the fallout from 2018, enacting a $19.1 billion relief package to …