Photo: Damage from Super Typhoon Fung-Wong. All Hands and Hearts (via X)

Plus, preparing for the new era of disasters

Welcome back to This Week in Disasters! This newsletter combines expert perspectives with a weekly roundup of upcoming threats, recent natural disasters, and available survivor assistance. If you’re an HR, Risk, Employee Assistance, or Emergency Management professional (or you’re just really curious about disasters in the United States!) you’re in the right place.

Major Disasters of the Last Week

Photo: Aurora Borealis in Kansas. Bright Harbor.

Forecasted Risks for Next Week

Amoderate risk of heavy precipitation for the Southern/Mid-US, starting November 19.

Heavy precipitation and mudslide risk in California and Southwest. This is flagged for portions of southern California on November 14 and 15 which could trigger urban flooding and mudslides especially in burn-scar or steep terrain zones.

Disasters in the Headlines

At Brazilian climate summit, Newsom positions California as a stand-in for the U.S.

Los Angeles Times

Legislation boosting long-term flood resilience introduced

Sun Community News

PG&E CEO: Layers of protection are working that make customers safer

CNBC

Why space weather puts power grids at risk

Newsweek

PRO PERSPECTIVE

Preparing for the New Era of Disasters

Vice President of Disaster Management at ICF and former FEMA executive John Rabin says the way we think about disasters needs to change. Since 2017, storms have grown stronger, the wildfire season is longer, and even tornadoes are showing up outside their usual seasons. As he puts it, storms are “bigger, stronger, and more frequent, that’s just the reality.”

But extreme weather is only part of the problem. Rabin points to growing cyber and nation-state threats, including recent incidents where adversaries gained access to U.S. water systems in Texas and Pennsylvania. Managing the consequences from these threats is an unprecedented challenge. “If these risks converge when we are vulnerable, say, during a response to a natural disaster, resources at the federal, state, local, and private sectors will be strained in ways we have never seen before,” Rabin explains. “We only have a finite amount of resources. That means tough decisions whether we support international or domestic objectives.”

The solution, he argues, starts long before a disaster. “Preparedness can’t just live in government plans,” Rabin said. “It has to live in communities, in companies, and in how people think about risk every day.”

Key points on preparedness:

• Plan for function, not for scenario. Identify what must continue, such as power, food, water, and medical care, regardless of the cause. “You don’t plan for a hurricane or a cyberattack,” Rabin said. “You plan to make sure food, power, and water reach people who need them.” This approach helps emergency managers think creatively about resources and avoid being locked into narrow plans that fail when the situation changes.

• Build strong partnerships. Coordination between government, business, and community partners before disaster strikes is essential. Shared planning and communication make it easier to mobilize resources quickly when the unexpected happens.

• Invest in people. Rabin believes resilience begins with the workforce. “People are the critical point of failure,” he said. Training, supporting, and caring for employees ensures they can keep essential systems running when it matters most, from first responders to truck drivers and grocery workers who keep communities functioning.

Rabin’s message is clear: resilience is not built during disaster season. It is built through everyday choices that strengthen our ability to adapt, recover, and continue critical work, no matter what happens next.

Active Federal Major Disasters

There is usually a 60 day window to apply for help after a disaster is declared.  The following disasters are still actively taking applications from survivors for financial support.

The following disasters are actively taking applications from survivors for financial support. To apply, survivors can visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800‑621‑3362.

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