cbsnews.com - by Jonathan Lapook - December 26, 2017

As the holiday season continues, the U.S. is also entering peak flu season. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 650,000 people worldwide could die from complications of the flu . . .

 . . . It's very early in the flu season but it's shaping up to be a nasty one. Texas is one of 23 states already seeing high flu activity, more than double the number from the week before.

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CLICK HERE - Texas Department of State Health Services - 2017 - 2018 Texas Influenza Surveillance Activity Report

CLICK HERE - CDC - FluView - Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report

CLICK HERE - TEXASFLU.org

Large swaths of the tropics and beyond may see crushing combinations of heat and humidity in coming decades, according to a new study.  Credit: Ethan Coffel

CLICK HERE - STUDY - Temperature and humidity based projections of a rapid rise in global heat stress exposure during the 21st century

sciencedaily.com - Source: The Earth Institute at Columbia University - December 22, 2017

Summary: Climate scientists say that killer heat waves will become increasingly prevalent in many regions as climate warms. However, most projections leave out a major factor that could worsen things: humidity, which can greatly magnify the effects of heat alone. Now, a new global study projects that in coming decades the effects of high humidity in many areas will dramatically increase.

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An aerial view of the Industrial Canal after its levee failed during Hurricane Katrina. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune file photo)

nola.com - by Tristan Baurick - December 11, 2017

One of the country's largest credit rating agencies has put New Orleans and other coastal cities on notice: prepare for the effects of climate change or risk a hit on your credit score.

In a new report, Moody's Investors Service warned that it will evaluate efforts to adapt to sea level rise, flooding, severe storms and other impacts from rising global temperatures when setting its ratings for loans and bonds. The report mentions New Orleans and Louisiana several times as high risk areas.

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Photograph of Port Vincent and the Amite River on Sunday, taken during a NOAA Remote Sensing Division aerial photography mission. (NOAA Remote Sensing Division)

AN EXPANDING LIST OF INFORMATION ON THE FLOOD EVENT ALONG THE GULF COAST (CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW)

CLICK HERE - MAP - LA Flood Rescue Efforts - South Louisiana Stranded - Addresses for those in need of rescue in South Louisiana

CLICK HERE - LA Flood Rescue Efforts - Submit your rescue status update

CLICK HERE - Louisiana Department of Health - Emergency Preparedness - Zika Information and Resources

CLICK HERE - Louisiana - Office of the Governor - Registration Details Released for Shelter at Home Program

CLICK HERE - FEMA - Disaster Assistance (1 page .PDF file)

submitted by Gordian Raacke

CLICK HERE - White House Council of Economic Advisors - Incorporating Renewables into the Grid: Expanding Opportunities for Smart Markets and Energy Storage (40 page .PDF report)

whitehouse.gov - June 16, 2016

. . The Administration is announcing new executive actions and 33 state and private sector commitments that will accelerate the grid integration of renewable energy and storage.  Together, these announcements are expected to result in at least 1.3 gigawatts of additional storage procurement or deployment in the next five years. .

Aerial view overlooking landscaping on April 4, 2015 in San Diego, California.  Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

by Sarah Ferris and Peter Sullivan - April 25, 2016

The United States is on the verge of a national crisis that could mean the end of clean, cheap water.

Hundreds of cities and towns are at risk of sudden and severe shortages, either because available water is not safe to drink or because there simply isn’t enough of it.

The situation has grown so dire the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence now ranks water scarcity as a major threat to national security alongside terrorism.

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CLICK HERE - STUDY - Pew Research Center - America’s Shrinking Middle Class: A Close Look at Changes Within Metropolitan Areas

latimes.com - by Don Lee - May 11, 2016

America's shrinking middle class, a growing concern for the economy and a central issue in the presidential race, cuts across virtually all communities from coast to coast, according to a study released Wednesday.

The report by Pew Research Center found that the share of the middle class fell in 203 of the 229 U.S. metropolitan areas examined from 2000 to 2014, including major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, which saw a relatively sharp drop in its middle class.

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Sarah Yatcko, left, holds her son Tucker Neal as they are evacuated by boat with her father Jim Yatcko, by Bossier Parish Sheriff personnel during rising floodwaters in Bossier Parish, La., Thursday, March 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

weather.com - by Quincy Vagell and Chris Dolce and Jon Erdman - March 10, 2016

Torrential rainfall continues to swamp parts of the South, smashing March records, and triggering major flash flooding and worsening river flooding in parts of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. Heavy rain has also spread into parts of western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and western Mississippi.

More than 20 inches of rain had fallen near Monroe, Louisiana, by Thursday morning, prompting numerous rescues. The official airport reporting station in Monroe had picked up 18.96 inches of rain in less than two days by 12 p.m. CST Thursday. This is closing in on the record wettest month for that location set in October 2009 when 20.56 inches was recorded.

Major flooding has also swamped the Shreveport, Louisiana, area where up to 16 inches of rain has fallen. Elsewhere, double-digit rainfall totals have been recorded in east Texas, southern Arkansas, and northwest Mississippi.

weather.com - December 24, 2015

Tornadoes and severe storms slammed parts of the South and Midwest Wednesday leaving at least 6 dead—including a 7-year-old boy in Mississippi—and injuring at least 40 others.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

(ALSO SEE RELATED ARTICLES IN THE LINKS BELOW)

CLICK HERE - Mississippi Emergency Management Agency - Updates - Shelters - Damages

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/large-tornado-moves-across-mississippi/

http://abcnews.go.com/US/tornadoes-storms-hit-south-midwest-leveling-homes-causing/story?id=35933244

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/23/us/severe-weather/

odi.org - Aditya Bahadur, Emma Lovell, Emily Wilkinson, Thomas Tanner - August 2015

CLICK HERE - Resilience in the SDGs - Developing an indicator for Target 1.5 that is fit for purpose (7 page .PDF file)

We outline a comprehensive approach for developing a cross-sectoral, multi-dimensional and dynamic understanding of resilience. This underpins the core message of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that development is multi-faceted and the achievement of many of the individual development goals is dependent on the accomplishment of other goals. It also acknowledges that shocks and stresses can reverse years of development gains and efforts to eradicate poverty by 2030. Crucially, this approach to understanding resilience draws on data that countries will collect for the SDGs anyway and entails only a small additional burden in this regard.

(CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)

MSU student-athletes set up a tornado relief shelter on Tuesday. (PHOTO CREDIT: Megan Bean)

hailstate.com - April 30, 2014

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A day after destructive tornadoes swept through the state of Mississippi, Mississippi State student-athletes from all sports responded as volunteers in the relief efforts.

MSU student-athletes, graduate assistants, athletic department staff, weight room staff and equipment staff quickly set up a tornado relief center and shelter in the parking lot of the Palmeiro Center on the MSU campus. The relief center is being coordinated by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

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(ALSO SEE RELATED ARTICLE HERE)

(THE U.S. RESILIENCE SYSTEM IS ASSISTING WITH RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THIS DISASTER THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION OF A FACEBOOK PAGE TITLED "Mississippi Severe Weather Alerts & Disaster Resources".
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE "Mississippi Severe Weather Alerts & Disaster Resources" FACEBOOK PAGE.)

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) - News

FEMA - Resources - Mississippi - DR-4175