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How one small road is teaching Norfolk big lessons on flood mitigation

Adrienne Mayfield

March 02, 2022 |

WAVY-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Norfolk, Virginia

In Norfolk, Virginia, city planners are mitigating seasonal floods by planning for the future. City planners raised intersections on two key streets of an intersection and built a park to restore wetlands.

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How Hong Kong protects people from dangerous landslides

Matthew Keegan

February 28, 2022 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Hong Kong

After deadly landslides in the 1970s, Hong Kong has pioneered a successful landslide risk mitigation approach. Geotechnical engineers have cataloged over 60,000 slopes and upgraded those that needed it. The most successful aspect of the mitigation approach has been an early warning system that uses a combination of data sources to determine the risk of landslides and broadcasts warnings over TV, radio, and other public sources. Deaths from landslides have dropped substantially and it has inspired similar early warning systems around the world.

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Heat wave caused bees to ejaculate to death. Could Styrofoam 'protection' help?

Stefan Labbé

February 26, 2022 |

Times Colonist |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Armstrong, British Columbia

As a warming planet continues to affect bee colonies, a bee farmer in Canada is experimenting with different ways to help the bees survive. By using a polystyrene cover, she was able to drop the average temperature in the hive by 3.8 degrees Celsius. While this type of insulation won’t be able to completely protect the colonies, it’s a simple solution that can help them get through extreme temperatures.

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Reinvent Utah farms to save our soil and Great Salt Lake?

Luke Peterson

February 25, 2022 |

The Salt Lake Tribune |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Utah

Farmers in Utah practice no-till farming to improve soil health and water retention amid an ongoing drought.

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Maryland Town Turns Flood Zone into a Tourist Attraction

David Kidd

January 20, 2022 |

Governing |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Frederick, Maryland

When algae overgrowth began to plague the Carroll Creek flood control project, a group of volunteers cultivated 1,000 floating canopies of plants to block the sunlight that algae need to grow, allowing the community to maintain the effective underground concrete conduits that move storm water. 250 volunteers maintain the plants throughout the year and the creek, previously made unusable by the algae, now draws tourists to see various attractions.

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Climate resilience hubs finding a foothold on Detroit's East Side, helping residents face disasters

David Sands

December 14, 2021 |

Model D |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In Detroit, a coalition of nonprofits and organizations are coming together to transform buildings into resilience centers. A resilience center is a hub that people can go to for help, especially in moments of a natural emergency. In Detroit, the hubs are part of a response to the effects of climate change, which can leave people displaced. Some of the things people can find in a hub include emergency services, internet access, and workforce development.

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They Said the Tornado Would Hit at 9:30. It Hit at 9:30.

Thomas Fuller Tariro Mzezewa

December 14, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Mayfield, Kentucky

Advances in meteorological technology have helped drive down the fatality rate from tornadoes in the U.S. to a fraction of what it was a century ago. Violent tornadoes rarely evade advance detection, thanks to weather satellites, advances in radar, and a communication system to announce warnings. The deadly tornadoes that struck Kentucky and other states in December 2021 illustrate the ways in which even this system – one scientist called it "one of the most incredible success stories in applied science" – can fail, including when people ignore warnings or buildings cannot withstand the high winds.

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On wildfire patrol: Volunteers gauge success by blazes that don't start

Roy Rivenburg

December 06, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

In Orange County, a group of more than 300 volunteers patrol public spaces and remote highways when there's the threat of a fire. They are called the Orange County Fire Watch. Some of the things they do include educating the public, preventing blazes from growing into larger fires, and discouraging arsonists. The group patrols the area up to 20 days a year.

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He lost his best friend in a mudslide. Now he's using coconuts to fight deforestation in West Africa.

Danielle Paquette

December 03, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sierra Leone, Freetown

Alhaji Siraj Bah created Rugsal Trading to decrease deforestation in Sierra Leone. One of the reasons people clear forests is to make wood-based charcoal for fuel. In order to address that need while enouraging sustainability, Bah's company makes a charcoal substitute out of coconut scraps. They've made $11,000 in revenue and produced 100 tons of coconut briquettes.

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How Bangladesh is beating the odds on climate disaster deaths

Léopold Salzenstein Rafiqul Islam Montu

December 02, 2021 |

The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh

In 1970 Cyclone Bhola hit Bangladesh. It killed up to 500,000 people. Since then, the country has revamped its emergency disaster preparedness through a multipronged process, reducing its cyclone-related deaths by 100 fold. Now, the country collects weather data from more than 50 weather stations. The data is sent to mitigation committees which dispense the info to people through various methods: radio, text messages, and even doorknocking. The country also has a volunteer program with 76,000 volunteers and increased the number of multi-purpose shelters from 44 in 1970 to 512 in 1991.

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