Welcome back to Disaster Discourse Monthly!
Welcome back to Disaster Discourse Monthly. This month, we provide updates on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and a newly approved COVID-19 vaccine, February’s extreme winter weather events, and associated infrastructure failures in Texas, as well as Hagerty’s partnership with the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) for their March Virtual Learning Lab Series.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and vaccine distribution…
The United States (US) has reported that over 28.6 million people have been infected with COVID-19 while globally over 2.5 million have died from the virus. On February 27, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization for a third COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that over 96.4 million vaccines have been distributed in the US and US territories. Over 71.8 million of these vaccines have been administered. Click here to see how vaccine distribution is fairing in your state and around the world.
Winter snowstorms impact many states throughout the US…
Throughout the month of February, many states across the country experienced extreme cold that caused deadly accidents, power outages, and forced COVID-19 vaccine efforts to be temporarily halted. According to data compiled by The Washington Post, there were over 50 fatalities across the country attributable to these recent winter storms, with 30 recorded deaths stemming directly from the storm’s impact in Texas.
Millions lose power across Texas as Winter Storm Uri disrupts infrastructure…
In mid-February, winter storm Uri hit Texas and brought extreme cold and snow that caused major disruptions to Texas’ power grid and majorly impacted the state’s water infrastructure. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Extreme Cold and Winter Weather Update reported that at one time, there were more than 4 million customers without power. A spokeswoman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spoke with The New York Times, revealing over 800 public water systems providing service to 162 of the state’s 254 counties have been disrupted.
Hagerty Consulting partners with NEMA for their March Virtual Learning Lab Series…
During the month of March, NEMA is hosting a virtual webinar series which will include two webinars and one social event each week. The topics have been chosen by NEMA Associate Member Sponsors and will be held from 2:00 to 3:30pm eastern time on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. The best part is, the webinars are FREE and open to the public!
On Tuesday, March 9, Hagerty will host a webinar on the importance of disaster cost recovery, including ways to maximize available federal funding to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.
You can find the full schedule and register to attend here. We hope you will join us next week!