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☆ How moving from the US to Costa Rica’s ‘blue zone’ transformed this family’s life forever
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

They initially mulled over relocating to four potential destinations – Ghana, Sweden, Mexico, and of course, Costa Rica. There’s something energetic about being in Costa Rica.”‘Serendipitous’ move"There’s something energetic about being in Costa Rica," says Ward-Hopper. The community really looked out for each other.”New additionTheir son Nicolai was born in Costa Rica in 2020. “So for us it is more affordable, it’s getting more expensive as more people move to Costa Rica. “I guess we’re more nomadic than stationary, but Costa Rica feels like home.”

Persons: Kema, Hopper, Nicholas Hopper, Aaralyn, ”, “, I’d, Hurricane Harvey, Houston, Ward, they’d, we’ve, Nicolai, ” “, it’s, she’s, “ I’m, Costa, Costa Rica Organizations: CNN, Central American, CNN Travel, Loma Locations: Costa Rica, Houston , Texas, Houston, Ghana, Sweden, Mexico, “ Costa Rica, – Costa Rica, ”, Pueblo Nuevo, California, Sardinia, Okinawa, Nicoya, Costa Rican, Latin America, Colombia, Brazil, Costa

And when Russia invades Ukraine, he immediately decided it was time for World Central Kitchen to step into a war zone. michael barbaroAfter the break, my colleague Adam Rasgon on what happened to the World Central Kitchen workers in that caravan. So Adam, what ends up happening to this convoy that our colleague Kim Severson just described from World Central Kitchen? adam rasgonSo what we know is that members of the World Central Kitchen had been at a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in the Central Gaza Strip. michael barbaroAnd so what is the reaction from not just World Central Kitchen, but from the rest of the world to this airstrike?

Persons: michael barbaro, ” I’m Michael Barbaro, Kim Severson, Adam Rasgon, Kim, kim, José Andrés, you’re, kim severson, tapas, He’s, severson, he’s, kim severson He’s, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Harvey, Maria, Hurricane Maria, José, he’d, Goya, couldn’t, Nobody, there’s, they’ve, — michael barbaro, Chef Olivier, We’re, we’ve, Michael Jordan, Adam, adam rasgon, Al Rashid, Israel, adam rasgon There’s, adam rasgon President Biden, —, David Cameron —, david cameron, adam rasgon —, benjamin netanyahu, adam rasgon — Benjamin Netanyahu, Herzi Halevi, WCK, rasgon, that’s, michael barbaro Adam, it’s Organizations: The New York Times, Hurricane, Army, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, National Guard, Kitchen, Central, Central Kitchen, Gaza, UN, Red Crescent, White, British, IDF, Jerusalem Bureau Locations: Gaza, Haiti, Spanish, America, Washington ,, New York, DC, Miami, Hurricane, Houston, Puerto Rico, José, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lviv, Israel, North Gaza, Great Britain, Asia, Central America, Deir al, Rafah, Palestine, Jerusalem, Cyprus

☆ 41-year-old and her family left the U.S. for Costa Rica and live on less than $30,000 a year: 'We're a lot happier' and never moving back
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Morgan Smith Valentina Duarte | Morgan Smith | Valentina Duarte | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

But in 2018, after Hurricane Harvey destroyed her Houston home, a trip to Costa Rica with her husband Nicholas Hopper and then 9-year-old daughter Aaralyn became a permanent move. From Hopper's perspective, moving to Costa Rica was a no-brainer. Fast-forward six years later, and the Ward-Hoppers are now permanent residents of Costa Rica, with no plans to move back to Texas. The Ward-Hoppers live in Costa Rica with their daughter Aaralyn, 15, and son Nico, 3. Photo: Alejandro FerliniNico's arrival also introduced another element of stability to their lives by making the entire family eligible for citizenship in Costa Rica.

Persons: Kema, Hopper, Hurricane Harvey, Nicholas Hopper, Aaralyn, let's, —, Heidi, Dan Buettner, Buettner, Nico, Alejandro Ferlini Nico's, Costa Rica's, Costa Ricans, Krishnan Organizations: CNBC, U.S . Ward, American Cancer Society, CAJA, Costa Rica didn't, Gas Locations: Costa Rica, Houston, Texas, Costa, Nicoya, Playa San Miguel, U.S, United States, Nicaragua, Spanish

☆ E.P.A. Sets New Rules to Limit Damage From Disasters at Chemical Facilities
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Hiroko Tabuchi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration issued new rules on Friday designed to prevent disasters at almost 12,000 chemical plants and other industrial sites nationwide that handle hazardous materials. The regulations for the first time tell facilities to explicitly address disasters, such as storms or floods, that could trigger an accidental release, including threats linked to climate change. For the first time, chemical sites that have had prior accidents will need to undergo an independent audit. And the rules require chemical plants to share more information with neighbors and emergency responders. In 2017, severe flooding from Hurricane Harvey knocked out power at a peroxide plant outside Houston, causing chemicals to overheat and explode, triggering local evacuations.

Persons: ” Janet McCabe, Hurricane Harvey Organizations: Biden, Environmental Protection Agency, Administration Locations: Hurricane, Houston

HOUSTON (AP) — A motive for why a woman in a trenchcoat opened fire in celebrity pastor Joel Osteen's megachurch in Texas remained unclear Monday after the shooting sent worshippers rushing for safety in between busy Sunday services. Police say two off-duty officers working security at Osteen's church, one of the largest megachurches in the U.S., shot and killed the suspect. Osteen said the violence could have been worse if the shooting had happened during the earlier and larger late Sunday morning service. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner did not identify the suspect at a news conference Sunday while standing near Osteen. The woman began shooting and was confronted by two off-duty officers, a Houston police officer and an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, who returned fire.

Persons: Joel Osteen's megachurch, Osteen, Troy Finner, Finner, Alan Guity, “, ’ ”, Guity, JOEL OSTEEN, John Osteen, Joel Osteen, God, Hurricane Harvey, Paul J, Weber Organizations: HOUSTON, Police, Houston Rockets, . Houston Police, Houston, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, WHO, Authorities, Lakewood Church, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Associated Press Locations: Texas, U.S, Osteen, Houston, Honduras, Lakewood

☆ Climate change: 20,000 children displaced every day by extreme weather, UNICEF report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

That works out to 20,000 children displaced every single day due to extreme weather fueled by climate change. “Until now, children displaced by weather-related events have been statistically invisible,” the organization said in a statement. In 2020, Cyclone Amphan led to 1.5 million child displacements across India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan. In 2021, Typhoon Rai caused 1.5 million child displacements across the Philippines, Palau and Vietnam. Scott Olson/Getty ImagesA different picture emerges when looking at the number of children displaced relative to the size of each country’s population.

Persons: ”, Catherine Russell, Cyclone Amphan, Rai, Shakeel Ahmed, Hurricane Harvey, Scott Olson, Hurricane Maria, Eduardo Soteras, it’s, UNICEF’s Russell, ” Russell Organizations: CNN, UNICEF, “, East, Cyclone, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: East Asia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Philippines, Palau, Vietnam, China, Sindh province, Pakistan, Houston , Texas, Dominica, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, El Gel, Kenya, AFP, Canada

☆ Middle class Americans are moving straight into fire and drought because they can't afford to live in the cities that are safer from climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rising housing costs have helped push Americans into parts of the country more vulnerable to climate change. The trend shows how the burden of climate change is falling disproportionately on less affluent people. Rather than leaving areas at high risk of natural disasters and other climate issues, more Americans are moving into them. But if lower-risk cities continue to price people out, the burden of climate change will fall even more disproportionately on less affluent communities. A recent Brookings Institution report recommended several ways that policymakers can encourage Americans to seek climate safety.

Persons: Hurricane Harvey, Freddie Mac, Rich, homebuyers, Jenny Schuetz, Julia Gill Organizations: Service, Brookings, Federal Housing Finance Agency Locations: New York, San Francisco, Southern, Florida, Houston, West, Bend , Oregon

Severe weather can happen any day of the year. Some people will go to a tornado shelter as soon as a warning is issued. The National Weather Service provides alerts in English and Spanish, which can limit communications with people who primarily speak other languages. How do I get a severe weather warning? Your cellphone should automatically receive severe weather warnings.

Persons: Kathleen Sherman, Morris, Sherman, ”, Amber Silver, Patrick Rios, Harvey, Kim Klockow, McClain, Rory Doyle, Klockow, Ilana Panich, Ms, “ Organizations: Mississippi State University, University, Social, National Weather Service, New, International, of, ., The New York Times, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, The New York, Weather Service, Service Locations: Eastern Tennessee, Albany, Rockport , Texas, New York City, Rolling Fork, Miss, Austin , Texas, .

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ The medical 'heroes' who help save the lives of kidney-dialysis patients when massive storms hit the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

One in 500 Americans is on kidney dialysis. The hurricane meant that she could not get kidney dialysis for seven days. Like many dialysis patients, Brigham needed treatment every three days to replace the function of normal kidneys. Dialysis patients need their blood cleared through this procedure. We take other providers' patients, we take hospital patients, they take ours, we share supplies, we share generators, we share water," Dittrich said.

☆ How a Houston real-estate agent who closed $28 million in deals in 2022 turned her broadcast news layoff into a lucrative new career
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Layne Van Vranken | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"I took my profession as a news anchor, my marketing skills, and leveraged everything I had and who I was, and I used that in real estate," Jang said. Here's how she built a business that's thrived through social media and organic marketing. My business is 70% referral from day one and 30% social media," she said. Jang also shares on social media what she does off the clock, like her overseas travel and fine dining. "'Lily's List' was just as important as social media for me in reaching potential clients."

☆ This startup turning human waste into fertilizer just raised $7.5 million. Here's the 17-slide pitch deck Wasted used to raise the fresh funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wasted is making fertilizer out of urine and just raised $7.5 million in fresh funding. Wasted, which he created alongside Taylor Zehren and Thor Retzlaff, is redesigning the porta-potty to ultimately turn human waste into agriculture fertilizer. At least 40 wastewater treatment plants were damaged as a result of the 2017 hurricane Harvey, which saw raw sewage spill out onto streets. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are common fertilizers found in human waste but are typically extracted from the earth for use. There is a long history of some countries using untreated or partially-treated human waste as fertilizer.

☆ Inside THL's investing playbook for how the PE firm uses the public cloud to be aggressive in the bidding process
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The cloud has become a key piece of private-equity firm THL's investment playbook. But for THL, the cloud has become an important part of the investing giant's playbook for winning over acquisition targets. He likened the due diligence and courtship process for founders and CEOs to speed dating with a bunch of investment firms. But the cloud, with its promise of cost savings and easy innovation, is helping THL stand out in the bidding process, Benaquista said. Eventually, as part of the move to the cloud, THL was able to split up Ten-X's commercial and residential businesses with the aim of selling the former.

The United States experienced 18 extreme weather events last year that each caused at least $1 billion in damages, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Weather and climate disasters across the country resulted in more than $165 billion in damages in 2022, making it the third-costliest year on record, NOAA officials said. Despite a slow start to last year's hurricane season, three storms resulted in at least $1 billion in damages: Hurricane Fiona, Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole. Hurricane Ian, which slammed into southwestern Florida in late September and caused widespread destruction, resulted in nearly $113 billion in damages, the report found. NOAA’s findings offer a glimpse of the major toll that extreme weather events are already having and the country’s vulnerability to climate disasters in the future.

☆ 5 ways to make affordable housing for all in 2023 — from construction laws to mortgage financing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Houston has been able to keep its housing affordable in large part because of just this, he said. Jeff Tucker, the chief economist at Zillow, also told Insider that the biggest hurdle to affordable housing was "zoning reform." California has already done this when its citizens voted to pass Proposition 46, which provides funding specifically for affordable housing. It allocated just shy of $1 billion to the multifamily sector, according to CCIM, and is expected to see $13 billion in private funds be pushed into affordable housing. In July, Ginnie Mae, a federally-backed mortgage provider, specifically focused on affordable housing, requested that a manufactured home mortgage program be extended.

CNN —“Mattress Mack” had reason to celebrate the Houston Astros’ World Series win on Saturday – and not just because he’s an Astros superfan. Houston furniture store owner Jim McIngvale, known as “Mattress Mack,” made a series of bets amounting to $10 million on the Astros to win the World Series. The Houston Astros celebrate their World Series win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, November 5. Peña was awarded the World Series MVP for his stellar play during the series. He is just the second rookie to be named LCS and World Series MVP in the same postseason.

☆ Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes slipped and testified he supports the 'right to riot' at his January 6 trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes took the risky step of testifying in his own defense. Rhodes said he founded the Oath Keepers as a community service-minded group. "I support the right to riot," Rhodes testified, before correcting himself to say, "I support the right to protest." "Like I said," Rhodes testified, "we supported the right to protest." Rhodes also bristled at the characterization of the Oath Keepers as a racist group.

☆ ‘Mattress Mack’: Houston Astros superfan has wagered $10 million to win $75 million if team wins World Series
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

If the Astros do regain their MLB crown – the team’s first title came in 2017 – McIngvale will win an eye-watering $75 million, which has been widely reported would be largest payout in sports betting history. Mack watches batting practice prior to Game 5 of the 2021 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. In an interview with CNN last year, McIngvale said he had bet $3.35 million back in June 2021 that the Astros would win last year’s World Series. “And I say, thanks to the Houston Astros for bringing Houston together. “It’s their birthday, it’s their anniversary but they’re there cheering on the Houston Astros.

☆ A multimillion-dollar war against mosquitoes is underway in Florida after Hurricane Ian
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

"The mosquitoes are out there, and they’re biting," said Eric Jackson, the deputy director of the Lee County Mosquito Control Division. The Lee County Mosquito Control District, a special district in one of the communities hit hardest by Ian, employs about 100 workers, Jackson said. Anne Askew, a biologist in the Lee County Mosquito Control District's Larviciding Department, uses a microscope to identify mosquito species. Lee County Mosquito Control DistrictIn Lee County, where Fort Myers is located, mosquito counts in the traps began to spike about a week after Ian. Florida officials don’t think federal help will be necessary, though Hurricane Ian’s damage has created challenges for mosquito control workers.

☆ U.S. approves LNG shipping waiver for Puerto Rico after hurricane
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shipping Corp FollowWASHINGTON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The Biden administration late on Sunday approved a waiver of U.S. shipping rules to address Puerto Rico's urgent need for liquefied natural gas (LNG) after Hurricane Fiona. In late September, the DHS approved a Jones Act waiver to ensure Puerto Rico had "sufficient diesel to run generators needed for electricity and the functioning of critical facilities." Last month, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi asked the White House for a waiver to increase the availability of fuel after the storm. A group of eight House lawmakers had asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for "a one-year waiver from the Jones Act for Puerto Rico" which faces "an unprecedented uphill battle to rebuild its homes, businesses, and communities." All other waivers, DHS said, "must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis."

☆ A new study confirms it: The pandemic turned us all into jerks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Graceless under pressureTo see how the pandemic affected us, researchers looked at the so-called Big Five personality traits: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness. But the new study found a surprising shift during the pandemic — roughly equivalent to what they'd expect from 10 years of life, not two. During the first months of the pandemic, Sutin's team found little personality change. "The only thing that went wrong," says Brent Roberts, a psychologist and expert in personality change at the University of Illinois, "is the goddamn pandemic kept going." For some Americans, the most stressful thing about the pandemic was experts telling them they should help people they don't like.

☆ Tens of thousands likely jobless after Hurricane Ian, economists say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Martha C. White For Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Although the damage is still being tallied, early estimates indicate that Ian could be the most costly hurricane to make landfall in Florida. In the short term, a spike in jobless claims is almost inevitable, economists say: “Hurricane Harvey in Texas prompted a rise of about 50,000 in August of 2017,” noted Mike Englund, chief economist at Action Economics. A view of the destroyed road between Florida's Matlacha and Pine Island after Hurricane Ian. “Katrina was a much more damaging storm, and impacted Louisiana, which is much less affluent than Florida,” Zandi said. A powerboat lies atop a pile of debris two days after the passage of Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers, Florida.

“This looks and smells like human trafficking,” said Ariadna Phillips, a New York community organizer with South Bronx Mutual Aid. On Tuesday, DeSantis said at a news conference that three of four people arrested last week for "ransacking" communities following Hurricane Ian were illegal immigrants who should be immediately deported. Remembering "horror stories" of immigrants not being paid for work or being deported following previous natural disasters, Phillips rushed to Queens. "Promises are often not kept to these workers," said Saket Soni, executive director of Resilience Workforce, a New Orleans group that advocates for and monitors migrant workers following natural disasters. In the days following Ian, Resilience Workforce deployed staff members to Florida to observe work conditions on the ground.

☆ Pandemic may have altered some personalities to be more neurotic, less agreeable
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Adults became less extroverted, open, agreeable and conscientious during the pandemic, a new study found. Past research has already demonstrated that personalities can change as we age or develop new habits like exercising. Past research has not found an association between exposure to natural disasters and personality changes. Damian's past research has also not found an overall change in personality traits among those affected by major storms like Hurricane Harvey. Sutin said one possible reason personalities didn't seem to change at the start of the pandemic is that there was a more hopeful attitude in 2020.

☆ All eyes are on DeSantis' relationship with Biden as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida. Here's how the previous 3 presidents worked (or didn't) with governors on disaster relief efforts.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Isabella Zavarise | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Governors usually work directly with the White House during disasters, relying on the government for federal resources. Here's a look at how the last three presidents handled disaster relief efforts and how Biden could address this crisis with DeSantis. However, on Tuesday evening, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted that Biden and DeSantis had spoken to discuss steps the federal government is taking to help Florida. Here's how the last three presidents worked with governors in their disaster relief efforts. Biden declared a state of emergency as the storm approached, ordering federal assistance to supplement disaster response efforts.

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