GAO report critical of FEMA's handling of pandemic A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has yet to identify lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.  CIDRAP

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The report examined the status of obligations and expenditures related to COVID-19 and how FEMA estimated spending from January 2020 to March 2024. For fiscal years 2020 through 2024, Congress passed both annual and supplemental appropriations for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) totaling $97 billion, the GAO said.

Urban Heat Hot Spots in 65 Cities | Climate Central New Climate Central analysis shows where urban heat is most intense in 65 major cities that account for 15% of the U.S. population. climatecentral

• The urban heat island (UHI) index was calculated for every census block group within each city to estimate how much hotter these areas are due to the characteristics of the built environment.  

Extreme heat waves broiling the US in 2024 aren’t normal: How climate change is heating up weather around the world Global temperatures have averaged at least 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than preindustrial times for over a year. Two scientists explain what that means and what humanity can do. The Conversation

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NATO releases 2024 Climate Change and Security Impact Assessment Report NATO released the Secretary General’s annual Climate Change and Security Impact Assessment on Tuesday (9 July 2024). It notes that accelerating climate change has “a profound impact on Allied security,” and stresses the need for NATO to remain fit for purpose in a rapidly changing environment. NATO NATO

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Why the Election May Slow Plans to Replace Lead Pipes - KFF Health News Lead in drinking water is a known danger. But how many of the country’s estimated 9 million lead service lines need to be replaced — and how quickly — is subject to debate. The clock is ticking on two competing plans as the election looms. khnkytjaw KFF Health News

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With the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest — and strictest — plan to minimize the risk of Americans drinking lead-contaminated water on the horizon, the debate over whether the rules go too far or not nearly far enough is reaching a tipping point.

Governor Polis issues disaster emergency declaration as new avian flu outbreak detected in Weld County Over 1.7 million birds in a Weld County commercial egg operation have to be destroyed to prevent the spread of avian flu. Paolo Zialcita Colorado Public Radio

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Bird flu response in Michigan sparks COVID-era worry on farms Some dairy farmers are resisting Michigan's nation-leading efforts to stop the spread of bird flu for fear their incomes will suffer from added costs and hurt rural America. Tom Polansek,P.j. Huffstutter,Leah Douglas Reuters

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Study: Long-term post-COVID altered sense of smell in healthcare workers common The authors found that 37% of the COVID-positive group suffered quantitative olfactory dysfunction. CIDRAP

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"Perhaps even more striking, 24% of all tested COVID-19 survivors still experience parosmia 2.6 years after COVID-19 diagnosis, nearly half of which experience medium to severe symptoms," the authors concluded. "Given the length of time, it is possible that these olfactory problems may not be fully reversible in a plurality of individuals."

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New variants of Covid have started to spread across the UK. ...new strains of Covid named N FLiRT and LB.1.

Dr Mariyam Malik, an NHS and private GP at Pall Mall Medical.:

“The FLiRT variant has specific changes in its spike protein that might make it spread more easily and dodge immunity from past infections or vaccines,” says Dr Malik. “Similarly, the LB.1 variant has mutations that help it spread and possibly weaken the protection we get from previous immunity, making these variants different from earlier versions of the virus.

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