An initial reconnaissance of the damage from the Sept. 19 Puebla-Morelos earthquake that killed over 300 people and toppled over 40 buildings in Mexico City found that seismic building codes—put in place after a 1985 deadly quake—were effective, according to a Stanford University professor.
The U.S. House of Representatives edged U.S. flood insurance policy—and with it, risk financing needed to rebuild after losses from flooding—closer to rationality with a unanimous vote April 28.
Rebuilding after the Feb. 2011 magnitude-6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, a city of 382,000 people, offers a cautionary tale for future disaster recovery.