Worldwide, natural disasters cost $155 billion in 2018, according to an insurance industry report.

"Natural disasters cost $155 billion this year, and several of them struck the United States particularly hard," reports Angela Fritz, sharing findings of a report published by reinsurance company Swiss Re.
Fritz focuses on the report's findings regarding disasters in the United States, namely the 8,500 wildfires that burned in California this year, charring 1.9 million acres; Hurricane Michael, which devastated Panama City, Florida and Mexico Beach, Florida; Hurricane Florence, which battered the Carolinas in September. Disasters from around the globe also get attention, like flooding in Japan, drought and wildfires in Europe, and a typhoon that struck the Philippines.
FULL STORY: The cost of natural disasters this year: $155 billion

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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