Apologists for the huge number of declarations issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) typically argue that climate change is the cause of the increase. The problem for these folks is that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just issued its 594-page special report on the topic and concluded in chapter 4 the following findings:
- There is medium evidence and high agreement that long-term trends in normalized losses have not been attributed to natural or anthropogenic climate change (page 268).
- The statement about the absence of trends in impacts attributable to natural or anthropogenic climate change holds for tropical and extratropical storms and tornadoes (page 269).
- The absence of an attributable climate change signal in losses also holds true for flood losses (page 269).
In layman’s terms, the IPCC is stating that climate change is likely not the cause of hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods.
Another problem with the argument that FEMA’s increase in declarations is due to climate change is the very sudden and dramatic drop in declarations in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter of 2011. In the first three months of 2012, FEMA issued only 12 declarations. If this slow pace continues, FEMA would close the year with only 48 declarations. As the chart shows, that figure would be the lowest amount since 1997.
The number of declarations during the same time last year was 60, or five times as many.
We applaud the sudden restraint being exercised by FEMA, but we think the reason for the sudden drop is due to the political pressure generated last fall by Representative Eric Cantor (R–VA) and, if we may say, our work in pointing out President Barack Obama’s abuse of FEMA declarations.
This trend is one that we hopes continues.
Obama intentionally underestimates with belittlement what we the people can do for ourselves for increase control and pay. Climate change is not the problem, every government affiliate and the thinly brained supporting it is.
uh, oh it's raining Mr. President. Better get fema to bring me a raincoat. Oops I need a fema plumber to shut off the water and fix the leak flooding my home! Oh no, out of light bulbs where's my fema! Gee, the sky and twirling wind looks and feels real bad but I'll wait for fema to sound the alarm!!!
Gosh, we can't afford our weekly pizza party because of government costs, where's fema??
Got a hand it to those overpaid thieves in government control they don't care about anything but their overpay! AND ABUSING THEIR CONTROL!
"In layman’s terms, the IPCC is stating that climate change is likely not the cause of hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods." — Mr. Mayer
"Models project substantial warming in temperature extremes by the end of the 21st century. It is virtually
certain that increases in the frequency and magnitude of warm daily temperature extremes and decreases in cold
extremes will occur in the 21st century at the global scale… It is likely that the frequency of heavy precipitation or the proportion of total rainfall from heavy falls will increase in the 21st century over many areas of the globe. This is particularly the case in the high latitudes andtropical regions, and in winter in the northern mid-latitudes. Heavy rainfalls associated with tropical cyclones are likely to increase with continued warming. There is medium confidence that, in some regions, increases in heavy precipitation will occur despite projected decreases in total precipitation in those regions. Based on a range of emissions scenarios (B1, A1B, A2), a 1-in-20 year annual maximum daily precipitation amount is likely to become a 1-in-5 to 1-in-15 year event by the end of the 21st century in many regions, and in most regions the higher emissions scenarios (A1B and A2) lead to a stronger projected decrease in return period. See Figure SPM.4B. [3.3.2, 3.4.4, Table 3-3, Figure 3-7]
Average tropical cyclone maximum wind speed is likely to increase, although increases may not occur in
all ocean basins.