Environmental Group Launches Interactive Extreme Weather Map

Predicting the natural weather disaster that will likely hit your community is now just a mouse click away. The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) has released its extreme weather mapping tool that shows all the record-breaking extreme weather events in the U. S. in 2011 and the likelihood of re-occurrence.

NRDC Senior Scientist Dr. Kim Knowlton, who spearheaded the development of the web-based tool, says "the map on extreme events highlights the importance of climate change preparedness to meet these health challenges it posses. We now have an enormous opportunity to reduce local risk."

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta is taking the predictions of increased extreme weather trends seriously when it comes to preparing for public health. CDC Associate Director For Climate Change Dr. George Luber says "one thing that is certain is that our public health system now and into the future is going to have to develop strategies to accommodate for both shifting disease patterns and the impact of extreme events on those communities. He says "certainly we're putting a lot of attention immediately on to the development of preparedness activities for extreme weather events. Principal among them heat wave response plans."

During a NRDC teleconference Thursday, NRDC Climate Scientist Dan Lashoff says a 30% increase of heat-trapping pollution since 1990 is changing the earth's climate increasing the likelihood of floods, droughts, wildfires, heat waves and super-charged hurricanes.

Access the interactive extreme weather map at: www.nrdc.org/extremeweather