Latest news with #Payan
Scoop
7 days ago
- Climate
- Scoop
New Report Maps Otago's Exposure To Natural Hazards
Press Release – Otago Regional Council The Otago Region Natural Hazards Exposure Analysis is the regions first comprehensive assessment of where people, buildings, and critical facilities may be situated in areas potentially affected by one or more natural hazard types. A new report released by the Otago Regional Council (ORC) marks a major step forward in understanding how communities across Otago are exposed to natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes, landslides, and tsunami. The Otago Region Natural Hazards Exposure Analysis is the region's first comprehensive assessment of where people, buildings, and critical facilities may be situated in areas potentially affected by one or more natural hazard types. 'This analysis provides a regional-scale, data-driven snapshot that will help guide how we prioritise future resilience projects and hazard investigations,' ORC's Manager Natural Hazards, Dr Jean-Luc Payan says. The report covers the entire Otago region and assesses exposure to nine key natural hazard types using regional-scale mapping and modelling datasets. It estimates the number of people, buildings, and critical community facilities (such as hospitals and emergency services) located in areas which may be exposed to natural hazards. 'This work is not about predicting when an event might happen,' Dr Payan explains. 'It's about identifying where exposure exists so we can make smarter decisions about resilience, planning and investment.' Following presentation to council, work can begin prioritising areas and hazard types of most concern, working with communities, city and district councils to develop strategies to reduce risk. Key Findings River and lake flooding and liquefaction hazard types have the greatest exposure, with over 30,000 people and buildings potentially exposed to each hazard process. Of the urban areas in the region, Dunedin City has the highest overall exposure, particularly to flooding, liquefaction and seismic hazards. The Queenstown, Wanaka and Dunedin City urban areas have a relatively high exposure to slope stability hazards, such as landslides and alluvial fans. Coastal hazards, such as tsunamis and storm surges, have a lesser exposure overall (about 500 people and 1,100 buildings), and mainly in the Dunedin City and Clutha district. There were 90 critical community facilities identified in the region, with the highest exposure of these facilities being for flooding and liquefaction hazard types. The full technical report and some supporting material are available to view online at How the Data Will Be Used The findings provide a critical foundation for ORC's natural hazards prioritisation programme, scheduled to begin in the 2025/26 financial year. The information will also support: Long-term planning and land-use decisions. Emergency management and regional policy development. Infrastructure management and resilience-building projects. The analysis will assist ORC and partner organisations, including Emergency Management Otago and territorial authorities, to focus natural hazard management efforts where they are most needed. The natural hazards data used comes from ORC's region-wide natural hazards mapping, developed using interpretation from aerial imagery and topography, and modelling. While it offers broad-scale insights, it does not replace local-scale studies or individual property hazard or risk assessments. No new natural hazards investigation was completed for the exposure analysis project, the analysis was based on ORC's existing natural hazards mapping data, which has been compiled over many years and is publicly displayed on the ORC Natural Hazards Portal. 'This is a living dataset,' says ORC Senior Natural Hazards Analyst, Tim van Woerden. 'As we gain access to more detailed information, we'll continue refining the analysis.' Glossary: making the terms clear To avoid confusion or alarm, here are simple definitions of some key terms used in the report: Exposure: means a person or building is located in an area where a hazard process might occur — not that they are guaranteed to be affected. Natural hazard: a natural process or event (like a flood or earthquake) that could cause harm to people or property. Liquefaction: a process where ground made of loose, wet soil can behave like a liquid during strong earthquake shaking. Alluvial fan: a fan-shaped landscape feature where debris and/or floodwaters from a hillside can wash out and spread during heavy rain events. Critical community facility (CCF): buildings that are key to post-disaster response, such as fire stations, police stations, hospitals or emergency operation centres. High exposure: a community area has a higher number or proportion of people or buildings located within a mapped hazard area — not that an event is imminent. 'These terms may sound technical or worrying,' Mr van Woerden adds, 'but it's important to remember this analysis is about where we focus effort to reduce exposure — not about predicting events or sounding alarms.' What's next ORC will now use the findings of the natural hazard exposure analysis as one tool to help identify and prioritise the areas most exposed for further study and investment. The natural hazards prioritisation workstream is scheduled to conclude by mid-2026. Updates to the exposure report will be made as more refined data becomes available.
Scoop
7 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
New Report Maps Otago's Exposure To Natural Hazards
A new report released by the Otago Regional Council (ORC) marks a major step forward in understanding how communities across Otago are exposed to natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes, landslides, and tsunami. The Otago Region Natural Hazards Exposure Analysis is the region's first comprehensive assessment of where people, buildings, and critical facilities may be situated in areas potentially affected by one or more natural hazard types. 'This analysis provides a regional-scale, data-driven snapshot that will help guide how we prioritise future resilience projects and hazard investigations,' ORC's Manager Natural Hazards, Dr Jean-Luc Payan says. The report covers the entire Otago region and assesses exposure to nine key natural hazard types using regional-scale mapping and modelling datasets. It estimates the number of people, buildings, and critical community facilities (such as hospitals and emergency services) located in areas which may be exposed to natural hazards. 'This work is not about predicting when an event might happen,' Dr Payan explains. 'It's about identifying where exposure exists so we can make smarter decisions about resilience, planning and investment.' Following presentation to council, work can begin prioritising areas and hazard types of most concern, working with communities, city and district councils to develop strategies to reduce risk. Key Findings River and lake flooding and liquefaction hazard types have the greatest exposure, with over 30,000 people and buildings potentially exposed to each hazard process. Of the urban areas in the region, Dunedin City has the highest overall exposure, particularly to flooding, liquefaction and seismic hazards. The Queenstown, Wanaka and Dunedin City urban areas have a relatively high exposure to slope stability hazards, such as landslides and alluvial fans. Coastal hazards, such as tsunamis and storm surges, have a lesser exposure overall (about 500 people and 1,100 buildings), and mainly in the Dunedin City and Clutha district. There were 90 critical community facilities identified in the region, with the highest exposure of these facilities being for flooding and liquefaction hazard types. The full technical report and some supporting material are available to view online at How the Data Will Be Used The findings provide a critical foundation for ORC's natural hazards prioritisation programme, scheduled to begin in the 2025/26 financial year. The information will also support: Long-term planning and land-use decisions. Emergency management and regional policy development. Infrastructure management and resilience-building projects. The analysis will assist ORC and partner organisations, including Emergency Management Otago and territorial authorities, to focus natural hazard management efforts where they are most needed. The natural hazards data used comes from ORC's region-wide natural hazards mapping, developed using interpretation from aerial imagery and topography, and modelling. While it offers broad-scale insights, it does not replace local-scale studies or individual property hazard or risk assessments. No new natural hazards investigation was completed for the exposure analysis project, the analysis was based on ORC's existing natural hazards mapping data, which has been compiled over many years and is publicly displayed on the ORC Natural Hazards Portal. 'This is a living dataset,' says ORC Senior Natural Hazards Analyst, Tim van Woerden. 'As we gain access to more detailed information, we'll continue refining the analysis.' Glossary: making the terms clear To avoid confusion or alarm, here are simple definitions of some key terms used in the report: Exposure: means a person or building is located in an area where a hazard process might occur — not that they are guaranteed to be affected. Natural hazard: a natural process or event (like a flood or earthquake) that could cause harm to people or property. Liquefaction: a process where ground made of loose, wet soil can behave like a liquid during strong earthquake shaking. Alluvial fan: a fan-shaped landscape feature where debris and/or floodwaters from a hillside can wash out and spread during heavy rain events. Critical community facility (CCF): buildings that are key to post-disaster response, such as fire stations, police stations, hospitals or emergency operation centres. High exposure: a community area has a higher number or proportion of people or buildings located within a mapped hazard area — not that an event is imminent. 'These terms may sound technical or worrying,' Mr van Woerden adds, 'but it's important to remember this analysis is about where we focus effort to reduce exposure — not about predicting events or sounding alarms.' What's next ORC will now use the findings of the natural hazard exposure analysis as one tool to help identify and prioritise the areas most exposed for further study and investment. The natural hazards prioritisation workstream is scheduled to conclude by mid-2026. Updates to the exposure report will be made as more refined data becomes available.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariffs creating uncertainty in Texas as report shows slower revenue growth since late 2024
Texas local businesses reported slower revenue growth since late last year, sparking uncertainty over President Donald Trump's policies on tariffs and concerns of a possible recession, according to a report released by the Dallas Federal Reserve on Thursday. As the nation's leading trade state, Texas has been significantly impacted by the higher tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China imposed earlier this year by Trump's administration. 'The uncertainty index for both manufacturers and service sector companies jumped in March to levels not seen since late 2022, during the height of the pandemic,' the Dallas Fed Texas Business Outlook Surveys (TBOS) report stated. Nearly half of Texas businesses surveyed expressed concerns that rising costs could reduce consumer demand and push the state into a recession. Among those hit hardest are manufacturers, many of whom reported difficulties maintaining production levels. The Texas service-sector was also affected: its revenue growth has been declining since late 2024, reaching zero by March, according to TBOS respondents. The Trade Partnership Worldwide, an international research firm, estimates that the tariffs could cost Texas businesses $47 billion and cut the state's gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 1.5 percentage points. Researchers predict that this decline in economic growth could lead to the loss of approximately 100,000 jobs. Tony Payan, the executive director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, said that tariffs are 'going to hit Texans very hard.' 'We have to remember that 40% to 50%, depending on the season, of our agricultural produce comes from Mexico,' said Payan. 'Tariffs on cucumbers or strawberries or avocados, other Mexican fruits and vegetables, they have no easy and quickly available import substitution opportunity. So inflation is going to be very hard to control.' Payan added that 'the Texas government and congressional delegation should have been a lot more assertive in pushing back against the White House and President Trump.' 'They're too quiet, and there is too much economic activity at stake being put at risk, and there are too many Texans who are going to be affected by losing their job or by losing their export markets and inflation,' said Payan. With $850 billion in trade in 2024, Texas relies heavily on international commerce, the Dallas Federal Reserve reports. Mexico is the state's largest trading partner, accounting for $281 billion in trade last year. The increased cost of imports is expected to have significant ripple effects, particularly for industries along the Texas-Mexico border. In April, President Trump announced a new 10% baseline tariff on all U.S. imports, along with additional duties on specific countries, which has sparked debate among Texas politicians. U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-TX, defended the tariffs, arguing that they will benefit American industries. 'For too long, America's past policies have put the U.S. auto industry at a disadvantage,' Williams wrote on X on Wednesday. He added that the tariffs would 'increase competition, boost revenue, and bring back American jobs.' Not all Texas leaders agree with Williams. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, speaking at a trade summit in Washington, D.C., alongside mayors from Canada and Mexico, voiced opposition to the administration's trade policies. 'We're here to speak out against Trump's unprovoked trade wars and tariffs that he is threatening to pursue,' Nirenberg said in a video posted on his X account on March 28. He stressed that the tariffs put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk. 'One in five jobs in Texas depends on international trade, and within the automotive sector alone, 300,000 jobs are on the line.' Disclosure: Rice University and Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
They work, pay taxes and call US home -- but risk deportation
As he has done for years, Erik Payan had just opened up his tire repair shop in the small Texas town of Cleveland on February 24 and was getting to work when armed and masked US immigration agents swooped in to arrest him and take him away. "They've got me," he told his distraught wife over the phone. While it wasn't an unheard of scene in the United States, such incidents have drawn the glare of scrutiny as President Donald Trump, newly returned to the White House, has lashed out at migrants with particularly violent rhetoric -- raising concerns among many who lack papers that they may be swept up at random for expulsion. - Overstayed visa - Payan, a Mexican, has lived for 20 of his 51 years in the United States. He entered on a work visa, but stayed on after it expired, making a life with his wife and three daughters, the youngest of them US-born. His store is licensed, he pays taxes and a mortgage, and is his family's main breadwinner. One daughter is disabled; a granddaughter has a heart condition. Payan goes to church on Sundays and his neighbors vouch for him. His roots are now in Texas, but he lacks the documents to stay legally. His situation is much like many of the millions of other undocumented people living in the United States -- a group estimated officially at 11 million but possibly closer to 14 million, according to a recent report from the NGO Migration Policy Institute. - No criminal record - Up to now, the undocumented were largely left alone, many working in some of the country's most arduous and lowest-paid jobs. But Trump insists that their numbers include drug dealers, violent criminals and terrorists, and has vowed to deport millions of them. Payan, who has no criminal record, was swept up in one of the hundreds of nationwide raids Trump launched immediately upon his return to the White House. "I cried, but crying wasn't going to help," said his wife, 55-year-old Alejandrina Morales, who described their case on social media. The tears quickly turned to determination. "I'm going to fight, I'm going to defend my husband," she recalls thinking. Payan's attorney Silvia Mintz said that despite Trump's promises of mass deportation, a process must be followed. - 'They have options' - "That's not how really the law works," Mintz said. "Anybody who is in the United States has the right to due process, and... a judge gets to decide" whether they remain in detention or are deported. Most importantly, she added, "They have options." Using documentation to prove Payan had been a law-abiding, tax-paying worker for years, Mintz managed to secure his release on bail after a 27-day detention. Now begins a fight to legalize him. Mintz said undocumented immigrants can fight to stay by demonstrating that they have ties to the country and family members who could be harmed by their absence. There is also a possibility for children born in the United States -- who enjoy "birthright citizenship," though Trump is trying to end that -- to legalize their parents once they turn 21. But in the meantime, the risk of detention and deportation persists. Mintz argues that the country desperately needs immigration reform to open a path to legal residency and citizenship. - Billions in taxes - The first thing Payan did upon his release was to reopen his tire store. "We are not criminals, we're hard-working people," he said. "Yes, we're not from here, but without the support of Hispanic workers, this country is nothing." He went on: "I'm not saying bad people haven't come from our countries, but there are more of us good people. Let them concentrate on finding the criminals." In 2022, undocumented workers paid an estimated $97 billion in taxes, according to the group Americans for Tax Fairness. Deporting millions of them, it said, could spark a devastating contraction, worse than during the 2008 financial crisis. "They have to pay taxes... but unfortunately the law prohibits them from getting any incentive or anything back," said Cesar Espinosa, executive director of the NGO FIEL, which works with immigrants. He said it was important to recognize the contributions migrants make, and to push for immigration reform, "so other people can have access to the American dream." During Payan's detention, he said, he sometimes slept in unheated rooms and caught a severe cold. He's still coughing, but now he's home. His customers honk as they drive past his tire store, celebrating his return. His wife Alejandrina celebrates too: "They had taken the captain of my boat," she said, "and I was rowing alone." mav/bbk/bfm
CBS News
22-03-2025
- CBS News
Mexican man accused of drug trafficking meth following traffic stop on I-70 in Colorado mountains
On March 19, Angel Guadalupe Leon Payan of Mexico was arrested on Interstate 70 for charges related to drug trafficking during a traffic stop by Eagle County Sheriff's Office. According to the sheriff's office press release , an Eagle County deputy noticed Payan speeding in a white GMC pickup truck on I-70, while also drifting into the rumble strip on the interstate. The pickup moving nearby the Eagle County deputy when it was clocked "flying past them" at 82 mile per hour. The deputy, who is a member of the Gore Range Narcotic Interdiction Team Task Force, stopped the suspect vehicle for speeding, which led to a successful search for illegal narcotics. After Payan was given a speeding warning, a K-9 unit dog was brought to the scene, and it discovered 43 pounds of methamphetamines hidden inside the pickup truck. Twenty-one bundles of narcotics were recovered and all tested presumptive positive for meth. Payan was arrested and faces charges for Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance (Meth) -- a Class 4 Drug Felony, Special Offender (Meth) -- a Class 1 Drug Felony and Conspiracy -- a Class 1 Drug Felony. This recent arrest falls within an ongoing drug trafficking pattern that law enforcement agencies in Colorado's mountain must combat. Recently, the chief of police in Idaho Springs told CBS News Colorado officers must consistently respond to I-70 drug trafficking in the community. Anyone who might have information about the suspect or this crime can call Eagle County Sheriff's Office at 970-328-8500. Or if you would like to remain anonymous, you can submit a tip online to Eagle County Crime Stoppers at the P3Tips website . Payan was being held by Eagle County on a $100,000 bond at the time of the release on March 21.
