Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Series of earthquakes rattle California, Mexico in busy morning of seismic activity along Pacific Ring of Fire https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/series-earthquakes-strikes-california-mexico-along-pacific-ring-fire
What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, August 3, 2026 https://disasterphilanthropy.org/blog/what-were-watching-weekly-disaster-update-august-3-2026/
Spokane wildfires destroy 600 structures, force evacuation of 5 000 homes; wildfire emergency declared for Washington https://watchers.news/2026/08/02/spokane-wildfires-destroy-600-structures-force-evacuation-of-5-000-homes-wildfire-emergency-declared-for-washington/
Major landslide kills 14 at Tsadkane Mariam Monastery in Ethiopia https://watchers.news/2026/08/04/major-landslide-kills-14-tsadkane-mariam-monastery-ethiopia-august-2026/
Strong eruption at Fuego volcano produces pyroclastic flows up to 7 km, prompting evacuations, Guatemala https://watchers.news/2026/08/04/fuego-volcano-guatemala-eruption-pyroclastic-flows-lava-fountains-evacuations-august-2026/
Frontal system leaves 2 dead and 5 550 homes damaged or destroyed in Chile https://watchers.news/2026/08/03/frontal-system-leaves-2-dead-and-5-550-homes-damaged-or-destroyed-in-chile/
16 dead and missing as floods and landslides hit Kerala, India https://watchers.news/2026/08/02/16-dead-and-missing-as-floods-and-landslides-hit-kerala-india/
Out-of-control Bradley Creek wildfire burns 2 852 ha and destroys more than 200 structures in British Columbia, Canada https://watchers.news/2026/08/06/out-of-control-bradley-creek-wildfire-burns-2-852-ha-and-destroys-more-than-200-structures-in-british-columbia-canada/
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Putting people at the centre of UK climate adaptation and resilience https://accessnetwork.uk/task-forces-adaptation-and-resilience-task-force/
Keeping an Eye on Iceland: Volcanoes and Climate Change https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/keeping-eye-iceland-volcanoes-climate-change/
Earth is heating up faster than at any time in its history https://www.newscientist.com/article/2581280-earth-is-heating-up-faster-than-at-any-time-in-its-history/
Interim heat mortality monitoring report, England: May and June 2026 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/interim-heat-mortality-monitoring-report-england-may-and-june-2026/interim-heat-mortality-monitoring-report-england-may-and-june-2026
Correcting climate ‘misperceptions’ may not boost climate action https://www.carbonbrief.org/correcting-climate-misperceptions-may-not-boost-climate-action
More than half of all Brits more fearful for the future after summer of heatwaves – new polling https://climateoutreach.org/more-than-half-of-all-brits-more-fearful-for-the-future-after-summer-of-heatwaves-new-polling/
Looking down on London’s straw-coloured parks https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgr74yvenxwo
We launched a war on nature. Now we are in a climate war zone https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/04/summer-heat-climate-war-zone
The Heat Is On: Turning Up the Pressure for Climate Action https://raceequalityfoundation.org.uk/blog/the-heat-is-on-turning-up-the-pressure-for-climate-action/
Climate‑related ‘silent adaptation’ coping strategies are going beyond official directives https://theconversation.com/climate-related-silent-adaptation-coping-strategies-are-going-beyond-official-directives-288137
Rising seas are inundating US coastal wetlands, putting many on track to become open water https://phys.org/news/2026-07-seas-inundating-coastal-wetlands-track.html
‘Was this heatwave caused by climate change?’ – we’re asking the wrong question https://theconversation.com/was-this-heatwave-caused-by-climate-change-were-asking-the-wrong-question-288637
Strong El Niño expected to intensify https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/strong-el-nino-expected-intensify
Record heat wave impacts people and animals in Japan and Korean Peninsula https://apnews.com/article/heat-wave-asia-korea-japan-lions-8ad08f68ed6da7ff30d346323816e1b9
Climate Change Made Canada’s Ferocious Fire Weather Twice as Likely, Attribution Study Finds https://www.theenergymix.com/climate-change-made-canadas-ferocious-fire-weather-twice-as-likely-attribution-study-finds/
Disaster risk reduction
A Framework for Avoiding Polar Disasters https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/framework-avoiding-polar-disasters/
‘The fire has such power’: why the wildfires gripping France and Spain are off the charts https://theconversation.com/the-fire-has-such-power-why-the-wildfires-gripping-france-and-spain-are-off-the-charts-288507
Improving flood detection with large-scale dashboard camera data https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/improving-flood-detection-large-scale-dashboard-camera-data
Real-Time Data Enhances Flood Forecasting Accuracy in Japan https://climateadaptationplatform.com/real-time-data-enhances-flood-forecasting-accuracy-in-japan/
Landslide Exposure in the United States https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/landslide-exposure-in-the-united-states-1
Likelihood of wildfires in Southern Europe has doubled since the 80s, study shows https://phys.org/news/2026-07-likelihood-wildfires-southern-europe-80s.html
Research uncovers hidden patterns in hurricane storm surge https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/07/eng-cee-storm-surge.html
China expands geological disaster risk management https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202608/04/WS6a716024a310986e2b468e78.html
Smarter Flood Planning Could Protect Millions as Cities Face Rising Climate Risk https://newsen.pku.edu.cn/news_events/news/research/15627.html
Predicting hurricane rapid intensification further in advance https://news.ucar.edu/133083/predicting-hurricane-rapid-intensification-further-advance
Flood mapping tool helps South Texas communities better understand flooding risks https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/07/flood-mapping-tool-helps-south-texas-communities-better-understand-flooding-risks/
In Seconds, Fiber Optic Cables Detect Earthquake Size https://now.humboldt.edu/news/seconds-fiber-optic-cables-detect-earthquake-size
Emergency Management
Two killed after firefighting helicopters collide near Psatha, Greece https://watchers.news/2026/08/03/two-killed-after-firefighting-helicopters-collide-near-psatha-greece/
Canada’s government needs a better role in disaster preparedness https://theconversation.com/canadas-government-needs-a-better-role-in-disaster-preparedness-285455
Why the Spokane wildfires became so catastrophic https://theconversation.com/why-the-spokane-wildfires-became-so-catastrophic-288895
What another Texas flood revealed about the state’s warning system https://grist.org/extreme-weather/what-another-texas-flood-revealed-about-the-states-warning-system/
Disaster Education Communications and Engagement
Communicating with diverse populations before, during and after Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) events: systematic literature review https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-026-28680-8
When disaster strikes, communities already know what works. So why don’t we listen better? https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/07/when-disaster-strikes-communities-already-know-what-works-so-why-dont-we-listen-better
Study reveals how realistic volcanic eruptions are on the silver screen https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2026/july/study-reveals-how-realistic-volcanic-eruptions-are-on-the-silver-screen.html
Wildfires: why media coverage doesn’t always make the climate connection https://theconversation.com/wildfires-why-media-coverage-doesnt-always-make-the-climate-connection-288409
Skills-Based Disaster Literacy Framework to Improve Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery https://ihelis.com/index.php/ihelis/article/view/105/65
Disaster psychology
3 years after Maui wildfires: Employment, housing improve while mental health remains a concern, report finds https://mauinow.com/2026/07/28/3-years-after-maui-wildfires-employment-housing-improve-while-mental-health-remains-a-concern-report-finds/
Protecting mental health from extreme heat: Recommendations for policy and action https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/protecting-mental-health-extreme-heat-recommendations-policy
Sociology and disasters
Gendered perceptions of resilience: Understanding of communities’ responses to disasters https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420926003675
How heatwaves make life harder for homeless people https://theconversation.com/how-heatwaves-make-life-harder-for-homeless-people-288307
When disaster strikes, who gets help? The case for smarter social protection https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/when-disaster-strikes–who-gets-help–the-case-for-smarter-socia
A machine learning framework for assessing systemic societal vulnerability to coastal flooding https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/machine-learning-framework-assessing-systemic-societal
Beyond Contact: Social Cohesion and Municipal Legitimacy in Times of Crisis https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00953997261470398
Racialized economic concentration predicts storm-related injuries and deaths in the United States, 2005–2022 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-76111-4
How Does Social Vulnerability Evolve After a Tropical Cyclone? https://eos.org/research-spotlights/how-does-social-vulnerability-evolve-after-a-tropical-cyclone
Disaster Resilience News 