Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
China – Floods and Landslides in South West Leave 17 Dead, 6 Missing https://floodlist.com/asia/china-sichuan-floods-landslides-june-2023
Japan – 2 Dead, 4 Missing, Homes Destroyed After Tropical Storm Mawar Dumps Heavy Rain https://floodlist.com/asia/japantropical-storm-mawar-june-2023
Europe is struggling with a precarious water situation ahead of another drought-riven summer https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/05/expected-european-drought-likely-to-worsen-the-regions-water-crisis-.html
Devastating floods hit Ecuador, extensive damage reported in Esmeraldas https://watchers.news/2023/06/05/devastating-floods-hit-ecuador-extensive-damage-reported-in-esmeraldas/
Widespread floods and landslides hit Haiti, leaving 15 people dead and 8 missing https://watchers.news/2023/06/05/widespread-floods-and-landslides-hit-haiti-leaving-15-people-dead-and-8-missing/
Increased degassing activity at Taal volcano, vog reported in Balete, Laurel, and Agoncillo, Philippines https://watchers.news/2023/06/05/increased-degassing-activity-at-taal-volcano-vog-reported-in-balete-laurel-and-agoncillo-philippines/
Hazardous magmatic eruption possible at Mayon volcano, Alert Level raised to 2, Philippines https://watchers.news/2023/06/05/hazardous-magmatic-eruption-possible-at-mayon-volcano-alert-level-raised-to-2-philippines/
Türkiye – 2 Fatalities Reported After Floods in Black Sea Provinces https://floodlist.com/asia/turkiye-floods-black-sea-june-2023
Algeria – 6 Dead After Further Heavy Rain and Floods https://floodlist.com/africa/algeria-floods-june-2023
What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, June 5 https://disasterphilanthropy.org/blog/what-were-watching-weekly-disaster-update-june-5/
Ukraine dam: Thousands flee floods after dam collapse near Nova Kakhovka https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65819591
Wildfires in Western Canada engulf 400 000 ha (1 million acres), impacting air quality across North America https://watchers.news/2023/06/07/wildfires-in-western-canada-engulf-400-000-ha-1-million-acres-impacting-air-quality-across-north-america/
4 killed, 32 injured after M4.9 earthquake hits Haiti https://watchers.news/2023/06/07/4-killed-32-injured-after-m4-9-earthquake-hits-haiti/
Volcanic activity worldwide 8 Jun 2023: Fuego volcano, Popocatépetl, Krakatau, Semeru, Reventador https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/213128/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-8-Jun-2023-Fuego-volcano-Popocatepetl-Krakatau-Semeru-Reventador-.html
Record-breaking wildfire-related smoke event affects at least 61.8 million https://www.axios.com/2023/06/08/wildfire-smoke-air-quality-record
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Fires, floods and disappearing beaches: can Mediterranean holidays survive? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/03/fires-floods-and-disappearing-beaches-can-mediterranean-holidays-survive
Snow or Ice Extent – Graphing Tool https://www.climate.gov/maps-data/dataset/snow-or-ice-extent-graphing-tool
JMA reports warmest spring in Japan since record-keeping began in 1898 https://watchers.news/2023/06/02/jma-reports-warmest-spring-in-japan-since-record-keeping-began-in-1898/
This mannequin sweats, and it’s helping ASU researchers understand heat stress https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1848452/mannequin-sweats-and-its-helping-asu-researchers-understand-heat-stress
Resources at “breaking point” to deal with heatwaves this summer warn local authorities, first responders, utility companies and transport sector https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/resources-at-breaking-point-to-deal-with-heatwaves-this-summer-warn-local-authorities-first-responders-utility-companies-and-transport-sector/
Broken record: Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels jump again https://www.climate.gov/news-features/feed/broken-record-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-levels-jump-again
Just resilience for Europe: Towards measuring justice in climate change adaptation https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/just-resilience-europe-towards-measuring-justice-climate-change-adaptation
Using electric water heaters to store renewable energy could do the work of 2 million home batteries – and save us billions https://theconversation.com/using-electric-water-heaters-to-store-renewable-energy-could-do-the-work-of-2-million-home-batteries-and-save-us-billions-204281
Addressing Loss and Damage: What can we learn from countries’ National Adaptation Plans? https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/addressing-loss-and-damage-what-can-we-learn-countries-national-adaptation-plans
El Niño may push heating past 1.5C but urgent action could avert catastrophe https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/02/el-nino-may-push-heating-past-15c-urgent-action-avert-catastrophe
Uninsurable America: Climate change hits the insurance industry https://www.axios.com/2023/06/06/climate-change-homeowners-insurance-state-farm-california-florida
Too late now to save Arctic summer ice, climate scientists find https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/06/too-late-now-to-save-arctic-summer-ice-climate-scientists-find
Researchers deploy sensors in Miami’s neighborhoods to provide new assessment of dangerous heat conditions https://news.miami.edu/rosenstiel/stories/2023/06/officially-reported-temperatures-underestimate-miamis-heat-burden-new-study-finds.html
The massive smoke plume choking the northeast U.S. is what climate change looks like https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/06/the-massive-smoke-plume-choking-the-northeast-u-s-is-what-climate-change-looks-like/
Locally led adaptation: Promise, pitfalls, and possibilities https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-023-01884-7
Flash Droughts Are Getting Flashier https://eos.org/articles/flash-droughts-are-getting-flashier
UN climate talks might avoid fossil fuel phase-out, says Cop28 official https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/07/un-climate-talks-might-avoid-fossil-fuel-phase-out-says-cop28-official
Pakistan’s Flood Problem Is Supercharged by Climate Change. Recovery Means Going Beyond Damage Control https://theglobalobservatory.org/2023/06/pakistans-flood-problem-is-supercharged-by-climate-change-the-recovery-process-will-need-to-go-beyond-damage-control/
The Climate Crisis Was Always Real. Now It’s in Your Lungs https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/canadian-wildfires-climate-crisis-east-coast-public-health-1234766771/
Global greenhouse gas emissions at all-time high, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/08/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-at-all-time-high-study-finds
El Niño planet-warming weather phase has begun https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65839060
Disaster risk reduction
Another major insurer is halting new policy sales in California https://www.cbsnews.com/news/allstate-insurance-state-farm-california/
A probabilistic approach to levee reliability based on sliding, backward erosion and overflowing mechanisms: Application to an inspired Canadian case study https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfr3.12921
Flood susceptibility mapping using support vector regression and hyper-parameter optimization https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfr3.12920
In Defense of Metrics: Metrics Sufficiently Encode Typical Human Preferences Regarding Hydrological Model Performance https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022WR033918
Identifying and testing the probability distribution of earthfill dam breach parameters for probabilistic dam breach modeling https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfr3.12900
Integrity of Sydney’s main Warragamba dam at risk from extreme flooding, says study https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/07/integrity-of-sydneys-main-warragamba-dam-at-risk-from-extreme-flooding-says-study
Pyekfmm: A Python Package for 3D Fast‐Marching‐Based Travel‐Time Calculation and its Applications in Seismology https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/srl/article-abstract/doi/10.1785/0220230042/623202/Pyekfmm-A-Python-Package-for-3D-Fast-Marching
Key Recommendations on Wildfire Prevention in the Mediterranean https://efi.int/publications-bank/key-recommendations-wildfire-prevention-mediterranean
What caused the wildfires in Canada? https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/06/what-caused-the-wildfires-in-canada/
Why insurance companies are pulling out of California and Florida, and how to fix some of the underlying problems https://theconversation.com/why-insurance-companies-are-pulling-out-of-california-and-florida-and-how-to-fix-some-of-the-underlying-problems-207172
Emergency management
Japan vending machines to automatically offer free food if earthquake hits https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/02/japan-vending-machines-to-automatically-offer-free-food-if-earthquake-hits
Italy Flood 2023, DREF Operation MDRIT004 https://reliefweb.int/report/italy/italy-flood-2023-dref-operation-mdrit004
Symptoms linger 2 years after COVID-19 for 1 in 6 unvaccinated people https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/06/02/unvaccinated-COVID-symptoms/8431685716215/
Finding Common Ground for Disaster Response https://www.hstoday.us/federal-pages/dhs/finding-common-ground-for-disaster-response/
Dominican Republic | They do the first crisis management tabletop exercise https://nationworldnews.com/dominican-republic-they-do-the-first-crisis-management-tabletop-exercise/
FloodMapp revolutionizes flood response in Texas, US https://www.floodmapp.com/post/floodmapp-revolutionizes-flood-response-in-texas-us
Aerial Methods For Fighting Fires https://www.barrons.com/news/aerial-methods-for-fighting-fires-19f57b43
Wildfires: almost 300 European firefighters mobilised to support Canada https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/news-stories/news/wildfires-almost-300-european-firefighters-mobilised-support-canada-2023-06-08_en
Ukraine dam disaster: Lack of clean water, spread of disease, major risks https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1137422
Disaster education, communications and engagement
Wildfires are a paradox of destruction and new life https://lternet.edu/stories/the-lessons-wildfire-can-teach-destruction-and-resiliency-after-disaster/
The role of bots in spreading conspiracies: Case study of discourse about earthquakes on Twitter https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420923002200
Heat Action Day https://www.ifrc.org/get-involved/campaign-us/heat-action-day
Social Media and Morality https://psyarxiv.com/ywevq
Norway to prioritise security, citizens’ preparedness https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/norway-to-prioritise-security-citizens-preparedness/
Putting communities in the driver seat: Good practices from the Philippines https://floodresilience.net/blogs/community-resilience-building-intervention-in-the-philippines/
Wildfires https://disasterphilanthropy.org/resources/wildfires/
Psychology and disasters
Climate-related damage to people’s homes can have significant effects on their health, well-being – study https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/06/climate-related-damage-to-people-s-homes-can-have-significant-effects-on-their-health-well-being-study.html
Global mental health and climate change: A geo-psychiatry perspective https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S187620182300117X
Sociology and disasters
Social Capital and Disasters https://disasterphilanthropy.org/resources/social-capital-and-disasters/
Wildfire preparedness and response must include planning for unhoused people and other vulnerable populations https://theconversation.com/wildfire-preparedness-and-response-must-include-planning-for-unhoused-people-and-other-vulnerable-populations-206851
Chicago Watches the Heat Kill Its Disadvantaged Residents https://www.govtech.com/em/preparedness/chicago-watches-the-heat-kill-its-disadvantaged-residents Leveraging the positives from the pandemic to strengthen infectious disease care in low-income and middle-income countries https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(23)00354-7/fulltext