Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news this week…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Sydney bushfire: Residents breathe a sigh of relief as disaster averted for a second night http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-16/sydney-bushfire-conditions-ease-for-firefighters/9660818
Storm system brings flooding, freezing rain, snow to Midwest https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/21/02/2018/Storm-system-brings-flooding,-freezing-rain,-snow-to-Midwest
Destructive flash floods, rare tornado hit Algeria https://watchers.news/2018/04/15/destructive-flash-floods-rare-tornado-hit-algeria/
Record-shattering rains trigger destructive floods in Hawaii, 699 mm (27 inches) in 24 hours https://watchers.news/2018/04/16/record-shattering-rains-trigger-destructive-floods-in-hawaii/
Massive storm system sweeps through US, at least 3 deaths reported https://watchers.news/2018/04/15/massive-storm-system-sweeps-through-us-at-least-3-deaths-reported/
One person killed after tornado hits Greensboro in Guilford County, North Carolina https://watchers.news/2018/04/16/one-person-killed-after-tornado-hits-greensboro-in-guilford-county-north-carolina/
Malawi – Hundreds Displaced by Floods Across the Country http://floodlist.com/africa/malawi-floods-february-2018
Colombia – 12 Dead, 1,067 Families Affected by Recent Severe Weather http://www.smcyinternationalfamily.org/colombia-12-dead-1067-families-affected-recent-severe-weather/
Tanzania – 9 Dead as Flooding Hits Dar Es Salaam http://floodlist.com/africa/tanzania-floods-dar-es-salaam-april-2018
USA – Heavy Rain Floods Parts of New York and New Jersey https://twitter.com/GlobalFloodNews
Homes lost, flood damage in Leamington area worst in 20 years https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/homes-lost-flood-damage-in-leamington-area-worst-in-20-years-1.3886781
Earthquake hits Banjarnegara, kills one, destroys buildings http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/04/18/earthquake-hits-banjarnegara-kills-one-destroys-buildings.html
Kenya – Thousands Displaced as Flooding Continues http://floodlist.com/africa/kenya-thousands-displaced-flooding-april-2018?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Martinique – Severe Flooding After 250mm of Rain in 6 Hours http://floodlist.com/america/martinique-floods-april-2018
Entire island of Ambae to be permanently evacuated due to volcano https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/vanuatu-island-evacuation-volcanic-ambae-eruption-entire-population-permanent-a8311716.html?amp&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&__twitter_impression=true
Volcanic activity worldwide 19 Apr 2018: Fuego volcano, Popocatépetl, Dukono, Reventador, Sinabung https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/68574/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-19-Apr-2018-Fuego-volcano-Popocatepetl-Dukono-Reventador-Sinabung.html
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Special Climate Statement 65—persistent summer-like heat sets many April records http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs65.pdf
Alaskan glaciers melting at rate not seen in 400 years https://www.rawstory.com/2018/04/alaskan-glaciers-melting-rate-not-seen-400-years/#.WtEfNNoYjkY.twitter
Arctic melting could worsen future California droughts https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/04/arctic-melting-could-worsen-california-droughts/
Experimental effects of climate messages vary geographically https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-018-0122-0
97% consensus on climate change? More like 99.94%, study finds https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/climate-change-consensus-07042018/
Greenhouse effect https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/greenhouse-effect/
Rising sea levels and intense cyclones prompt council action https://www.news-mail.com.au/news/rising-sea-levels-and-intense-cyclones-prompt-coun/3387868/
March was the third warmest globally since 1891 https://ds.data.jma.go.jp/tcc/tcc/products/gwp/temp/mar_wld.html
In the coastal communities near the Bering Strait, a winter unlike the rest https://www.climate.gov/news-features/features/coastal-communities-near-bering-strait-winter-unlike-rest
Miami is racing against time to keep up with sea-level rise http://www.businessinsider.com/miami-floods-sea-level-rise-solutions-2018-4/?r=AU&IR=T
The Commonwealth can kickstart a global offensive on climate change https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/18/commonwealth-global-climate-change-new-zealanders?CMP=share_btn_tw
As climate scientists predicted, glaciers are vanishing due to rapidly warming temperatures https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/apr/18/glacier-loss-is-accelerating-because-of-global-warming?CMP=share_btn_tw
World Glacier Monitoring Service http://wgms.ch/latest-glacier-mass-balance-data/
Climate change in a San Francisco courtroom http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/news/2018/0410.html
As Climate Costs Grow, Some See A Moneymaking Opportunity https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/17/603230754/as-climate-costs-grow-some-see-a-money-making-opportunity
Disaster risk reduction
Disaster Management Research Roadmap for the ASEAN Region https://reliefweb.int/report/world/disaster-management-research-roadmap-asean-region
How building science and research can help avert disaster https://www.aia.org/articles/185061-how-building-science-and-research-can-help-
29 years on from the Hillsborough disaster, Grenfell shows how little we’ve learnt https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/sport/2018/04/29-years-hillsborough-disaster-grenfell-shows-how-little-we-ve-learnt
Heat exposure now more deadly than any other natural disaster https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/heat-exposure-now-more-lethal-than-any-other-natural-disaster
Houston-Area Officials Say They Didn’t Know About Reservoir Flood Risks Pre-Harvey https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2018/04/13/486330.htm
Safer and Stronger Cities: Strategies for Advocating for Federal Resilience Policy https://medium.com/safer-and-stronger-cities-strategies-for-advocatin/introduction-b7ad940f8c72
W&M grad students aid Virginia’s battle against flooding https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2018/wm-grad-students-aid-virginias-battle-against-flooding.php
At USD 144 billion, global insured losses from disaster events in 2017 were the highest ever, sigma study says http://www.swissre.com/media/news_releases/nr20180410_sigma_global_insured_loses_highest_ever.html
Drought-stricken Cape Town prepares for winter flood risks https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1894883/drought-stricken-cape-town-prepares-for-winter-flood-risks/
Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast http://coastal.la.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2017-Coastal-Master-Plan_Web-Book_CFinal-with-Effective-Date-06092017.pdf
An Affordability Framework for the National Flood Insurance Program https://www.eenews.net/assets/2018/04/17/document_gw_06.pdf
San Francisco’s Big Seismic Gamble https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/17/us/san-francisco-earthquake-seismic-gamble.html
Landslides in Nepal: the need for a national agency? https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2018/04/17/landslides-in-nepal-1/
Study proposes link between formation of supercontinents, strength of ocean tides https://phys.org/news/2018-04-link-formation-supercontinents-strength-ocean.html
North American and Caribbean Hazards and Disaster Research Centers https://hazards.colorado.edu/resources/research-centers Supercritical river terraces generated by hydraulic and geomorphic interactions https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/530330/supercritical-river-terraces-generated-by?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Can We Outsmart a Disaster? http://seismo.berkeley.edu/blog/2018/04/17/can-we-outsmart-disaster.html
Scientists unveil 10,000 sq ft model of Mississippi delta to help save coastline https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/18/mississippi-delta-model-coastal-erosion-scientists?CMP=share_btn_tw
On anniversary of great 1906 quake, California still struggles to prepare for the next ‘big one’ http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-quake-san-francisco-20180418-story.html
The U.S. Is Finally Getting a System to Warn When an Earthquake Is Coming https://slate.com/technology/2018/04/the-app-quakealert-hopes-to-warn-west-coasters-when-an-earthquake-is-coming.html
Visualization of earthquake risk in California https://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/maps/visualization-earthquake-risk-california
Seattle is starting to take steps to ready itself for an increased onslaught of rain as a result of climate change and historic weather patterns https://psmag.com/environment/seattle-preps-for-thousand-year-storm
Yorkshire Water hosts first flooding and pollution Hackathon https://www.waterbriefing.org/home/company-news/item/15036-yorkshire-water-hosts-first-flooding-and-pollution-hackathon
Where Next for Flood Risk? Use of Building Polygons Instead of Address Points for Assessment http://blogs.lexisnexis.com/insurance-insights/2018/04/where-next-for-flood-risk-use-of-building-polygons-instead-of-address-points-for-assessment/
Kilauea volcano: Magma system becomes increasingly pressurized, Hawaii https://watchers.news/2018/04/19/kilauea-volcano-magma-system-becomes-increasingly-pressurized-hawaii/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Development of an urban flood management plan that can deal with conditions of deep uncertainty https://understandrisk.org/adaptive-management-urban-flood-risk/
Humans in a Flammable Forest https://www.sfreporter.com/news/theenthusiast/2018/04/18/humans-in-a-flammable-forest/
Opinion: How to achieve better flood-risk governance in the United States http://www.pnas.org/content/115/15/3731
How San Francisco’s next big quake could play out https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-04489-3
Emergency Management
Ulverston’s forgotten flood victims talk of hardship 10 years on http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/ulverston/Ulverstons-forgotten-flood-victims-talk-of-hardship-10-years-on-485a71cf-1b38-4185-bfe9-0d7858375586-ds
FEMA’s plan underestimated Puerto Rican hurricane https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/15/puerto-rico-hurricane-fema-disaster-523033
Rural fire service announced for WA in wake of Yarloop blaze, funded by levy hike http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-13/wa-to-get-rural-fire-service-within-dfes-funded-by-levy-hike/9652920
Developing a coordinated, multi-agency response plan for a future great Alpine Fault earthquake https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00288306.2018.1455716?journalCode=tnzg20#.WtQPmDc3qE8.twitter
Public perceptions of emergency decontamination: Effects of intervention type and responder management strategy during a focus group study http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195922
Federal study launched to revamp hurricane cone of error http://weatherplus.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2018/03/27/just-in-federal-study-launched-to-revamp-hurricane-cone-of-error/
Volunteer Fire Departments Face Declining Numbers http://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/Volunteer-fire-Departments-Face-Declining-Numbers.html
Greece: The use of satellite imagery in crisis management after flooding https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/57841
Flooded communities in Fiji showing resilience https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/354057/flooded-communities-in-fiji-showing-resilience
Large-Scale and Smaller Disasters Increasingly Call for Shared Responsibility by Everyone http://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/-EDITORIAL-Large-scale-and-smaller-disasters-increasingly-call-for-shared-responsibility-by-everyone.html
Late bushfire season and extreme heat put pressure on resources https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/late-bushfire-season-will-cost-australia-dearly
How Many Wireless Emergency Alerts Are Too Many? https://slate.com/technology/2018/04/how-many-wireless-emergency-alerts-too-many.html
Puerto Rico In The Midst Of An Islandwide Blackout https://www.npr.org/2018/04/18/603693077/puerto-rico-in-the-midst-of-an-island-wide-blackout
Disaster education, communications and engagement
All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response efficiently and effectively addresses the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters https://allhandsandhearts.exposure.co/
Citizen scientists keep a watchful eye on the world’s streams https://eos.org/project-updates/testing-the-waters-mobile-apps-for-crowdsourced-streamflow-data
CrowdWater is a citizen science project to collect hydrological data http://www.crowdwater.ch/en/welcome-to-crowdwater/
Virtual reality technology puts people through ‘searing’ bushfire scenario http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-14/virtual-reality-puts-people-through-searing-bushfire/9645584
Could citizen geologists help scientists make geological maps? https://eos.org/features/crowdsourcing-digital-maps-using-citizen-geologists
Earthquake Education Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDbAmX72CFA&list=PLYJjP6lVJvswbQzrA1O_VA_StEun7HqN8
Tsunami Drills Encourage Students to be Aware of the Impacts of Natural Disasters http://www.asia-pacific.undp.org/content/rbap/en/home/SchoolTsunamiPreparedness.html
Geoscience Communication https://www.geoscience-communication.net/about/aims_and_scope.html
Disaster education and preparedness in the acute care setting: A cross sectional survey of operating theatre nurse’s disaster knowledge and education https://www.readbyqxmd.com/read/29524836/disaster-education-and-preparedness-in-the-acute-care-setting-a-cross-sectional-survey-of-operating-theatre-nurse-s-disaster-knowledge-and-education
People tend to ignore low-probability risks. And some people think that they have flood insurance when they do not https://www.rand.org/blog/2017/09/why-houstonians-didnt-buy-flood-insurance.html
Minecraft & Lego Used For Emergency Preparedness https://resiliencechallenge.nz/Resilience-Home/Science-Programmes/Culture/Minecraft-Lego-Used-For-Emergency-Preparedness
Ceremonies commemorate 112th anniversary of 1906 earthquake in SF http://abc7news.com/ceremonies-commemorate-112th-anniversary-of-1906-earthquake-in-sf/3360492/
Rare footage of San Francisco after 1906 earthquake shown in Fremont theater http://abc7.com/footage-of-san-francisco-after-1906-quake-shown-in-fremont/3361514/
Utahns prepare for ‘the big one’ in Great Shakeout earthquake drills http://fox13now.com/2018/04/19/utahns-prepare-for-the-big-one-in-great-shakeout-earthquake-drills/
Social Media and Emergency Management
Is anyone out there? The social media for emergency management audience https://disasterece.com/2018/04/17/is-anyone-out-there-the-social-media-for-emergency-management-audience/
Psychology and disasters
Flood risk denial in US coastal communities https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180402085848.htm
Sociology and Disasters
Daniel Aldrich: More focus on social capital needed as measure of disaster resilience https://federalnewsradio.com/federal-drive/2018/03/daniel-aldrich-more-focus-on-social-capital-needed-as-measure-of-disaster-resilience/
“The most resilient communities appear to be those with a wide variety of deeply rooted cooperative organizations, often made up of volunteers” https://www.futurity.org/volunteers-community-resilience-disasters-1729652/
The opportunity for good in Cape Town’s drought https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/cape-town-drought/
Disaster Resilience News 