Please find below links to recent news about aspects of disaster resilience…

Recent emergencies/disaster

At least 5 killed in crashes related to powerful Winter Storm Gia https://www.foxnews.com/us/at-least-5-killed-in-crashes-related-to-powerful-winter-storm-gia

At least 26 killed in weather-related incidents across Europe, new Arctic outbreak sets in https://watchers.news/2019/01/13/at-least-26-killed-in-weather-related-incidents-across-europe-new-arctic-outbreak-sets-in/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Tornado hits West Java, damaging more than 300 homes, Indonesia https://watchers.news/2019/01/12/tornado-hits-west-java-damaging-more-than-300-homes-indonesia/

Four dead, thousands evacuated in north Argentina floods http://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/four-dead-thousands-evacuated-in-north-argentina-floods.phtml

Papua New Guinea hit by 7 magnitude earthquake https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/11/papua-new-guinea-hit-by-7-magnitude-earthquake?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Peru – Dozens of Homes Destroyed After Floods in Junín Region http://floodlist.com/america/peru-junin-january-2019

South East Africa – Deadly Storms and Floods in Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique http://floodlist.com/africa/deadly-storms-floods-malawi-zambia-mozambique-january-2019

More Evacuations Ordered in Burn Areas as Record Rain Soaks Southern California http://www.govtech.com/em/preparedness/More-Evacuations-Ordered-in-Burn-Areas-as-Record-Rain-Soaks-Southern-California.html

Towns flood in north as forecasts see cold snap, snow in Jerusalem https://www.timesofisrael.com/towns-flood-in-north-as-forecasts-see-cold-snap-snows-later-this-week/

At least 21 killed as Kenya hotel siege is declared over https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/16/africa/kenya-hotel-complex-terror-attack/index.html

Multiple buried after avalanche at Taos Ski Valley https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/several-people-buried-after-avalanche-near-kachina-peak/1708236758

Volcanic activity worldwide 17 Jan 2019: Fuego volcano, Popocatépetl, Shiveluch, Reventador https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/73680/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-17-Jan-2019-Fuego-volcano-Popocatepetl-Shiveluch-Reventador-Planch.html

 

Extreme Weather and Climate Change

Climate Change Denial https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/denying-the-grave/201901/climate-change-denial

Australian states and territories to bake in heatwave https://www.smh.com.au/national/states-and-territories-to-bake-in-heatwave-20190113-p50r4y.html

The day I tasted climate change https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612658/the-day-i-tasted-climate-change/

Reconstructions of cool season temperature over past centuries in Australia show that the persistent warming in the observed record since ~ 1950 is unprecedented https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-018-04602-2

An ocean of evidence on warming is our cue to take action – now https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/an-ocean-of-evidence-on-warming-is-our-cue-to-take-action-now-20190113-p50r2l.html

Warming oceans likely to raise sea levels 30cm by end of century – study https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/10/warming-oceans-likely-to-raise-sea-levels-30cm-by-end-of-century-study?CMP=share_btn_tw

Not ‘getting on the bandwagon’: When climate change is a matter of unconcern https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2514848618818763?journalCode=enea

How Arctic Cyclones Change the Sea Ice https://eos.org/articles/how-arctic-cyclones-change-the-sea-ice

Coastal Warning: An Unwelcome Messenger on the Risks of Rising Seas https://e360.yale.edu/features/coastal-warning-an-unwelcome-messenger-on-risks-of-rising-seas

Ice shelf in Antarctica could face melting risk https://abcnews.go.com/beta-story-container/Technology/ice-shelf-antarctica-face-melting-risk/story?id=60366058

Antarctica now shedding ice six times faster than in 1979 https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/antarctica-now-shedding-ice-six-times-faster-than-in-1979/

Earth’s tilt may speed up global warming – study https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/380119/earth-s-tilt-may-speed-up-global-warming-study

Rise of renewables creating a ‘new world’: report https://www.sbs.com.au/news/rise-of-renewables-creating-a-new-world-report

Upper-ocean warming is changing the global wave climate, making waves stronger https://phys.org/news/2019-01-upper-ocean-global-climate-stronger.html

Australia extreme heatwave: ‘code red’ issued as Port Augusta hits 48.9C https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/15/australia-extreme-heatwave-records-broken-amid-all-time-highest-minimum-temperatures

Scientists: Climate change causing heatwaves, droughts and floods https://climateandcapitalism.com/2019/01/14/scientists-climate-changing-caused-heatwaves-droughts-and-floods/

Explaining Extreme Events from a Climate Perspective https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/publications/bulletin-of-the-american-meteorological-society-bams/explaining-extreme-events-from-a-climate-perspective/

A planet in crisis https://mondediplo.com/openpage/a-planet-in-crisis?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Holding back the tides: Sydney’s battle against coastal erosion https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/17/holding-back-the-tides-sydneys-battle-against-coastal-erosion?CMP=share_btn_tw

The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought https://theconversation.com/the-darling-river-is-simply-not-supposed-to-dry-out-even-in-drought-109880?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterbutton

Cardiac arrests spike, deaths likely as state swelters through heatwave https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/cardiac-arrests-spike-deaths-likely-as-state-swelters-through-heatwave-20190115-p50rjm.html?csp=52356553c94cd870d858341c3d0423cb

Measuring Ice Thickness in Antarctica: NASA’s ICESat-2 Mission https://www.ucsusa.org/got-science-podcast/ep50-nasa?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=tw#.XD-gV9IzbIU

Long Beach says sea-level rise will bring dire flooding to some neighborhoods https://www.presstelegram.com/2019/01/15/long-beach-says-sea-level-rise-will-bring-dire-flooding-to-some-neighborhoods/

After Hurricane Sandy, Hoboken rebuilt itself for climate change https://grist.org/article/after-hurricane-sandy-hoboken-rebuilt-itself-for-climate-change/

Why Antarctica’s sea ice cover is so low (and no, it’s not just about climate change) https://theconversation.com/why-antarcticas-sea-ice-cover-is-so-low-and-no-its-not-just-about-climate-change-109572

10 Reasons to Feel Hopeful About Climate Change in 2019 https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/10-reasons-feel-hopeful-about-climate-change-2019

 

Disaster risk reduction

Srinagar continues to be vulnerable to floods, courtesy flawed mitigation measures https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/srinagar-city/srinagar-continues-to-be-vulnerable-to-floods-courtesy-flawed-mitigation-measures/309308.html

The lasting impact of the forgotten Dutch flood of January, 1916 https://www.iamexpat.nl/read-and-discuss/expat-page/articles/lasting-impact-forgotten-flood-january-1916

Preparing For “The Big One” https://the1a.org/shows/2019-01-14/preparing-for-the-big-one

‘That’s big savings, very cost effective.’ Flood, fire preparations could save billions https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/our-colorado/thats-big-savings-very-cost-effective-flood-fire-preparations-could-save-billions

How do we prioritize when making decisions about development and disaster risk? A look at five key dimensions of trade-offs https://www.sei.org/publications/trade-offs-in-development-and-disaster-risk-a-look-at-five-key-dimensions/

Natural catastrophes in 2018 https://www.munichre.com/site/corporate/get/params_E1716525033_Dattachment/1707976/munichre-natural-catastrophes-in-2018.pdf

Loss events worldwide 2018 https://www.munichre.com/site/corporate/get/params_E1857073643_Dattachment/1707978/munichre-natcat-2018_worldmap.pdf

Safe as houses? The biggest risk to your greatest asset https://www.noted.co.nz/money/property/safe-as-houses-biggest-risk-to-your-greatest-asset/

Los Angeles’ Earthquake Early Warning System Could Save Lives, but What About the Rest of California? http://www.govtech.com/em/preparedness/Los-Angeles-Earthquake-Early-Warning-System-Could-Save-Lives-but-What-About-the-Rest-of-California.html

Bill would prevent Texans from unknowingly buying homes in areas designed to flood https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/11/bill-would-require-sellers-disclose-whether-homes-have-flooded/

5% of the properties in Northern Ireland are located within a river or coastal floodplain or are located in areas at risk of flooding from heavy rainfall https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/flooding-concerns-for-thousands-of-homes-across-ni-warns-report-37707057.html

The worst natural disasters that New Zealand faces https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/109927970/the-worst-natural-disaster-risks-new-zealand-faces

GFPLAIN250m, a global high-resolution dataset of Earth’s floodplains https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2018309

A New Congress and A New Hope For Flood Insurance Reform https://www.nrdc.org/experts/joel-scata/new-congress-and-new-hope-flood-insurance-reform

Are We Living Through Climate Change’s Worst-Case Scenario? https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/rcp-85-the-climate-change-disaster-scenario/579700/

Caring for the hills protects us from flooding, says new research https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/caring-for-the-hills/

Bangkok fights floods with thirsty landscaping https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-climatechange-environment-de/bangkok-fights-floods-with-thirsty-landscaping-idUSKCN1P303W

‘Protection from floods in the UK over the past years has too often been reactive rather than proactive’ https://www.nic.org.uk/assessment/national-infrastructure-assessment/reducing-the-risks-of-drought-and-flooding/

Reducing the risks of drought and flooding in the UK https://www.nic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CCS001_CCS0618917350-001_NIC-NIA_Accessible.pdf#page=85

Flood modelling for Costa Rica’s future https://www.ambientalrisk.com/flood-modelling-for-costa-ricas-future-an-ambiental-case-study/

Natural hazard mitigation strategies review: Actor–network theory and the eco-based approach understanding in Zimbabwe https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/629

Jamba Journal of Disaster Risk Studies VOL 11, NO 1 (2019) https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/index

Extreme weather disasters and failure of climate change measures are the greatest world risks according to The Global Risks Report 2019 http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_Report_2019.pdf

How Japan’s skyscrapers are built to survive earthquakes http://www.bbc.com/future/gallery/20190114-how-japans-skyscrapers-are-built-to-survive-earthquakes?ocid=ww.social.link.twitter

Practical Action Offers Guidance for Flood Management in Latin America http://envirodm.org/post/practical-action-offers-guidance-for-flood-management

Flood Management: Nature Based Approaches and International Collaborations https://www.americaadapts.org/episodes/2019/1/13/flood-management-nature-based-approaches-and-international-collaborations

Big earthquake would topple countless buildings, but many cities ignore the danger https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-northridge-earthquake-california-20190117-story.html

What if the Northridge earthquake had struck today, on its 25th anniversary, during the U.S. government shutdown? http://temblor.net/earthquake-insights/what-if-the-northridge-earthquake-had-struck-today-on-its-25th-anniversary-during-the-u-s-government-shutdown-8171/

Army Corps releases crucial guide for reducing flood risk and increasing resilience http://blogs.edf.org/growingreturns/2019/01/16/army-corps-guide-reducing-flood-risk-increasing-resilience/

Off the map: issues with FEMS flood maps in the US east coast https://psmag.com/magazine/off-the-map-coastal-flooding-maine-east-coast-insurance

Flooding in Sri Lanka https://www.jbarisk.com/flood-services/event-response/flooding-in-sri-lanka-2018/

Emergency Management

Lessons learnt (and perhaps forgotten) from Australia’s ‘worst fires’ https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/lessons-learnt-and-perhaps-forgotten-from-australia-s-worst-fires-20190108-p50qol.html

California’s largest utility has struggled to reduce fire risks as its equipment keeps igniting blazes https://www.wsj.com/articles/pg-e-sparked-at-least-1-500-california-fires-now-the-utility-faces-collapse-11547410768?mod=e2tw

He Helped Indonesia Through a ‘Year of Disasters,’ While Facing His Own https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/28/world/asia/indonesia-natural-disasters-sutopo.html

Wildfires: Opportunity for restoration? http://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6423/134.2

PG&E, utility tied to wildfires, will file for bankruptcy https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/14/business/pge-bankruptcy-wildfires/index.html

38% of evacuation centers in central Tokyo could flood https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190114/p2a/00m/0na/002000c

A ‘twin-track’ approach to disability-inclusive disaster preparedness https://www.devex.com/news/q-a-a-twin-track-approach-to-disability-inclusive-disaster-preparedness-94094

Fort McMurray population down nearly 11 per cent since wildfire, census shows https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-census-population-1.4978907

Former FEMA Admin.: AI Can Marry Urban Planning and Disaster Response http://www.govtech.com/biz/Former-FEMA-Admin-AI-Can-Marry-Urban-Planning-and-Disaster-Response.html

RealImpact aims to be more comprehensive for hurricane forecasting than the current Saffir-Simpson Scale, but lacks transparency https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a25889644/accuweather-realimpact-hurricane-scale/

Alaskan company uses drones to survey earthquake damage https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Alaskan-company-used-drones-to-map-earthquake-damage-503723881.html

Actual Recovery Just Beginning for Some, Months After Hurricane Florence http://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/Actual-Recovery-Just-Beginning-for-Some-Months-After-Hurricane-Florence.html

Using oral histories to learn from disasters – Sharing the lessons learned during the 2013 Colorado flood https://phys.org/news/2019-01-lessons-colorado.html

How villagers in Lao PDR’s Khammouane Province find their own ways to recover after a disaster https://uninlaopdr.exposure.co/after-the-flood

Flood Risk Reduction in Canada https://uwaterloo.ca/partners-for-action/projects-and-programs/flood-risk-reduction-canada

 

Disaster education, communications and engagement

The use of social media in volcano science communication: challenges and opportunities https://www.jvolcanica.org/ojs/index.php/volcanica/article/view/25/30

Less than 20 percent of Coloradans are registered for emergency alerts https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/less-than-20-percent-of-coloradans-are-registered-for-emergency-alerts

Four recommendations for new governors on preparing for disasters and building resilience http://blogs.edf.org/growingreturns/2019/01/14/governors-natural-disasters-climate-resilience/

More than half a million foreign residents live in Tokyo so the Tokyo Metropolitan Government hosted a disaster drill to prepare foreign residents for the worst-case scenario https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/01/16/national/tokyos-foreign-residents-prepare-worst-multilingual-disaster-drill/#.XD-SCk-P7IU

Public Awareness and Public Education for Disaster Risk Reduction https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/messages-disaster-prevention/?platform=hootsuite

 

Disaster psychology

Resilience and Humility https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/heal-and-carry/201901/resilience-and-humility

A firefighter’s guide to stress and well-being https://www.firerescue1.com/fire-careers/articles/393253018-A-firefighters-guide-to-stress-and-well-being/

A Walking Disaster: What Surviving Katrina and Cancer Taught Me About Faith and Resilience https://www.templetonpress.org/books/walking-disaster

Natural hazard risk prevention is not only related to personal experience and perceived probability of hazard events, but also crucially influenced by social forms of communication and integration https://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/nhess-2018-393/

“Only 23% of people who were located right along the immediate coast — the people who were most in harm’s way from Sandy — made plans for what they would do if they had to evacuate.” http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/wind-rain-worse/

Crying ‘Crying Wolf’: How Misfires and Mexican Engineering Expertise are Made Meaningful https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00141844.2018.1561489?tokenDomain=eprints&tokenAccess=VEjKVQ2vKFD5tNi8ZBsI&forwardService=showFullText&doi=10.1080%2F00141844.2018.1561489&doi=10.1080%2F00141844.2018.1561489&journalCode=retn20

Trauma Among First Responders https://www.emsworld.com/article/1221989/expo-icymi-mitigating-psychological-trauma

 

Sociology and Disasters

Why are women still so unsafe? https://reliefweb.int/report/world/why-are-women-still-so-unsafe

Religious practice is declining. Here’s why that’s bad news for disaster recovery https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900048898/religious-practice-is-declining-heres-why-thats-bad-news-for-disaster-recovery.html

People in flood-hit western Japan area frustrated by sluggish recovery and population loss https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/01/15/national/people-flood-hit-western-japan-area-frustrated-sluggish-recovery-population-loss/#.XD5T69IzbIU

Anthropology and Disaster Risk Reduction http://www.americananthropologist.org/2018/12/18/anthropology-and-disaster-risk-reduction/

Does social capital pay off? The case of small business resilience after Hurricane Katrina https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1468-5973.12248?af=R