Please find links below to recent news about some aspects of disaster resilience…
Recent emergencies/disaster
Tennessee in state of emergency as flood, storm threat continues in Nashville area https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/02/23/nashville-braces-severe-storms-may-cap-record-breaking-rainfall/2960994002/
Severe flash flooding in Grenada, Mississippi https://watchers.news/2019/02/22/severe-flash-flooding-grenada-mississippi-february-2019/
Deadly tornado hits Columbus, extensive damage reported, Mississippi https://watchers.news/2019/02/24/columbus-tornado-february-23-2019/
Greece – 1 Dead After Record Rainfall in Crete http://floodlist.com/europe/greece-crete-storm-oceanis-february-2019
Angola – 4 Dead After Heavy Rain Hits Luanda http://floodlist.com/africa/angola-heavy-rain-luanda-february-2019
Papua New Guinea – 70 Houses Destroyed, 2 Dead After Floods in East New Britain http://floodlist.com/australia/papua-new-guinea-east-new-britain-floods-february-2019
Two interesting new landslide videos from the Himalayas https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2019/02/26/himalayas/#.XHVv0cVvn6s.twitter
Storm water floods California towns only reachable by boat https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/rain-prompts-evacuation-order-for-northern-california-towns/2019/02/26/b7f140e4-3a34-11e9-b10b-f05a22e75865_story.html?utm_term=.0e4b96735e5f
Colombia – 15,000 Affected After Rivers Overflow in Chocó Department http://floodlist.com/america/colombia-floods-choco-february-2019?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Marsden moorland fire: ‘Apocalyptic’ moorland blaze put out https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-47381119
Indonesia mine collapse: Dozens buried by landslide in Sulawesi https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47381579
Volcanic activity worldwide 28 Feb 2019: Fuego volcano, Karymsky, Popocatépetl, Shiveluch, Ibu https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/76016/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-28-Feb-2019-Fuego-volcano-Karymsky-Popocatepetl-Shiveluch-Ibu-Duk.html
Devastating floodwaters cut off entire towns in Northern California https://www.cbsnews.com/news/northern-california-flooding-leaves-entire-towns-cut-off-russian-river/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Climate change forces low-lying Marshall Islands to ‘elevate islands’ https://www.sbs.com.au/news/climate-change-forces-low-lying-marshall-islands-to-elevate-islands
The Katowice Climate Package: Making The Paris Agreement Work For All https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/katowice-climate-package
The private sector’s 5 big climate risk and adaptation blind spots https://www.greenbiz.com/article/private-sectors-5-big-climate-risk-and-adaptation-blind-spots
It is absolutely time to panic about climate change https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/2/22/18188562/climate-change-david-wallace-wells-the-uninhabitable-earth
Global Warming’s Compounding Dangers https://www.climatecentral.org/news/report-climate-pile-up-global-warmings-compounding-dangers
What the 17th century’s “Little Ice Age” teaches us about climate change https://qz.com/1554962/what-17th-centurys-little-ice-age-teaches-us-on-climate-change/
A world without clouds? Hardly clear, climate scientists say https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/world-without-clouds-hardly-clear-climate-scientists-say?r3f_986=https://t.co/R0STJ919p5
Evidence for man-made global warming hits ‘gold standard’: scientists https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-temperatures-idUSKCN1QE1ZU?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5c7485331adf640001b8e981&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
Is Climate Change to Blame for Queensland’s Historic Flooding? https://www.air-worldwide.com/Blog/Is-Climate-Change-to-Blame-for-Queensland%E2%80%99s-Historic-Flooding-/
‘It’s been extreme’: Australia’s summer smashes seasonal heat records https://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/it-s-been-extreme-australia-s-summer-smashes-seasonal-heat-records-20190227-p510od.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1551253168
Sea level rise’s impact on property values will be greatest in N.J. Shore towns, study says https://www.philly.com/science/climate/climate-change-sea-level-rise-new-jersey-shore-ocean-city-property-values-20190227.html?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar
‘A Harbinger of Things to Come’: Farmers in Australia Struggle With Its Hottest Drought Ever http://time.com/longform/australia-drought-photos/
Why are there UK wildfires in February? https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47389480
Why action against climate change is so important and How partners are helping the people of Papua New Guinea? http://www.pg.undp.org/content/papua_new_guinea/en/home/presscenter/articles/2019/why-action-against-climate-change-is-so-important-and-how-partne.html
BOM Webinar recording: State of the Climate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFwxiAzRh-U&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=li&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=sm-017-0025&utm_content=vid
Climate, the crisis that threatens our political duopoly https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/climate-the-crisis-that-threatens-our-political-duopoly-20190227-p510j7.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1551304153
Unprepared for climate change: Mauritius needs to go beyond treating the symptoms of environmental degradation https://diraj.org/unprepared-for-climate-change-mauritius-needs-to-go-beyond-treating-the-symptoms-of-environmental-degradation/
Compared to climate observations that date back to 1910, this summer could certainly be classed as extreme https://www.afr.com/news/economy/if-this-summer-felt-different-that-is-because-it-was-20190227-h1brwl
To fight climate change, first “talk about it,” climate scientist says https://www.cbsnews.com/news/katharine-hayhoe-to-fight-climate-change-talk-about-it/
2018-19 was Australia’s hottest summer on record, with a warm autumn likely too https://theconversation.com/2018-19-was-australias-hottest-summer-on-record-with-a-warm-autumn-likely-too-112616?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterbutton
Iceberg twice the size of New York City is set to break away from Antarctica https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/26/iceberg-break-away-antarctica-ice-shelf?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Coastal Flooding Is Erasing Billions in Property Value as Sea Level Rises. That’s Bad News for Cities https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28022019/coastal-flooding-home-values-sea-level-rise-climate-change-ocean-city-miami-beach
The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities and the Remaking of the Civilized World https://www.civilgeo.com/the-water-will-come-examines-the-science-politics-and-humanitarian-crises-posed-by-rising-sea-levels/
Disaster risk reduction
Why should flood risk professionals care about how or why the private sector enters the flood insurance market? https://www.floods.org/n-news-hottopics/article.asp?id=597
Flood funds rolled out to Somerset farms in online auction https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/payments-schemes/flood-funds-rolled-out-to-somerset-farms-in-online-auction
PDC’s NDPBA Program strengthens national capacity while reducing disaster risk worldwide https://www.pdc.org/pdcs-national-disaster-preparedness-baseline-assessment-program-strengthens-national-capacity-while-reducing-risk-worldwide/
Indian Monsoon: Soil moisture, temperature pattern to predict threat to life; study https://www.skymetweather.com/content/weather-news-and-analysis/indian-monsoon-soil-moisture-temperature-pattern-to-predict-threat-to-life-study/
Coastal communities should exercise caution in using FEMA Flood Maps as the primary indicator of coastal risk https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/coastal-communities-should-exercise-caution-using-fema-rob-young/
A French beach cleared of homes shows NC the way https://www.newsobserver.com/latest-news/article226637279.html
Copernicus Sentinel-1 reveals shared plumbing led to Agung awakening https://phys.org/news/2019-02-copernicus-sentinel-reveals-plumbing-agung.html
National Drought Map now available https://pmc.gov.au/news-centre/domestic-policy/national-drought-map-now-available
California’s Exposure to Volcanic Hazards https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2018/5159/sir20185159.pdf
Modeling Wind Direction Distributions Using a Diagnostic Model in the Context of Probabilistic Fire Spread Prediction https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmech.2019.00005/full?utm_source=S-TWT&utm_medium=SNET&utm_campaign=ECO_FMECH_XXXXXXXX_auto-dlvrit
Varying Impact of Earthquake- and Monsoon-Induced Landslides https://eos.org/articles/varying-impact-of-earthquake-and-monsoon-induced-landslides
INFORM is a global, open-source risk assessment for humanitarian crises and disasters http://www.inform-index.org/
International committee continues study continues on preventing floods https://www.mymalonetelegram.com/article/20190225/MTG01/190229181
Tunneling Offers a Solution to Houston’s Flooding Problems https://apnews.com/3a13c524802349bca8c14eefaf7ba34d
OPERANDUM aims to reduce hydro-meteorological risks in European territories https://www.operandum-project.eu/the-project/
Many impacted by floods don’t have proper insurance to cover damages https://www.wjhl.com/local/many-impacted-by-floods-don-t-have-proper-insurance-to-cover-damages/1812722445
Hampton weighs whether to require future homes be built on pilings https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/local/hampton-weighs-whether-to-require-future-homes-be-built-on/article_b8c9a6e1-b914-57c5-8e35-84b8a3df782d.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share
US may get early warning system for volcanoes https://earther.gizmodo.com/the-u-s-may-finally-get-an-early-warning-system-for-vo-1832931640?IR=T
Developing and trialling improved capabilities for forecasting for surface water flooding via NHP http://evidence.environment-agency.gov.uk/FCERM/en/Default/FCRM/Project.aspx?ProjectID=89cedb43-474a-4c44-ac85-9a1b649022d0&PageID=9719662d-81e9-4a8f-b46f-72675770cdce
Vanuatu and Tonga top the world for disaster risk https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/383558/vanuatu-and-tonga-top-the-world-for-disaster-risk
Is your building safe after an earthquake? These cheap sensors could tell you https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/your-building-safe-after-earthquake-these-cheap-sensors-could-tell-you
Flood risk scenarios for England to 2065 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-publishes-new-evidence-to-plan-for-flood-and-coastal-risk-up-to-2065
Special issue “Flood risk governance for more resilience” https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/63922
Converting flood-prone properties to green space is a smart way to help mitigate future flooding–but only if you do it strategically https://www.fastcompany.com/90312897/heres-the-smartest-way-for-cities-to-rebuild-after-a-flood
Emergency Management
‘Lot of grief’ as acute water shortages threaten drought-hit NSW towns https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/lot-of-grief-as-acute-water-shortages-threaten-drought-hit-nsw-towns-20190222-p50zl5.html
How the Forest Stewards Guild is Building the Next Generation of Fire Practitioners: The Forest Stewards Youth Corps Fire and Fuels Program https://fireadaptednetwork.org/how-the-forest-stewards-guild-is-building-the-next-generation-of-fire-practitioners-the-forest-stewards-youth-corps-fire-and-fuels-program/
Reaching Harvey victims 18 months later, one door at a time https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Reaching-Harvey-victims-18-months-later-one-door-13639784.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Desktop)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral
Townsville flooding – “The health response has been quite remarkable” https://www.ckn.org.au/content/townsville-flooding-health-response-has-been-quite-remarkable
Bracing for worst flooding in 24 years, residents ‘know the drill’ https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/02/26/get-out-now-fueled-cursed-by-russian-river-guerneville-evacuates/
Disaster education, communications and engagement
Officials urge people not to play in flood water https://www.newschannel5.com/news/officials-urge-people-not-to-play-in-flood-water
Floods in the Hunter (1870) https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2019/02/25/floods-hunter-1870/
Flood protection to be outlined https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/environment/flood-protection-to-be-outlined-1-9610429
Getting started: Wildfire Community Preparedness Day toolkit https://www.nfpa.org/public-education/campaigns/national-wildfire-community-preparedness-day/getting-started-wildfire-community-preparedness-day-toolkit?utm_source=fabk&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fabk0006
Flood Exercise https://www.jbaconsulting.com/flood-water-management/flood-emergency-planning/
How to plan ahead for flooding https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/plan-ahead-for-flooding
Downpour! – Flood risk communication through interactive immersive street games https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/ioep/rfa/2019/00000003/00000001/art00003
Six years after: ‘Fukushima memories’ and continued willingness to participate in energy and environmental policy-making process in Japan https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18692729.2018.1543244?journalCode=rcoj20
Developing models for emergency evacuation response https://www.movementstrategies.com/blog-posts/diary-of-an-evacuee
2 billion social media posts show that people are starting to normalise extreme weather events https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/02/15/1816541116
Flood Expo 2019 https://www.construction.co.uk/c/680296/flood-expo-2019
Psychology and Disasters
Traumatic stress: Who counsels the fire chief? https://www.firechief.com/2019/01/23/traumatic-stress-who-counsels-the-fire-chief/
Mental health support for fire affected communities https://www.echo.net.au/2019/02/mental-health-support-fire-affected-communities/
Trauma Teddies https://www.redcross.org.au/get-involved/connect/volunteer/knitting-for-charity-trauma-teddies
Household preparedness in an imminent disaster threat scenario: The case of superstorm sandy in New York City https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420918312196?fbclid=IwAR1cC4SxK0vcYK5Wg7dnxK25bTb15aNMjTJkv8fiKt8JwWSrykqp2xeQcGQ
We’re starting to normalize extreme weather https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/blogs/were-normalizing-extreme-weather-study
Sociology and Disasters
The rural impact of natural hazards https://resiliencechallenge.nz/rural-programme/the-rural-impact-of-natural-hazards/
“Nothing lays bare inequality and discrimination like a disaster” https://www.unisdr.org/archive/63913
Children are particularly at risk of physical injury and death during disaster resulting from extreme natural events such as earthquakes and cyclones https://reliefweb.int/report/world/world-risk-report-2018-focus-child-protection-and-childrens-rights
Disaster Resilience News 