Today in disaster resilience (2 August 2019)

Please find below a list of links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…

Recent emergencies/disaster

‘Unprecedented’: more than 100 Arctic wildfires burn in worst ever season https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/26/unprecedented-more-than-100-wildfires-burning-in-the-arctic-in-worst-ever-season?CMP=share_btn_tw

Volcano on Indonesia’s Java gushes ash, causes panic https://phys.org/news/2019-07-volcano-indonesia-java-gushes-ash.html

Greece: Magnitude 4.2 aftershock strikes close to Athens https://phys.org/news/2019-07-greece-magnitude-aftershock-athens.html

Russia declares state of emergency in four regions over wildfires https://punchng.com/russia-declares-state-of-emergency-in-four-regions-over-wildfires/

UK weather: flooding across UK with half a month’s rain falling in 24 hours https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/28/flooding-reported-across-uk-after-half-a-months-worth-of-rain-falls-in-24-hours

Russia – Thousands Evacuated After Floods in Amur and Irkutsk http://floodlist.com/asia/russia-floods-amur-irkutsk-july-2019

India – Hundreds Rescued After Floods in Maharashtra http://floodlist.com/asia/india-floods-train-maharashtra-july-2019

Strong M6.6 earthquake hits Vanuatu at intermediate depth https://watchers.news/2019/07/31/vanuatu-earthquake-july-31-2019/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

At least 8 people killed, dozens injured after series of strong earthquakes hit Batanes Islands, Philippines https://watchers.news/2019/07/27/batanes-itbayat-philippines-earthquakes-july-2019/

Death count in Bihar floods rises to 130, situation eases in Assam https://www.newsnation.in/india-news/death-count-in-bihar-floods-rises-to-130-situation-eases-in-assam-article-232530.html

Flood renders over 1,000 Nigerians homeless https://www.tostvnetwork.com/flood-renders-over-1000-nigerians-homeless/

12 killed as flooding paralyses Pakistan’s Karachi http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/12-killed-as-flooding-paralyses-pakistan-s-karachi/article/555024

Drone video shows flooding in Ottawa, Kansas https://www.kansascity.com/news/weather-news/article233389382.html

Norway – 1 Missing After Floods and Landslides in South West http://floodlist.com/europe/norway-floods-landslides-jolster-forde-july-2019

UK – Flash Floods Cause Severe Damage in North of England http://floodlist.com/europe/united-kingdom/flash-floods-yorkshire-july-2019

Pakistan – Rain Causes Deadly Floods and Landslides in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa http://floodlist.com/asia/pakistan-floods-rain-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-july-2019

Whaley Bridge dam collapse: Evacuation over Toddbrook Reservoir fears https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-49189955

Volcanic activity worldwide 1 Aug 2019: Fuego volcano, Klyuchevskoy, Popocatépetl, Krakatau, Dukono https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/84412/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-1-Aug-2019-Fuego-volcano-Klyuchevskoy-Popocatepetl-Krakatau-Dukono.html

 

Extreme Weather and Climate Change

Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite imagery shows Europe pulsing red http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/copernicus-sentinel-3-satellite-imagery-shows-europe-pulsing-red/article/554789

Heatwave: think it’s hot in Europe? The human body is already close to thermal limits elsewhere https://theconversation.com/heatwave-think-its-hot-in-europe-the-human-body-is-already-close-to-thermal-limits-elsewhere-121003

Nordic countries sizzle as European heatwave moves north https://phys.org/news/2019-07-nordic-countries-sizzle-european-heatwave.html

How federal flood policy is, and isn’t, addressing climate change today https://www.curbed.com/2019/7/29/8931718/storm-flood-climate-change-insurance

North Pole melts, forms lake at top of the world https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/stories/north-pole-melts-forms-lake-at-top-of-the-world

Continent‐wide, interferometric SAR phase, mapping of Antarctic ice velocity https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019GL083826

Climate sensitivity on geological timescales controlled by non‐linear feedbacks and ocean circulation https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019GL083574

The terrible truth of climate change https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2019/august/1566136800/jo-lle-gergis/terrible-truth-climate-change
Going Under: How sea level rise is threatening to sink major Asian cities https://kontinentalist.com/stories/going-under-how-sea-level-rise-is-threatening-to-sink-major-asian-cities

UN chief calls for 2050 zero emissions plans – but Australia remains tightlipped https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/30/un-chief-calls-for-2050-zero-emissions-plans-but-australia-remains-tightlipped?CMP=share_btn_tw
The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, leading to the desiccation of vegetation, which fuels huge blazes https://www.wired.com/story/the-bizarre-peaty-science-of-arctic-wildfires/?mbid=social_twitter_onsiteshare

Climate Change Really is Causing California’s Raging Wildfires https://www.insidescience.org/news/climate-change-really-causing-california%E2%80%99s-raging-wildfires

Australian climate change policies face growing criticism from Pacific leaders https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-31/australian-climate-change-policies-criticised-pacific-leaders/11369086

Greenland is melting in a heatwave. That’s everyone’s problem https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/31/europe/greenland-heatwave-climate-crisis-intl/index.html

What do Alaska Wildfires Mean for Global Climate Change? https://blog.ucsusa.org/carly-phillips/alaska-wildfires-climate-change

Climate change is making wildfires so frequent and large that a dedicated task force has been set up in Lancashire https://inews.co.uk/news/climate-change-is-making-wildfires-so-frequent-and-large-that-a-dedicated-task-force-has-been-set-up-in-lancashire/

2℃ of global warming would put pressure on Melbourne’s water supply https://theconversation.com/2-of-global-warming-would-put-pressure-on-melbournes-water-supply-118389?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterbutton

The most important event on the planet right now? Arctic Climate Chaos https://www.patreon.com/posts/28765160?fbclid=IwAR3VZr9vPkI-WhtkENR50gz6B8QUCEhuJwryT110SJHYLkbNRgilHXy98Q4

The State of Sea Level Rise (2019) http://climatestate.com/2019/08/01/the-state-of-sea-level-rise-2019/

Greenland Is Melting At Its Highest Elevations And That’s Unusual https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2019/07/31/greenland-is-melting-at-its-highest-elevations-and-thats-unusual/#20fc3d587394

 

Disaster risk reduction

Approach for Analysis of Land-Cover Changes and Their Impact on Flooding Regime https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/2/3/27

Hurricane Hunting NASA Style: Using Space-Based and Airborne Measurements to Better Understand and Predict Hurricanes https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-8766?loclr=eanw

Sydney flooding: Worst-case scenario would affect 100,000 residents, modelling shows https://7news.com.au/news/natural-disasters/sydney-flooding-worst-case-scenario-would-affect-100000-residents-modelling-shows-c-371752

Landslide Activity Ramps Up With Extreme Rainfall https://eos.org/editor-highlights/landslide-activity-ramps-up-with-extreme-rainfall

Sinking Jakarta Urgently Needs Giant Sea Wall For Its Protection http://investvine.com/sinking-jakarta-urgently-needs-giant-sea-wall-for-its-protection/

Innovative Flood Mapping Helps Water and Emergency Management Officials https://www.ecomagazine.com/news/science/innovative-flood-mapping-helps-water-and-emergency-management-officials

Faint foreshocks foretell California quakes https://phys.org/news/2019-07-faint-foreshocks-california-quakes.html

Gilbert White and the Flood Problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F0oiXg1Lc4&feature=youtu.be

Enabling Private Sector Engagement in Disaster Resilience in South and East Asia https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/rhc3.12175

Homes Are Being Built the Fastest in Many Flood-Prone Areas, Study Finds https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/31/climate/climate-change-new-homes-flooding.html

How to recognize where a volcano will erupt https://phys.org/news/2019-07-volcano-erupt.html

Damage from hurricanes could be lessened with the help of Dutch-innovated stormwater management https://www.cbsnews.com/news/storm-water-management-dutch-solution-henk-ovink-hurricane-damage-60-minutes-2019-07-21/

Why Canada’s political system makes it difficult to fight floods https://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/insurance/why-canadas-political-system-makes-it-difficult-to-fight-floods-1004166555/

Mississippi River flooding and Hurricane Barry could have inundated New Orleans. Here are four actions we need to take before that happens again http://blogs.edf.org/growingreturns/2019/07/26/mississippi-river-hurricane-barry-4-ways/

Modes of Uncertainty: Rethinking Flood Risk in Colorado https://items.ssrc.org/chancing-the-storm/modes-of-uncertainty-rethinking-flood-risk-in-colorado/

Improving future flood resilience https://icasp.org.uk/2019/07/31/improving-future-flood-resilience/

Floodplain restoration project to be ‘game-changer’ for refuge https://www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2019/aug/01/floodplain-restoration-project-to-be-game-changer-for-refuge/

Hurricanes and Agricultural Commodities: Economic Impacts https://streamingscience.com/2019/08/01/hurricanes-and-agricultural-commodities-economic-impacts/

Disaster studies inside out https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/disa.12323

Changes in flood damage with global warming in the east coast of Spain https://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/nhess-2019-253/

 

Emergency management

China first to share satellite data with India on floods in Assam https://indianexpress.com/article/india/china-first-to-share-satellite-data-with-india-on-floods-in-assam-5855504/

Meeting with flood victims in Irkutsk Region http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/61099

Atlantic hurricane season shows signs of more activity https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/signs-activity-atlantic-hurricane-season-190731102338713.html

600 Killed, 25 Million Affected By Floods In South Asia: United Nations https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/600-killed-over-25-million-affected-by-floods-in-south-asia-united-nations-2076264

Bangladesh tries new way to aid flood-hit families: cash up front http://news.trust.org/item/20190726013905-65t4e/

 

Psychology and Disasters

Californians’ Concerns About Worsening Wildfires at Record High https://www.kqed.org/science/1945845/californians-concerns-about-worsening-wildfires-at-record-high?mc_cid=e54ceb5b5c&mc_eid=517a07c688