Please find below links to recent news about some aspects of disaster resilience…
Recent emergencies/disaster
NSW bushfires: More than 850,000 hectares destroyed so far in season ‘as bad as it gets’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-11/nsw-bushfires-850000-hectares-destroyed-worst-to-come/11691038
England flooding: River warnings and rail delays continue https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50357074
Three people die and 150 homes destroyed in Australian bushfires https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/nov/10/nsw-and-queensland-fires-fires-rage-as-conditions-expected-to-worsen
Philippines – Rain From Typhoon ‘Nakri’ Causes Deadly Floods and Landslides http://floodlist.com/asia/philippines-typhoon-nakri-november-2019
DR Congo – Thousands Displaced by Flooding Ubangi River http://floodlist.com/africa/democratic-republic-congo-ubangi-river-floods-november-2019
Woman dies as floods devastate Midlands and north of England https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/08/midlands-north-england-floods-woman-dies
India and Bangladesh – Cyclone ‘Bulbul’ Leaves 24 Dead http://floodlist.com/asia/india-bangladesh-cyclone-bulbul-november-2019
Venice has been hit by severe flooding which has left more than 85 percent of the Italian city underwater, including many of its famous squares https://www.newsweek.com/venice-flooding-city-underwater-right-wing-mayor-climate-change-1471438?amp=1
Italy – Storms Turn Deadly, Worst Flooding in 50 Years in Venice http://floodlist.com/europe/italy-venice-floods-november-2019
Algeria – Deadly Flash Floods in North http://floodlist.com/africa/algeria-flash-floods-november-2019
South Africa – 4 Dead After Storms and Floods in KwaZulu-Natal http://floodlist.com/africa/south-africa-floods-durban-november-2019
Indonesia: tsunami warning lifted after large earthquake https://www.dw.com/en/indonesia-tsunami-warning-lifted-after-large-earthquake/a-51256475
Volcanic activity worldwide 14 Nov 2019: Fuego volcano, Popocatépetl, Krakatau, Shiveluch, Dukono https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/91893/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-14-Nov-2019-Fuego-volcano-Popocatepetl-Krakatau-Shiveluch-Dukono-.html
Two Dead as Venice Faces Worst Floods in 50 Years https://www.ecowatch.com/venice-flooding-2641326129.html?share_id=5059633
Tunisia – Flash Floods in Jendouba Governorate http://floodlist.com/africa/tunisia-flash-floods-jendouba-november-2019
Vietnam – Hundreds of Homes Damaged by Tropical Cyclone Nakri http://floodlist.com/asia/vietnam-hundreds-of-homes-damaged-by-tropical-cyclone-nakri
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
An arresting exhibition from activist charity Project Pressure uses conceptual photography to capture the decline of the ice caps https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/nov/10/meltdown-visualizing-climate-change-project-pressure-glaciers-photography
Global leaders are facing one of the scariest years of climate change yet https://qz.com/1742644/cop25-will-review-a-scary-year-for-climate-change/
This is not normal: what’s different about the NSW mega fires https://www.smh.com.au/national/this-is-not-normal-what-s-different-about-the-nsw-mega-fires-20191110-p5395e.html
As Seas Rise, Miami’s Black Communities Fear Displacement From The High Ground https://www.wlrn.org/post/seas-rise-miami-s-black-communities-fear-displacement-high-ground
Climate experts call ‘BS’ as government offers only “thoughts and prayers” for fire crisis https://reneweconomy.com.au/climate-experts-call-bs-as-government-offers-only-thoughts-and-prayers-for-fire-crisis-19408/
Floods across Africa: “Without Climate Action we’ll be queuing for Noah’s Ark”, says Greenpeace Africa https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/floods-across-africa-without-climate-action-well-queuing-domfeh/
The day it forgot to rain on Australia https://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/the-day-it-forgot-to-rain-on-australia-20191111-p539cy.html
What is the connection between climate change and bushfires? https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/old-hat-is-there-a-link-between-climate-change-and-bushfires-20191111-p539d2.html
Climate change could end mortgages as we know them https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-could-end-mortgages-as-we-know-them/?platform=hootsuite
How daily temperature and precipitation distributions evolve with global surface temperature https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019EF001160
Unfamiliar Ground: Bracing for Climate Impacts in the American Midwest https://insideclimatenews.org/news/11112019/midwest-climate-change-adaptation-city-leadership-flood-heat-risk-news-collaboration
Ice loss causing Arctic to reflect less heat https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50381328
The world’s last climate crisis demonstrates that surviving is possible if bold economic and social change is embraced https://aeon.co/essays/the-little-ice-age-is-a-history-of-resilience-and-surprises
Extinction Rebellion activists have floated a “sinking house” down the River Thames in London to highlight the impact of flooding and rising sea levels https://theecologist.org/2019/nov/11/sinking-feeling
Ocasio-Cortez points to California fires: ‘This is what climate change looks like’ https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/467699-ocasio-cortez-points-to-california-fires-this-is-what-climate
The global and regional impacts of climate change under representative concentration pathway forcings and shared socioeconomic pathway socioeconomic scenarios https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab35a6
Climate change expected to shift location of East Asian Monsoons https://phys.org/news/2019-11-climate-shift-east-asian-monsoons.html
The oldest and thickest Arctic sea ice is disappearing twice as fast as ice in the rest of the Arctic Ocean, according to new research https://news.agu.org/press-release/last-arctic-ice-refuge-is-disappearing/
Climate change made extreme heat before 2018 Queensland bushfires ‘four times more likely’ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/13/climate-change-made-2018-queensland-bushfires-four-times-more-likely?CMP=share_btn_tw
Italian council is flooded immediately after rejecting measures on climate change https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/14/europe/veneto-council-climate-change-floods-trnd-intl-scli/index.html
Fire chiefs demand urgent action on climate change as states burn https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/11/14/bushfire-emergency-climate-change/
Disaster risk reduction
Sydney region now drier than before the 2001 ‘Black Christmas’ fires https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-region-now-drier-than-before-the-2001-black-christmas-fires-20191110-p53964.html
Drought and climate change were the kindling, and now the east coast is ablaze https://theconversation.com/drought-and-climate-change-were-the-kindling-and-now-the-east-coast-is-ablaze-126750?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterbutton
Professor Guillermo Rein, a fire scientist, tells Horizon why smouldering peatland fires are so dangerous and why we know so little about them https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/picture-not-enough-people-are-aware-monster.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post
Hurricanes have become bigger and more destructive for the U.S., study finds https://phys.org/news/2019-11-hurricanes-bigger-destructive.html
Normalized US hurricane damage estimates using area of total destruction, 1900−2018 https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/11/05/1912277116
Scientists predict El Nino in 2020 based on earlier warning method http://news.trust.org/item/20191105160755-cvcpa/
Natural hazards don’t always spell disaster: UN risk reduction chief https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/11/1050631
Aging US dams pose risk to thousands https://phys.org/news/2019-11-aging-pose-thousands.html
Flooding action plan launched to protect Scotland from extreme weather https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/planning-construction-news/flooding-action-plan/67139/
Is there really a green conspiracy to stop bushfire hazard reduction? https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/12/is-there-really-a-green-conspiracy-to-stop-bushfire-hazard-reduction
Flood defences simply aren’t good enough – here’s what needs to be done https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/68937
England floods: What is making them worse? https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50393617
What part has hazard reduction policy played in the bushfires? https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/what-part-has-hazard-reduction-policy-played-in/11702318
NSW Fire Mapping using ArcGIS http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=2168b5162d61432c8b3499818a2d60df
‘Like a genie’: Researchers scramble to adjust to rising fire extremes https://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/like-a-genie-researchers-scramble-to-adjust-to-rising-fire-extremes-20191113-p53aa8.html
Japan views physical infrastructure as the main way to achieve disaster resilience https://www.ft.com/brandsuite/cabinet-office-japan/japan-pillars-of-resilience.html
Flooding caused by poor management and floodplain building, say experts https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/12/flooding-caused-by-poor-management-and-floodplain-building
California has six of the nation’s 1,680 high-hazard dams deemed in risky condition https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-12/dams-failure-flood-risk-oroville
Rivers are changing all the time, and it affects their capacity to contain floods https://smartwatermagazine.com/blogs/robert-wilby/rivers-are-changing-all-time-and-it-affects-their-capacity-contain-floods
Urban development reduces flash flooding chances in arid Western US https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191113105719.htm
Modeling of inter-organizational coordination dynamics in resilience planning of infrastructure systems: A multilayer network simulation framework https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337228018_Modeling_of_inter-organizational_coordination_dynamics_in_resilience_planning_of_infrastructure_systems_A_multilayer_network_simulation_framework
Insurance losses from northern England floods could be 80-120 million pounds – PwC https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-floods-insurance/insurance-losses-from-northern-england-floods-could-be-80-120-million-pounds-pwc-idUKKBN1XN1VE
Driven by a trio of costly California wildfires, the nation’s largest-loss fires of 2018 accounted for $12.91 billion in losses, the most since 2001 https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Publications-and-media/NFPA-Journal/2019/November-December-2019/Features/Large-Loss
This map presents a selection of regions likely to encounter significant water anomalies during the one year period beginning in August 2019 and running through July 2020 https://www.isciences.com/blog/2019/11/14/isciences-worldwide-water-watch-list-november-2019
Emergency management
Koala population ‘like in a cremation’ after NSW bushfires https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw-bushfires-koala-population-like-in-a-cremation-after-blazes-20191110-p5396f.html
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says Boris Johnson is ‘wrong’ on Yorkshire floods not being a national emergency https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/labour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-says-boris-johnson-is-wrong-on-yorkshire-floods-not-being-a-national-emergency-1-10095198
Managing a Crisis or Disaster using Cloud based tools https://wellthatsinteresting.tech/disaster-management-using-cloud-tech/
Inside the fight to save Windsor from the Kincade fire https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10278596-181/inside-the-fight-to-save
When wildfires break out, this elite team of ‘smokejumpers’ parachute in https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/05/smokejumpers-parachute-to-fight-wildfires-in-alaska-backcountry/
‘Better to be cautious’: At least 500 schools to close in Sydney and NSW due to fire danger https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/better-to-be-cautious-300-schools-to-close-in-sydney-and-nsw-due-to-fire-danger-20191111-p539cs.html
Hayward Fault Scenario https://www.eeri.org/projects/earthquake-scenarios/hayward-fault-scenario/
Combining satellites, radar provides path for better forecasts https://phys.org/news/2019-11-combining-satellites-radar-path.html
30,000 stranded in northeastern DR Congo after floods https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/30-000-stranded-in-northeastern-dr-congo-after-floods/1640504
‘Heartbreaking’ devastation of Yorkshire floods as fierce communities rally https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/latest-news/heartbreaking-devastation-of-yorkshire-floods-as-fierce-communities-rally-1-10095997
BlackHawk joins the fire and emergency aviation fleet in Queensland https://www.afac.com.au/auxiliary/publications/newsletter/article/blackhawk-joins-the-fire-and-emergency-aviation-fleet-in-queensland
As catastrophic fires burn across NSW this week, ANU Researcher Dr Marta Yebra is advising fire authorities about where to deploy firefighting resources https://science.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/anu-research-helps-firefighters-front-line
Worse than Black Saturday: Victoria braced for ‘very extreme’ heatwaves https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/worse-than-black-saturday-victoria-braced-for-very-extreme-heatwaves-20191111-p539ju.html
England flooding: Labour and Lib Dems criticise response https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50384178
Data science could help Californians battle future wildfires https://theconversation.com/data-science-could-help-californians-battle-future-wildfires-126316
England flooding: Doncaster floods seen from the air https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-50397787/england-flooding-doncaster-floods-seen-from-the-air
Japan marks one month since deadly typhoon https://japantoday.com/category/national/japan-marks-1-month-after-deadly-typhoon-hagibis
Pandemic simulation exercise spotlights massive preparedness gap https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/11/06/event-201-health-security/
A month after Typhoon Hagibis, volunteers, local officials and SDF tackling mountains of waste https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/11/12/national/month-after-typhoon-hagibis/#.XcyAHBqP7IU
Managing Community Risk Reduction in the Fire Service https://edmdigest.com/opinion/community-risk-reduction-fire-service/
Sudan’s major floods present first challenge for its new leader https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sudan-protests-floods-idUSKCN1VV13N
South Sudan: IOM Scales Up Efforts To Meet Needs Of 900,000 Flood Displaced Persons https://thegazette.ng/south-sudan-iom-scales-up-efforts-to-meet-needs-of-900000-flood-displaced-persons/
Somalia struggles after worst flooding in recent history https://www.thestar.com/news/world/africa/2019/11/14/somalia-struggles-after-worst-flooding-in-recent-history.html
Disaster education, communications and engagement
How to protect yourself and your property on a ‘catastrophic’ bushfire danger day https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-to-protect-yourself-and-your-property-on-a-catastrophic-bushfire-danger-day
Flood Resilience Measurement for Communities https://floodresilience.net/frmc
Earthquake Conspiracy Theorists Are Wreaking Havoc During Emergencies https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kz4jyz/earthquake-conspiracy-theorists-are-wreaking-havoc-during-emergencies
Researchers explore how citizens can become agents of environmental change https://phys.org/news/2019-11-explore-citizens-agents-environmental.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
How citizen science is helping solve conservation problems https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biological-conservation/article-collections/how-citizen-science-is-helping-solve-conservation-problems
Psychology and Disasters
Distress Due to Displacement and Repatriation of an Entire Island Population in the South Pacific https://hazards.colorado.edu/quick-response-report/distress-due-to-displacement-and-repatriation-of-an-entire-island-population-in-the-south-pacific
Sociology and disasters
Rich Residents Build Defenses against Rising Seas; Poor Ones Leave https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rich-residents-build-defenses-against-rising-seas-poor-ones-leave1/
Chicago’s cold blast spells concern for the city’s homeless https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-chicago/chicagos-cold-blast-spells-concern-for-the-citys-homeless-idUSKBN1XM2D2
A new study, headed by experts at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), is looking at how flooding affects social inequality in flood-prone parts of the state https://www.ppic.org/blog/addressing-inequality-in-flood-risk/
Disaster Resilience News 