Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Wildfire erupts in California’s Napa County, emergency evacuations over ‘dangerous rate of spread’ https://www.foxnews.com/us/wildfire-california-napa-county-glass-fire-emergency-evacuation-fire-weather
Severe storms in Italy produce damaging tornadoes, flash floods and landslides https://watchers.news/2020/09/26/tornado-waterspout-italy-september-2020/
Nepal – Heavy Rain and Floods in Southern Central Areas Leave 4 Dead, Houses Destroyed http://floodlist.com/asia/nepal-floods-rupandehi-makwanpur-september-2020-central-areas-leave-4-dead-houses-destroyed
South Sudan – 625,000 Affected by Floods in 34 Countieshttp://floodlist.com/africa/southsudan-floods-september-2020
Ghana – Deadly Flash Floods in Ashanti Region http://floodlist.com/africa/ghana-floods-ashanti-september-2020
Chad – Floods Affect 300,000 Says UNhttp://floodlist.com/africa/chad-floods-september-2020
India – Rain Triggers Deadly Floods in Meghalaya and Assam http://floodlist.com/asia/india-floods-meghalaya-assam-september-2020
Vietnam – Deadly Floods and Landslides in North After 340mm of Rain in 24 Hours http://floodlist.com/asia/vietnam-floods-landslides-phutho-september-2020
Myanmar – Almost 3,000 Displaced by Floods in Kachin http://floodlist.com/asia/myanmar-floods-kachin-september-2020
Deadly fires rage through northern California forcing tens of thousands to evacuate https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/29/glass-fire-california-wine-country-napa-sonoma?CMP=share_btn_tw
India – Third Wave of Floods Hits 300,000 Across 13 Districts http://floodlist.com/asia/india-assam-floods-late-september-2020
Indonesia – 11 Dead After Landslides in North Kalimantan http://floodlist.com/asia/indonesia-landslides-tarakan-north-kalimantan-september-2020
Napa Valley wineries face fury of latest California wildfire as 2020 damages mount https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/napa-valley-wine-california-widlfire-fire-damage-2020-wineries-sonoma-county
3 dead, nearly 100 000 evacuate as two massive wildfires explode in Northern California https://watchers.news/2020/09/30/glass-fire-zogg-fire-california-september-2020/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Paralyzing flash floods and damaging hail hits Istanbul, Turkey https://watchers.news/2020/09/30/istanbul-flood-hailstorm-september-2020/
100 000 people stranded as highest rainfall in 60 years hits Rangpur, Bangladesh https://watchers.news/2020/09/30/rangpur-record-rainfall-flood-september-2020/
Ashfall produced by Sangay destroys 11 200 ha of crops, affecting at least 24 500 farmers, Ecuador https://watchers.news/2020/09/30/sangay-ashfall-crop-loss-ecuador/
Bangladesh – Tens of Thousands Hit by Floods in North http://floodlist.com/asia/bangladesh-floods-rangpur-september-2020
Volcanic activity worldwide 1 Oct 2020: Etna volcano, Fuego, Popocatépetl, Shiveluch, Dukono https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/110786/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-1-Oct-2020-Etna-volcano-Fuego-Popocatepetl-Shiveluch-Dukono-Grim.html
Brazil’s Amazon rainforest suffers worst fires in a decade https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/01/brazil-amazon-rainforest-worst-fires-in-decade?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Benin – 7,000 Displaced by Niger River Floods in North East http://floodlist.com/africa/benin-floods-september-2020
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
US sees ‘alarming’ increase in combined heatwaves and droughts https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73765
Hurricanes near U.S. coast forecast to worsen and multiply due to global warming https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/09/27/hurricanes-atlantic-coast-climate-change/
What’s in Boris Johnson’s climate in tray? https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54296828
The Arctic is burning like never before — and that’s bad news for climate change https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02568-y
Melting Antarctic ice will raise sea level by 2.5 metres – even if Paris climate goals are met, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/23/melting-antarctic-ice-will-raise-sea-level-by-25-metres-even-if-paris-climate-goals-are-met-study-finds
UNDP helped develop a Vulnerability to Climate Hazards Index – the first of its kind worldwide – which measures households’ exposure to hurricanes, storms and other climate phenomena https://sdgintegration.undp.org/countries/dominican-republic
Climate change adaptation projects continue amid coronavirus pandemic https://www.adaptation-fund.org/climate-change-adaptation-projects-continue-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/
How our warmer oceans are contributing to climate breakdown https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/28/how-our-warmer-oceans-are-contributing-to-climate-breakdown
New Sea Level Satellite Arrives at California Launch Site https://sealevel.nasa.gov/news/195/new-sea-level-satellite-arrives-at-california-launch-site
Leaders to UN: If virus doesn’t kill us, climate change will https://apnews.com/article/climate-climate-change-oceans-environment-united-nations-general-assembly-d073896990db973a3e45db26787d6a18
Climate scientists can take this one action to accelerate solutions for climate change https://www.greenbiz.com/article/climate-scientists-can-take-one-action-accelerate-solutions-climate-change
Simpler models may be better for determining some climate risk https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73807
Climate change increases the risk of wildfires https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73797
Activists screen videos onto Arctic glaciers in climate protest https://www.arctictoday.com/activists-screen-videos-onto-arctic-glaciers-in-climate-protest/
Greenland ice sheet loss already ‘unprecedented’ and set to accelerate https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-10-01/greenland-ice-melting-at-a-rate-unmatched-in-12000-years/12705230
China’s zero emissions target puts Australia on notice https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-s-zero-emissions-target-puts-australia-on-notice-20200930-p560kn.html
The Value of Initial Condition Large Ensembles to Robust Adaptation Decision‐Making https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020EF001610
Planetary ‘safety net’ could halt wildlife loss and slow climate breakdown https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2020/sep/29/planetary-safety-net-could-halt-wildlife-loss-and-slow-climate-breakdown-aoe?CMP=share_btn_tw
Recommendations for a revised EU strategy on climate change adaptation https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73831
Revised estimates of the impact of climate change on extreme poverty by 2030 https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73851
Global heating warming up ‘nights faster than days’ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/01/global-heating-warming-up-nights-faster-than-days
Disaster risk reduction
Flood risks: More accurate data due to Covid-19 https://www.uni-bonn.de/news/208-2020
Mitigating geohazard risk to help save lives in Nepal https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73763
No earthquake-resistant buildings, no disaster management plan: Kashmir sits on seismological powder keg https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73766
Traditional fire management conducted in Bega Valley, Eurobodalla — hardest-hit by last season’s bushfires https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-27/rebirth-of-cultural-burning-in-hardest-hit-bushfire-region/12706810
Nearly 60,000 large dams exist worldwide, with more than 3,700 currently planned or under construction https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/study-just-one-third-of-the-world-s-longest-rivers-remain-free-flowing
Alabama’s nation-leading 16,000 Fortified roofs held up well to Hurricane Sally https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2020/09/alabamas-nation-leading-16000-fortified-roofs-held-up-well-to-hurricane-sally.html
New knowledge about what causes thunderstorms and cloud bursts https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200925113358.htm
Lumberton County Floodprint: Strategies for Repurposing Vulnerable Landscapes After Disaster https://design.ncsu.edu/blog/2020/09/04/exploring-coastal-conservation-students-and-faculty-win-asla-awards-to-preserve-nc/
Wood Buffalo council opts for berms, not buyouts for most flood-affected neighbourhoods https://www-cbc-ca.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5730695
The Nile river led to Khartoum’s growth, but now threatens the city https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73809
Framing the challenge of urban flooding in the United States https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73798
BOM declares a La Nina, signalling wet spring and summer likely for northern, eastern Australiahttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-29/bom-declares-la-nina-wet-conditions-likely-for-eastern-australia/12617528
Alberta’s disaster risk assessment plan in poor shape: auditor https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/albertas-disaster-risk-assessment-plan-in-poor-shape-auditor
Phivolcs monitoring ‘abnormal’ conditions in four volcanoes https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/9/29/phivolcs-monitoring-four-volcanoes-due-to-abnormal-behavior.html
Strengthening Coastal Counties Resilience Challenge https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/52198717b55741389633ee635c2edf3f
National Platform of Disaster Risk Reduction in Turkey https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73772
2020 State of flood report: Actions for a more protected and resilient planet https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73832
Towards coordinated self-organization: An actor-centered framework for the design of disaster management information https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73821
New woodlands can help reduce flooding risk within 15 years https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73852
Africa road map for improving the availability, access and use of disaster risk information for early warning and early action, including in the context of transboundary risk management https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73818?&a=email&utm_source=pw_email
Understanding Catastrophe Modeling https://www.rms.com/catastrophe-modeling
Emergency management
Covid-19 tests that give results in minutes to be rolled out across world https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/28/covid-19-tests-that-give-results-in-minutes-to-be-rolled-out-across-world
Pakistan – 300,000 in Need of Food Assistance After Floods in Sindh, Says WFP http://floodlist.com/asia/pakistan-floods-sindh-september-2020
People-centered early warning systems in China: a bibliometric analysis of policy documents https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73793
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: Impact, Responses, and Lessons from Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/covid-19-pandemic-africa-impact-responses-and-lessons-ghana-democratic-republic-congo
A multilabel classification approach to identify hurricane‐induced infrastructure disruptions using social media data https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mice.12573
Experts call for tech upgrades to help fight wildfires https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/09/why-experts-demand-new-technology-to-fight-wildfires/
ACT Alliance members in Indonesia: Preparing the communities to respond better to disasters https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73828
Counting the costs: Improving disaster recovery cost estimation https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73829
A member of an elite firefighting team answers our questions about California’s inferno https://www.cnet.com/news/in-the-chaos-of-a-burning-forest-a-dispatch-from-the-california-wildfire-front-lines/
The 2019-2020 Australian bushfires: from temporary evacuation to longer-term displacement https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/Australian%20bushfires_Final.pdf
Fires and Storms Push Demand for Emergency Shelter to a New High https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/climate/disaster-shelter-red-cross.html
Disaster education, communications and engagement
DepEd, partners launch RADaR app to ensure learning continuity after disasters https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73808
Localized action for social behavior change in COVID-19 https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73816
Digital technologies will help build resilient communities after the coronavirus pandemic https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/73827
A history of the human choices that led to one of the century’s worst natural disasters https://www.bookforum.com/print/2703/a-history-of-the-human-choices-that-led-to-one-of-the-century-s-worst-natural-disasters-24175
Where the UK government is going wrong in its coronavirus messaging, according to a marketing expert https://theconversation.com/where-the-uk-government-is-going-wrong-in-its-coronavirus-messaging-according-to-a-marketing-expert-146783
Psychology and disasters
More firefighters die from suicide each year than in the line of duty https://www.nvfc.org/it-could-never-happen-here-preventing-suicides-in-the-volunteer-fire-department/
Around the world, people who accidentally spread the coronavirus must face both a dangerous illness and an onslaught of online condemnation https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/28/the-public-shaming-pandemic
Art therapy: This is how the arts can sharpen mental health research https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/art-therapy-when-science-meets-art-mental-health-wellbeing-and-culture
Measuring individual disaster preparedness https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73835
Sociology and disasters
Wealthy Benefit Most From Hurricanes https://riskmarketnews.substack.com/p/wealthy-benefit-most-from-hurricanes
The Demography of Disasters https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030499198
Socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on household consumption and poverty https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73796
The climate change risks, trends and impacts and the related vulnerabilities on children in sub-Saharan Africa https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73800
Almeda fire’s destruction of mobile home parks exacerbates Rogue Valley’s affordable housing shortage https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2020/09/almeda-fire-ravages-mobile-home-parks-in-rogue-valley-exacerbating-affordable-housing-shortage.html
COVID-19 economic vulnerability vs health emergency https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/73819
The gendered nature of natural disasters: the impact of catastrophic events on the gender gap in life expectancy https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-8306.2007.00563.x
How natural hazards impact the social environment for vulnerable groups: an empirical investigation in Japan https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344282545_How_natural_hazards_impact_the_social_environment_for_vulnerable_groups_an_empirical_investigation_in_Japan
Disaster Resilience News 