Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Colombia – Heavy Rain Triggers Floods and Landslides in Northern Departments http://floodlist.com/america/colombia-floods-northern-departments-november-2020
DR Congo – More Deadly Floods in North Kivu http://floodlist.com/africa/dr-congo-floods-sake-north-kivu-november-2020
U.S. coronavirus hospitalizations keep breaking records https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-hospitalizations-record-3279abf9-8821-4c12-94be-6ec165547e02.html?platform=hootsuite
Italy – 200 Rescued From Floods in Calabria After 450mm of Rain in 48 Hours http://floodlist.com/europe/italy-floods-calabria-november-2020
South Africa – Flash Floods in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng http://floodlist.com/africa/south-africa-floods-kwazulunatal-gauteng-november-2020
Indonesia – Deadly Floods and Landslides in Java and Sumatra Islands http://floodlist.com/asia/indonesia-deadly-floods-and-landslides-in-java-and-sumatra-islands
Colombia – 7 Killed in Antioquia Landslide http://floodlist.com/america/colombia-antioquia-landslide-puerto-valdivia-november-2020
Somalia – Floods After Tropical Storm Gati Dumps Year’s Worth of Rain http://floodlist.com/africa/somalia-floods-storm-gati-november-2020
Massive wildfire scorches half of Fraser Island – Queensland, Australia https://watchers.news/2020/11/24/massive-wildfire-scorches-half-of-fraser-island-queensland-australia/
At least 17 fatalities after floods and landslides hit Antioquia, Colombia https://watchers.news/2020/11/24/at-least-17-fatalities-after-floods-and-landslides-hit-antioquia-colombia/
Massive floods hit Israel after one of the rainiest days in the country’s history https://watchers.news/2020/11/24/israel-flood-exceptional-rain-november-2020/
A U.S. Record: Two Million New Virus Cases in Two Weeks https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/25/us/coronavirus-cases-rising.html
India: Cyclone Nivar makes landfall bringing rains, flood https://234radio.com/india-cyclone-nivar-makes-landfall-bringing-rains-flood/
Volcanic activity worldwide 25 Nov 2020: Fuego volcano, Klyuchevskoy, Reventador, Sangay, Sinabung https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/114598/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-25-Nov-2020-Fuego-volcano-Klyuchevskoy-Reventador-Sangay-Sinabung-.html
Uganda – 3 Dead, 5 Missing After Floods in Kasese http://floodlist.com/africa/uganda-floods-kasese-late-november-2020
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Survey shows Australian support for Paris Agreement and net zero target https://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/australians-back-the-paris-agreement-and-want-a-net-zero-target-20201122-p56gtw.html
Charleston weighs wall as seas rise and storms strengthen https://apnews.com/article/technology-climate-climate-change-floods-storms-1242b6a15b45464f9e084115210f2ca7
The Australian Government is surrounded by leaders taking climate action. Will it step up? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-22/the-world-strides-global-warming-australian-government-behind/12904200
Greenland Is Melting, And a New Model Suggests We’ve Greatly Underestimated Its Impact https://www.sciencealert.com/the-see-could-rise-by-more-than-7-metres-if-greenland-just-keeps-melting
Climate change and “atmospheric thirst” to increase fire danger and drought in Nevada and California https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74808
Climate change in Uzbekistan: Illustrated summary https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74827
A Slippery Slope: Could Climate Change Lead to More Landslides? https://eos.org/features/a-slippery-slope-could-climate-change-lead-to-more-landslides
Greenhouse gas levels at new high despite hopeful “blip” from anti-COVID lockdowns https://www.cbsnews.com/news/greenhouse-gas-levels-new-high-climate-change-un-world-meterological-organization/
Emissions reduction moving too slowly and in wrong direction, finds ClimateWorks report https://www.alliancemagazine.org/blog/emissions-reduction-moving-too-slowly-and-in-wrong-direction-finds-climateworks-report/
State of climate action: Assessing progress toward 2030 and 2050 https://www.climateworks.org/report/state-of-climate-action-assessing-progress-toward-2030-and-2050/
Winters are Warming and Climate Change is the Driver https://cbs6albany.com/weather/weather-extra/winters-are-warming-and-climate-change-is-the-driver
John Kerry named as Joe Biden’s special climate envoy https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/23/john-kerry-biden-climate-envoy-appointment
Australia: Climate change producing dangerous heat stress in workplaces https://www.futurework.org.au/climate_change_producing_dangerous_heat_stress_in_workplaces
“We will pay a heavy price for this”, Turnbull savages Morrison and Taylor over climate https://reneweconomy.com.au/we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-for-this-turnbull-savages-morrison-and-taylor-over-climate-82502/
A Floating Buoy Fleet Could Help Scientists Track Rising Seas https://eos.org/research-spotlights/a-floating-buoy-fleet-could-help-scientists-track-rising-seas
UK is underprepared for increase in heatwaves https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74857
New modelling by the NSW government warns that the likelihood of longer-duration droughts is significantly higher than previously thought https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/tides-out-and-not-coming-back-any-time-soon/news-story/
Canada must adopt an emergency mindset to climate change https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/november-2020/canada-must-adopt-an-emergency-mindset-to-climate-change/
Ice sheets on the move: How north and south poles connect https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201125114416.htm
Senior parliamentarians of the 48-member Climate Vulnerable Forum met today to assess the state of international commitments ahead of a key UN climate accord deadline https://thecvf.org/our-voice/news/press-releases/parliaments-in-climate-vulnerable-countries-submit-motions-urging-2020-climate-actions-targets/
A 50-Year-Old Global Warming Forecast That Still Holds Up https://eos.org/features/a-50-year-old-global-warming-forecast-that-still-holds-up
‘From sunny north to windy east’: What are Victoria’s renewable energy zones? https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/from-sunny-north-to-windy-east-what-are-victoria-s-renewable-energy-zones-20201125-p56hsl.html
New Zealand’s government will declare a climate emergency, pledging ‘immediate action’ https://www.sbs.com.au/news/new-zealand-s-government-will-declare-a-climate-emergency-pledging-immediate-action?cid=news:socialshare:twitter
Flooding can help resurrect wetlands and slow climate change – here’s how https://theconversation.com/flooding-can-help-resurrect-wetlands-and-slow-climate-change-heres-how-148939
Disaster risk reduction
Scary trend: Major hurricanes in October and November — why is it happening? https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/weather/hurricane/2020/11/21/hurricane-iota-extraordinary-horror-horrible-year/6354794002/
A systems exploration of the COVID-19 crisis https://realkm.com/2020/05/20/a-systems-exploration-of-the-covid-19-crisis/
New Climate Study: Wildfires Will Burn 9.3 Million Acres Per Year Nationally; Yet Millions Continue to Move to High-Risk Areas https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74804
Philippines: Urban planning, architecture and engineering recommendations to address flooding problems https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74802
Flooding in East Africa: The impacts on and implications for cities in East Africa, with a case study of Dar es Salaam https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74756
Global modeling of seasonal mortality rates from river floods https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020EF001541
Insurers float fast flood protection, as Britain fails to confront risk https://news.trust.org/item/20201120164732-wuhf0/
La Niña continues, cooling in the tropical Pacific Ocean returns http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/
Global hotspots for the occurrence of compound events https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19639-3
Severe Wildfires Raise the Chance for Future Monstrous Blazes https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/severe-wildfires-raise-the-chance-for-future-monstrous-blazes/
Global web-based systems support flood early warning https://un-spider.org/news-and-events/news/global-web-based-systems-support-flood-early-warning
Mitigating flood risk using low‐cost sensors and citizen science: A proof‐of‐concept study from western Nepal https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74847
Strengthening urban resilience in Morocco: Building capacity and identifying risk to better protect cities and manage disasters https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74838
Uncertainty reduction through data management in the development, validation, calibration, and operation of a hurricane vulnerability model https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74844
Practical approaches for reducing flood risks in Canada https://www.intactcentreclimateadaptation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Under-One-Umbrella-1.pdf
What’s It Like to Simulate the Next Cascades Volcanic Eruption? https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/whats-it-like-to-simulate-the-next-cascades-volcanic-eruption
Boosting Weather Prediction with Machine Learning https://eos.org/research-spotlights/boosting-weather-prediction-with-machine-learning
BoM outlook warns eastern Australia could face flooding in wetter-than-average summer https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/26/bom-outlook-warns-eastern-australia-could-face-flooding-in-wetter-than-average-summer
Fire and ice: New database maps and classifies the dangers of glacierized volcanoes https://phys.org/news/2020-11-ice-database-dangers-glacierized-volcanoes.html
Strengthening homes in Groningen against earthquakes https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74883
Caribbean: CDEMA launches new risk information system platform https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74888
To find a Black Swan event, think about the unthinkable https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74910
Flood resilience measurement for communities: Using online data collection https://floodresilience.net/resources/item/flood-resilience-measurement-for-communities-using-online-data-collection
Firebreak: wildfire resilience strategies for real estate https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74872
South Sudan’s devastating floods: why there is a need for urgent resilience measures https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74904
Emergency management
As they repair Iota’s damage, Colombian survivors vow to rebuild https://news.trust.org/item/20201121160926-4jnlo/
Lessons from around the world on fighting COVID’s second wave https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-around-the-world-on-fighting-covids-second-wave-150432
Equalizing access: Ensuring people with disabilities don’t lose out in emergency shelters https://hazards.colorado.edu/news/research-counts/special-collection/equalizing-access-ensuring-people-with-disabilities-dont-lose-out-in-emergency-shelters
What’s Missing From Community Disaster Response? The Whole Community https://www.rand.org/blog/2020/11/whats-missing-from-community-disaster-response-the.html
In the hands of a few: Disaster recovery committee networks https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479720315681?dgcid=coauthor#fig2
Ongoing impacts of flooding in South Sudan https://www.circleofblue.org/2020/world/hotspots-h2o-months-of-flooding-and-violence-force-south-sudanese-from-their-homes/
Black Summer bushfire health impact revealed in new report https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7026781/horror-bushfire-health-impact-revealed/
We need a nationwide Covid alert-level system to save lives and restore jobs https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/24/health/covid-alert-system-frieden-opinion/index.html
Rebuilding After A Wildfire? Most States Don’t Require Fire-Resistant Materials https://www.npr.org/2020/11/25/936685629/rebuilding-after-a-wildfire-most-states-dont-require-fire-resistant-materials
Evidence of the effectiveness of travel-related measures during the early phase of the COVID- 19 pandemic: a rapid systematic review https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.23.20236703v1
Disaster education, communications and engagement
Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY): conceptualizing a transdisciplinary framework for citizen science addressing hydrological challenges https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02626667.2020.1849707
November 30 – December 4, Adaptation Week https://www.wri.org/our-work/project/global-commission-adaptation/adaptation-week
Five rules for evidence communication https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03189-1
Kathy Baughman McLeod: naming heat waves like hurricanes https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018772803/kathy-baughman-mcleod-naming-heat-waves-like-hurricanes
Girls’ Next Gen: An innovative learning to instil girls’ leadership in disaster and climate resilience https://www.plan.org.hk/en/empower-girls-to-protect-their-communities/
How the ABC produced the Mt Resilience Augmented Reality experience to explore a way of living with big weather and climate change https://www.abc.net.au/news/about/backstory/2020-11-19/the-making-of-mt-resilience-ar-project/12891282
Ox-Cam Pathfinder Project: Property Level Flood Resilience – Part Five https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTkIN1bNFSI&ab_channel=NorthantsEmergencies
Disaster-resilience education helps students take the lead in a changing Australia https://education.abc.net.au/newsandarticles/blog/-/b/3653653/disaster-resilience-education-helps-students-take-the-lead-in-a-changing-australia?sf240108826=1
Around the world young people are actively contributing to change https://impact.chartered.college/article/young-australians-agents-of-change-the-youth-booth-pilot-project/
Psychology and disasters
The role of household adaptation measures in reducing vulnerability to flooding: a coupled agent-based and flood modelling approach https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/24/5329/2020/
Geopolitical factors and mental health https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0020764018808548?journalCode=ispa
Earthquake early warning in Aotearoa New Zealand: a survey of public perspectives to guide warning system development https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-00613-9
Sociology and disasters
Study suggests the COVID-19 pandemic has altered Americans attitudes toward inequality and the poor https://www.psypost.org/2020/11/study-suggests-the-covid-19-pandemic-has-altered-americans-attitudes-toward-inequality-and-the-poor-58598
Guwahati, India: How informal settlers are building resilience in the face of compounding shocks https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74833
Bonding, bridging, and linking social capital and social media use: How hyperlocal social media platforms serve as a conduit to access and activate bridging and linking ties in a time of crisis https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-020-04397-8
UNHCR warns second wave of COVID pandemic driving further violence against refugee women and girls https://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2020/11/5fbe0f394/unhcr-warns-second-wave-covid-pandemic-driving-further-violence-against.html
As two storms devastate Latin America, mapping the region’s most vulnerable https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/74867
Disaster Resilience News 