Please find below links to recent news about some aspects of disaster resilience…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Tropical Cyclone Imogen, the first of the season, forms over Gulf, crosses coast north of Karumba https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-03/first-cyclone-of-the-season-expected-to-form/13027724
At least 2 dead & over 10,000 people evacuated from floods across Johor, Pahang & Terengganu https://mothership.sg/2021/01/malaysia-floods-10000-evacuated/
Deadly flash floods affect more than 15 000 families in Central Philippines https://watchers.news/2021/01/04/deadly-flash-floods-affect-more-than-15-000-families-in-central-philippines/
Massive landslide at Mount Silberhorn, New Zealand https://watchers.news/2021/01/04/massive-landslide-at-mount-silberhorn-new-zealand/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Papua New Guinea – Deadly Landslide in Central Province http://floodlist.com/australia/papua-new-guinea-deadly-landslide-in-central-province
Emergency warning issued as fast-moving bushfire advances north of Perth https://www.sbs.com.au/news/emergency-warning-issued-as-fast-moving-bushfire-advances-north-of-perth
Caribbean volcano rumbles back to life, MSM fake news about evacuation orders spread panichttps://www.rt.com/news/511498-caribbean-volcano-msm-fake-evacuation-order-panic/
Bolivia – Hail and Flash Floods in Sucre Leave 4 Dead, 6 Missing http://floodlist.com/america/bolivia-flash-floods-sucre-january-2021
North Queensland hit with intense rainfall causing flooding as BOM issues severe storm warning https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-06/queensland-rain-ingham-area-hit-with-intense-rainfall/13035302
Indonesia – Deadly Floods in North Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara http://floodlist.com/asia/indonesia-floods-northsulawesi-westnusatenggara-january-2021
Sri Lanka – Thousands Affected by Floods in Batticaloa http://floodlist.com/asia/sri-lanka-floods-batticaloa-january-2021
Chennai records heaviest 24-hour January rain since 1915, India https://watchers.news/2021/01/06/chennai-records-heaviest-24-hour-january-rain-since-1915-india/
Bushfire emergency continues north of Perth as firefighters brace for worsening conditions https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-07/hot-windy-weather-as-bushfire-emergency-continues-north-of-perth/13038462
North Queensland rain will continue into next week, BOM warns https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-07/flooding-more-storms-brings-rainfall-queensland-north/13036168
More than 500 evacuated after new eruption at Merapi volcano, Indonesia https://watchers.news/2021/01/07/more-than-500-evacuated-after-new-eruption-at-merapi-volcano-indonesia/
Volcanic activity worldwide 5 Jan 2021: Fuego volcano, Klyuchevskoy, Popocatépetl, Reventador https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/118428/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-5-Jan-2021-Fuego-volcano-Klyuchevskoy-Popocatepetl-Reventador-Sang.html
Namibia – Flooding in South as Rivers Overflow http://floodlist.com/africa/namibia-floods-south-january-2021
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Five reasons to be optimistic about climate action https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/blog/2020/five-reasons-to-be-optimistic-about-climate-action.html/
Greta Thunberg turns 18, hopes 2021 will be the ‘year of awakening’ https://www.sbs.com.au/news/greta-thunberg-turns-18-hopes-2021-will-be-the-year-of-awakening?cid=news:socialshare:twitter
Last year was dismal in many respects but it was a landmark for renewables in Australia https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/02/last-year-was-dismal-in-many-respects-but-it-was-a-landmark-for-renewables-in-australia?CMP=share_btn_tw
Australia records fourth-warmest year in 2020, despite La Niña https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/01/australia-records-fourth-warmest-year-in-2020-despite-la-nina
Many Indian districts ‘hotspots’ of climate change https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/many-indian-districts-hotspots-of-climate-change/article33303346.ece
Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to Zero https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03012021/five-aspects-climate-change-2020/
‘The sea is rising, the climate is changing’: the lessons learned from Mozambique’s deadly cyclone https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75357
Rising seas threaten China’s long, low, and crowded coast https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75359
‘Snub’: Australia leaves 2030 climate goals unchanged in UN submission https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/snub-australia-leaves-2030-climate-goals-unchanged-in-un-submission-20210104-p56rng.html
Dozens of nations miss deadline to boost climate ambition https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210105-dozens-of-nations-miss-deadline-to-boost-climate-ambition
New data-driven global climate model provides projections for urban environments https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75380
Summer temperatures could rise faster in the UK than average global rates https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75382
Uzbekistan advances its climate change adaptation planning https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75383
Impacts of climate change on Georgia’s coastal zone: Vulnerability assessment and adaptation options https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/75392
Climate adaptation solution for informal settlers in Asian coastal cities https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75399
What can COVID-19 teach us about preparing for climate risks in Europe? https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/75393
Who should pick up the tab for the costs of climate change in north Queensland? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/06/who-should-pick-up-the-tab-for-the-costs-of-climate-change-in-north-queensland?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Assessing Shifts in Regional Hydroclimatic Conditions of U.S. River Basins in Response to Climate Change over the 21st Century https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020EF001657
How Australia can phase out coal power while maintaining energy security https://theconversation.com/how-australia-can-phase-out-coal-power-while-maintaining-energy-security-152747?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton
Connections of climate change and variability to large and extreme forest fires in southeast Australia https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-020-00065-8
Building resilience in India https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75432
As climate risks rise, U.S. urged to update flood maps and building rules https://news.trust.org/item/20210106194055-fi3zz/
Australia’s Annual Climate Statement 2020 http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/
Disaster risk reduction
Catastrophic bushfires have led to a heightened interest in Indigenous burning practices. How do Aboriginal experts use fire to care for their land? https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/what-is-cultural-burning-20200228-p545e2.html
A new measure that can predict whether a city is prone to rain- or tide-based flooding https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/a-new-measure-that-can-predict-whether-a-city-is-prone-to-rain-or-tide-based-flooding/article33482930.ece
Public ‘Lost Confidence’ in Authorities as Floods Displace a Million People in South Sudan – Report https://sputniknews.com/africa/202101021081633935-public-lost-confidence-in-authorities-as-floods-displace-a-million-people-in-south-sudan–report/
Priorities and Effectiveness in Wildfire Management: Evidence from Fire Spread in the Western United States https://media.rff.org/documents/WP_20-21.pdf
Northern Australian communities need more affordable insurance https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75352
Integrating wildfire risk management and spatial planning – A historical review of two Australian planning systems https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/75358
Embracing a new approach to flood risk management across socio-economic environments https://environmentjournal.online/articles/rethinking-flood-risk-management/
This is Cat Tales, the e-newsletter of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, for November/December 2020 https://issuu.com/iclr/docs/cat_tales_novdec_2020
SERVIR Flood Mapping Service Brings Speed to Cambodia Disaster Managementhttps://www.climatelinks.org/blog/servir-flood-mapping-service-brings-speed-cambodia-disaster-management
USF volcanology team develops new approach to understanding massive volcanic eruptions https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75378
How wildfires in the Americas and tropical Africa in 2020 compared to previous years https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/how-wildfires-americas-and-tropical-africa-2020-compared-previous-years
What if Typhoon Jebi had been stronger and taken a different path? https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75411
How scientists are identifying ways to prevent the next pandemic https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75409
Strengthening disaster risk reduction and management at the local level: A report on capacity and needs assessment of six rural and urban municipalities of Nepal https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/75403
Why hurricane risk modelling has to change https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75418
Global map shows nineteen percent of the global population may face a high probability of subsidence https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75433
Yet more wildfires https://www.swissre.com/risk-knowledge/mitigating-climate-risk/yet-more-wildfires.html
Flood damage and mortgage credit risk: A case study of Hurricane Harvey https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10527001.2020.1840131
Macroeconomic modeling of managing hurricane damage in the Caribbean: The case of Jamaica https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/75423
Emergency management
Recommitting to help countries recover fairly from COVID-19, and with climate-resilient economies https://feature.undp.org/2020-year-in-review/
Understanding what data tell us about COVID-19’s socio-economic impact https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/blog/2020/understanding-what-data-tell-us-about-covid-19s-socio-economic-i.html/
Study Confirms New U.K. Coronavirus Variant Is Substantially More Transmissible https://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2021/01/01/study-confirms-new-uk-coronavirus-variant-is-substantially-more-transmissible/?sh=416c462d2e96
Africa Left With Few Options for Vaccines, South Africa Sayshttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-03/pfizer-to-supply-african-health-care-workers-with-vaccines?sref=7YQGdXLq
As victims of typhoon-prone Philippines’ worst floods in 50 years clean up and rebuild, its disaster-risk management is back under the spotlight https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75353
Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases pass 2.85 mln: Africa CDC http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/06/c_139644193.htm
One American dies from Covid-19 every 33 seconds as the vaccine rollout hits snagshttps://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/04/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html
South Sudan floods displace a million as hunger and diseases loom https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/1/our-children-die-in-our-hands-floods-ravage-south-sudan
Expressways to host more disaster shelter areas https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/01/04/national/japan-expressways-disaster-shelters/
Getting ahead of crises: A thesaurus for anticipatory humanitarian action https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/75407
Coronavirus variant: Europe needs to coordinate lockdowns now to control it https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75416
Practical lessons for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic: Principles for recovery https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/75428
Disaster education, communications and engagement
Volcano Series 1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08xc2v8
The COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook https://hackmd.io/@scibehC19vax/home
Helping Our Senior Community Prepare https://fireadaptednetwork.org/helping-our-senior-community-prepare/
Psychology and disasters
Mental health is one of the biggest pandemic issues we’ll face in 2021 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/04/health/mental-health-during-covid-19-2021-stress-wellness/index.html
Pandemic Kindness Movement https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/kindness
Sociology and disasters
1.47 billion people face flood risk worldwide: for over a third, it could be devastating https://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/147-billion-people-face-flood-risk-worldwide-over-third-it-could-be-devastating?cid=ccg_tt_climatechange_en_ext
Flood exposure and social vulnerability in the United States https://www.preventionweb.net/files/75365_floodexposureandsocialvulnerability.pdf
To build back from COVID-19, don’t overlook informal workers https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/75417
Disaster Resilience News 