Please find below a list of links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Brazil – Dam collapses prompting urgent evacuation https://rsoe-edis.org/eventList/details/144175/1
Spain declares end to La Palma volcano eruption https://www.dw.com/en/spain-declares-end-to-la-palma-volcano-eruption/a-60256505
9 feet of snow wallops California mountains as brutal cold invades U.S. https://www.axios.com/snow-totals-california-sierra-brutal-cold-hits-94cc9975-ec4f-4d02-b17f-bae8e0561ea3.html
Extreme rainfall hits Brazilian state of Bahia, causing catastrophic damage https://watchers.news/2021/12/27/bahia-flood-casualties-damage-december-2021/
Very strong M7.3 earthquake hits Barat Daya Islands at intermediate depth, Indonesia https://watchers.news/2021/12/29/m7-3-earthquake-barat-daya-islands-indonesia-december-29-2021/
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
New Data on Earth’s Youngest Glacier Reveals a Healthy Fellow, while Earth’s Ice Elsewhere is Losing its Battle Against Global Warminghttps://www.severe-weather.eu/cryosphere/earth-youngest-glacier-healthy-cryosphere-losing-battle-global-warming-rrc/
2021’s climate disasters revealed an east-west weather divide, with one side of the country too wet, the other dangerously dry https://theconversation.com/2021s-climate-disasters-revealed-an-east-west-weather-divide-with-one-side-of-the-country-too-wet-the-other-dangerously-dry-173402
Floods getting bigger and more frequent, says river expert https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-59726441
Affluent seaside landowners plead for help in SC’s battle against rising ocean https://www.thestate.com/news/local/environment/article256773047.html
A new report by Christian Aid, Counting the cost 2021: a year of climate breakdown identifies 15 of the most destructive climate disasters of the year https://reliefweb.int/report/world/counting-cost-2021-year-climate-breakdown-december-2021
Why WA’s south-west is drying out at one of the worst rates in the world https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-28/why-south-west-wa-is-drying-out/100625142
The US could reliably run on clean energy by 2050 https://www.popsci.com/science/clean-grid-renewable-energy-goals/
Deadly heat and extreme rainfall: This is what the world will be like if the temperature rises by 3 degrees, according to researchers https://sciencenorway.no/climate-climate-change/deadly-heat-and-extreme-rainfall-this-is-what-the-world-will-be-like-if-the-temperature-rises-by-3-degrees-according-to-researchers/1950125
2021 Arctic Report Card: image highlights https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/2021-arctic-report-card-image-highlights
It Keeps on Raining Too Much Too Fast https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/12/new-york-city-rain-sewage-system-flood/621129/
Rainfall in the Arctic will soon be more common than snowfall https://news.umanitoba.ca/rainfall-in-the-arctic-will-soon-be-more-common-than-snowfall/
Three loud climate warning signals https://www.axios.com/three-climate-warning-signals-9f930b4e-110a-4225-9eb9-c63a22993b82.html
In Australia’s climate wars, delay and deception are the new denial https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/30/in-australias-climate-wars-delay-and-deception-are-the-new-denial
Poleward expansion of tropical cyclone latitudes in warming climates https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00859-1
Alaska ‘Icemageddon’ warning follows heat record https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59820999
World’s largest offshore wind farm generates first power https://reneweconomy.com.au/worlds-largest-offshore-wind-farm-generates-first-power/
Disaster risk reduction
The pandemic is a warning: we must take care of the earth, our only home https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/24/pandemic-earth-lockdowns-climate-crisis-environment
The Cost of Natural Disasters on Communities, the Environment https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/the-cost-of-natural-disasters-on-communities-the-environment/
Canada wasn’t prepared for natural disasters in 2021 — and next year threatens a repeat https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-emergency-preparation-1.6285724#:~:text=Politics-,Canada%20wasn’t%20prepared%20for%20natural%20disasters%20in%202021%20%E2%80%94%20and,increasingly%20volatile%20and%20dangerous%20climate.
We can build homes to survive tornadoes like Kentucky suffered. We just haven’t https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/12/27/we-can-build-homes-survive-tornadoes-like-kentucky-suffered-we-just-havent/
No brainer’ to raise Warragamba Dam wall https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/no-brainer-to-raise-warragamba-dam-wall/video/e590ad65056bc9a6acb3eeb464d1e6c3
Prediction of severe adverse events, modes of action and drug treatments for COVID-19’s complications https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-00368-6
The increased number and severity of wildfires increase in recent years had led to a sharp rise in insurers’ decisions not to renew homeowners’ policies in California or to write new business there https://resilience.iii.org/resilience-blog/wildfires/fewer-california-homeowners-non-renewed-in-2020-but-more-pushed-into-fair-plan/
New Bradfield scheme on agenda as north Queensland prepares for floods https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/new-bradfield-scheme-on-agenda-as-north-queensland-prepares-for-floods-20211228-p59kjs.html
Catalogue of Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Resilience https://www.gfdrr.org/en/publication/catalogue-nature-based-solutions-urban-resilience
2021: The Year in Volcanic Activity https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2021/12/photos-volcanoes-2021/621139/
A Numerical Investigation of the Characteristics of Seismic Signals Induced by Rockfalls https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.761455/full
Flood disaster takes bite out of B.C. economy, sends infrastructure wake-up call https://www.cheknews.ca/flood-disaster-takes-bite-out-of-b-c-economy-sends-infrastructure-wake-up-call-2-930818/
Transposing flood risk from extreme rainfall events: A case study of Hurricane Harvey https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfr3.12778
Equilibrium/Sustainability — Dam failures cap a year of disasters https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/587425-equilibrium-sustainability
Emergency management
More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-95565-8
Omicron escapes the majority of existing SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03796-6
Christmas miracle: German flood victims receive tiny houses https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/christmas-miracle-german-flood-victims-receive-tiny-houses-2021-12-23/
Simultaneous compound disasters from COVID-19 and catastrophic flooding https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfr3.12779
FEMA offers cash to cover COVID-19 funeral costs https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-funeral-costs-fema-federal-assistance/
Fauci suggests people steer clear from large New Year’s Eve parties: “I would stay away from that” https://www.businessinsider.com.au/fauci-stay-away-from-large-new-years-eve-parties-2021-12
The virus antidote: political leadership, progressive government, public services https://socialeurope.eu/the-virus-antidote-political-leadership-progressive-government-public-services
CDC: Omicron made up 59% of virus cases last week https://www.ems1.com/coronavirus-covid-19/articles/cdc-omicron-made-up-59-of-virus-cases-last-week-cfFV1mQYlcOH2uK1/
Omicron Variant Might Help Defend Against Delta, Lab Study Suggests https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/health/covid-omicron-antibodies-delta.html
French daily Covid cases above 200,000 as Italy introduces stricter green pass https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/29/french-daily-covid-cases-above-200000-as-italy-considers-stricter-green-pass
Brazil government to send relief funds to flood-ravaged northeast https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/brazil-government-send-relief-funds-flood-ravaged-northeast-2021-12-28/
Malaysia floods: Country seeks UN climate adaptation funds for the first time https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/12/27/malaysia-floods-country-seeks-un-climate-adaptation-funds-for-first-time
With omicron, it may be harder to tell if you have COVID, the common cold or flu https://www.startribune.com/with-omicron-it-may-be-harder-to-tell-if-you-have-covid-the-common-cold-or-flu/600131056/
Disaster education, communications and engagement
Engaging communities with Canada’s earthquake early warning system https://temblor.net/earthquake-insights/engaging-communities-with-canadas-earthquake-early-warning-system-13556/
School Pupils in Osaka are Champions for Avoidable Deaths from Tsunamis http://www.avoidable-deaths.net/2020/10/29/school-pupils-in-osaka-are-champions-for-avoidable-deaths-from-tsunamis/
Stories of cultural burning in southern Australia https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/news/2021/stories-cultural-burning-southern-australia
Psychology and disasters
The pandemic has caused nearly two years of collective trauma. Many people are near a breaking point https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/24/collective-trauma-public-outbursts/
Worry and behaviour at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak: results from three UK surveys https://osf.io/3qbca/
A lesson in tornadoes’ wake: Warnings work, but human response is key https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2021/1214/A-lesson-in-tornadoes-wake-Warnings-work-but-human-response-is-key
Flood Disaster Risk, Sense of Place, and Preparedness of Entrepreneurs in Communities along a River http://www.cddjournal.org/article/view/vol05-iss1-1
Sociology and disasters
Has the pandemic fundamentally changed our ethics? https://theconversation.com/has-the-pandemic-fundamentally-changed-our-ethics-171304
Disaster Resilience News 