Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Greece: Evros fire ‘cannot be contained’ — regional official https://www.dw.com/en/greece-evros-fire-cannot-be-contained-regional-official/a-66642315
Tropical Storm “Harold” hits South Texas, marking the first U.S. hit of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season https://watchers.news/2023/08/23/tropical-storm-harold-hits-south-texas-becoming-the-first-2023-landfall-in-us/
Deep M6.2 earthquake hits Santiago del Estero, Argentina https://watchers.news/2023/08/23/deep-m6-2-earthquake-hits-santiago-del-estero-argentina-2/
Greece arrests 79 people on arson charges as fire death toll reaches 21 https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/global-affairs/greece-arrests-79-people-on-arson-charges-as-fire-death-toll-reaches-21/video/00013cef945d79d5c84a1fbfe7090b82
HADR Institute Global Disaster Snapshot – Edition 021 https://hadrinstitute.beehiiv.com/p/gds-21
Deep M7.1 earthquake hits Bali Sea, Indonesia https://watchers.news/2023/08/28/deep-m7-1-earthquake-hits-bali-sea-indonesia/
Hurricane “Idalia” threatens parts of Florida with catastrophic storm surge, U.S. https://watchers.news/2023/08/29/hurricane-idalia-threatens-parts-of-florida-with-catastrophic-storm-surge-u-s/
Greece wildfire declared largest ever recorded in EU https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/29/greece-wildfire-declared-largest-ever-recorded-in-eu
USA – State of Emergency After Floods in West Virginia https://floodlist.com/america/usa/floods-west-virginia-august-2023
Tajikistan – Flash Floods and Landslides Leave 13 Dead https://floodlist.com/asia/tajikistan-floods-august-2023
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
South-east Australia marine heatwave forecast to be literally off the scale https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/aug/27/south-east-australia-marine-heatwave-forecast-to-be-literally-off-the-scale
After America’s summer of extreme weather, ‘next year may well be worse’ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/26/us-summer-extreme-heat-wildfires-climate-crisis
More than half of European ski resorts facing ‘very high risk’ from climate change, study finds https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-29/ski-resorts-under-threat-from-climate-change/102778814
‘Off-the-charts records’: has humanity finally broken the climate? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/28/crazy-off-the-charts-records-has-humanity-finally-broken-the-climate
Dramatic climate action needed to curtail ‘crazy’ extreme weather https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/28/dramatic-climate-action-needed-curtail-extreme-weather
Climate change will raise sea levels, cause apocalyptic floods and displace almost a billion people https://www.salon.com/2023/08/28/climate-change-will-raise-sea-levels-cause-apocalyptic-floods-and-displace-almost-a-billion-people/
Climate crisis to create ‘acute’ challenges for Australia’s economy, incoming RBA governor says https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/aug/29/rba-governor-michele-bullock-climate-change-economy-challenges
Offshore wind readies for take off in Australia and Asia, despite near term problems https://reneweconomy.com.au/offshore-wind-readies-for-take-off-in-australia-and-asia-despite-near-term-problems/
New Air-Conditioning Technology Could Be the Future of Cool https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-air-conditioning-technology-could-be-the-future-of-cool/
Children’s voices must be heard on climate crisis, says UN rights body https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/28/childrens-voices-must-be-heard-on-climate-crisis-says-un-rights-body
Climate change makes wildfires in California more explosive https://www.npr.org/2023/08/30/1196637141/climate-change-makes-wildfires-in-california-more-explosive
‘Blissonance’ effect as Melbourne’s early spring signals hot, dry summer https://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/blissonance-effect-as-melbourne-s-early-spring-signals-hot-dry-summer-20230829-p5e07z.html
As our forests burn, oil companies are doubling down on their old business modeL https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-as-our-forests-burn-oil-companies-are-doubling-down-on-their-old/
The big and small ways I made my home energy-efficient and fully electric https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/ways-i-made-home-energy-efficient-fully-electric/102783982
How drought in Central America is pushing up the cost of living in Australia https://theconversation.com/how-drought-in-central-america-is-pushing-up-the-cost-of-living-in-australia-211999
Seville Turns to 1,000-Year-Old Technology to Cool Public Spaces https://www.theenergymix.com/2023/08/28/seville-turns-to-1000-year-old-technology-to-cool-public-spaces/
Risk of heat-related deaths has ‘increased rapidly’ over past 20 years https://www.carbonbrief.org/risk-of-heat-related-deaths-has-increased-rapidly-over-past-20-years/
Australia’s greenhouse emissions are a national disgrace that are destroying the planet and costing households https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2023/aug/30/australia-quarterly-greenhouse-emissions-data-survey
Hotter ocean temperatures from global warming likely increased Idalia’s destructive power by at least 40-50% https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/08/hotter-ocean-temperatures-from-global-warming-likely-increased-idalias-destructive-power-by-at-least-40-50/
Widespread retreat of coastal habitat is likely at warming levels above 1.5 °C https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06448-z
“Negligent manslaughter”: Study finds climate change could kill 1 billion mostly poor people https://www.salon.com/2023/08/30/negligent-manslaughter-study-finds-climate-change-could-1-billion-mostly-poor-people/
Coal-to-hydrogen project targeted by environmentalists as backers push to commercialise https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-31/greens-seek-end-of-coal-to-hydrogen-latrobe-valley-project/102792594
Why climate change is bigger than just environment and weather stories https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/06/14/climate-change-reporting-australia/
Disaster risk reduction
Hawaii wildfires: did scientists expect Maui to burn? https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02571-z
Before and after photos show impact of flooding in California caused by Tropical Storm Hilary https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-23/tropical-storm-hilary-california-before-and-after-images/102764132
Floods and droughts: two sides of the same hydrological coin https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/hs/2023/08/23/floods-and-droughts-two-sides-of-the-same-hydrological-coin/
Extreme fires caused by ancient humans wiped out Californian megafauna https://www.newscientist.com/article/2388037-extreme-fires-caused-by-ancient-humans-wiped-out-californian-megafauna/
Rapid bushfire detection was promised after the Black Summer fires. It may have hit a roadblock https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-08-30/bushfires-can-be-detected-from-space-within-minutes-of-ignition/102765624
Lessons from the Maui Wildfires on Building a Climate-Resilient Grid for Island Communities https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/lessons-from-the-maui-wildfires-on-building-a-climate-resilient-grid-for-island-communities/
Indigenous rangers are burning the desert the right way – to stop the wrong kind of intense fires from raging https://theconversation.com/indigenous-rangers-are-burning-the-desert-the-right-way-to-stop-the-wrong-kind-of-intense-fires-from-raging-211900
Mapping the Fizzy Brines and Fluid-Filled Fractures Below a Volcano https://eos.org/research-spotlights/mapping-the-fizzy-brines-and-fluid-filled-fractures-below-a-volcano
Emergency management
Updated Covid-19 vaccines are coming mid-September, officials say https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/25/health/covid-vaccine-release/index.html
Massive emergency alert test will sound alarms on US cellphones, TVs and radios in October https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/08/26/huge-us-fema-cell-phone-tv-alert-test-scheduled-for-october/70658918007/
Are masks returning? Lionsgate, Atlanta HBCU reinstate mandates amid COVID uptick https://abcnews.go.com/Health/lionsgate-atlanta-hbcu-reinstate-mask-mandates-amid-covid/story
New Drone Research Advances Wildfire Monitoring https://www.miragenews.com/new-drone-research-advances-wildfire-monitoring-1073303/
Wildfires aren’t going away. Here’s how smoke can affect your health https://www.sciencenews.org/article/wildfire-smoke-health-air-quality-pollution
Strengthening resilience in reconstruction after extreme events – Insights from flood affected communities in Germany https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420923004454
Shutting off power to reduce wildfire risk on windy days isn’t a simple decision – an energy expert explains the trade-offs electric utilities face https://theconversation.com/shutting-off-power-to-reduce-wildfire-risk-on-windy-days-isnt-a-simple-decision-an-energy-expert-explains-the-trade-offs-electric-utilities-face-212323
Unclear how many in Lahaina lost lives as Hawaii authorities near the end of their search for dead https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-maui-lahaina-fire-dead-missing-fb8592496f400e995266944ffb16a7e7P
Covid-19 data visualisations: NZ in numbers https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/450874/covid-19-data-visualisations-nz-in-numbers
Disaster Education, Communication and Engagement
Lessons from Maui wildfires: Build channels of communication before firewalls https://phys.org/news/2023-08-lessons-maui-wildfires-channels-communication.html
Flood information centre opens in Hebden Bridge https://www.gov.uk/government/news/flood-information-centre-opens-in-hebden-bridge
Once upon a time: the impact of storytelling on connecting people to natural landscapes https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504622.2023.2246695
Sociology and disasters
The Role of Mindfulness, Psychological Capital, and Social Capital in the Well-Being of Refugees in Uganda https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666622723000618
Broader Lessons About Resilience from Maui’s Fires https://www.justsecurity.org/87698/broader-lessons-about-resilience-from-mauis-fires/
Gender and Resilience in the City https://practicalactionpublishing.com/book/2704/gender-and-resilience-in-the-city
Disaster Resilience News 