Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Very strong and shallow M7.0 earthquake hits Kyrgyzstan-China border region https://watchers.news/2024/01/22/very-strong-and-shallow-m7-0-earthquake-hits-kyrgyzstan-china-border-region/
Massive landslide hits Yunnan, burying 47 people in two villages amid freezing temperatures, China https://watchers.news/2024/01/22/massive-landslide-hits-yunnan-burying-47-people-in-two-villages-amid-freezing-temperatures-china/
Once Cyclone Kirrily crosses the coast, a tropical low could pose a serious flood risk to large areas of Queensland https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-23/tropical-cyclone-kirrily-heavy-rain-flood-risk-queensland-bom/103379514
USA – Floods in California Prompt Dramatic Rescues in San Diego https://floodlist.com/america/usa/floods-san-diego-california-january-2024
Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state confronts flood damage after heavy rain kills at least 12 https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/brazils-rio-de-janeiro-state-confronts-flood-damage-106385538
Tropical Storm “Candice” forms just north of Mauritius, bringing very heavy rainfall https://watchers.news/2024/01/24/tropical-storm-candice-forms-just-north-of-mauritius-bringing-very-heavy-rainfall/
Unprecedented rainfall in San Diego causes historic flooding and power outages, U.S. https://watchers.news/2024/01/23/unprecedented-rainfall-in-san-diego-causes-historic-flooding-and-power-outages-u-s/
Volcanic activity worldwide 25 Jan 2024: Santiaguito volcano, Fuego, Popocatépetl, Merapi, Semeru https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/232417/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-25-Jan-2024-Santiaguito-volcano-Fuego-Popocatepetl-Merapi-Semeru-.html
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Paraburdoo hits highest recorded temperature during extreme heatwave in Western Australia’s Pilbara https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-21/wa-town-paraburdoo-26-year-record-high-temperatures-bom/103372864
Australia not prepared for how Antarctic ice changes will pummel economy, scientist warns https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/21/antarctica-melting-ice-shelf-sea-cover-professor-matt-king
‘Deadliest outbreak ever seen’: climate crisis fuels Bangladesh’s worst dengue epidemic https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/jan/18/bangladesh-deadliest-dengue-outbreak-climate-crisis-fuels-virus-global-spread
Strong renewable energy growth falls short of global goal https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2024/01/11/strong-renewable-energy-growth-falls-short-of-global-goal-00134796
Chart: The world is building renewable energy faster than ever before https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/chart-the-world-is-building-renewable-energy-faster-than-ever-before
Locals of these Australian islands say they fear the impact of rising seas https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/locals-of-these-australian-islands-say-they-fear-the-impact-of-rising-seas/h5ilt0xtd
A panel data study on the effect of climate change on life expectancy https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000339
Extreme cold still happens in a warming world – in fact climate instability may be disrupting the polar vortex https://theconversation.com/extreme-cold-still-happens-in-a-warming-world-in-fact-climate-instability-may-be-disrupting-the-polar-vortex-221276
The London Climate Resilience Review publishes interim report https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/climate-change/climate-adaptation/london-climate-resilience-review
‘It’s not game over – it’s game on’: why 2024 is an inflection point for the climate crisis https://theconversation.com/its-not-game-over-its-game-on-why-2024-is-an-inflection-point-for-the-climate-crisis-221497
Africa’s chance for green electricity https://techxplore.com/news/2024-01-africa-chance-green-electricity.html
How rising sea levels will affect our coastal cities and towns https://theconversation.com/how-rising-sea-levels-will-affect-our-coastal-cities-and-towns-221121
Alpine glaciers will lose at least a third of their volume by 2050, whatever happens https://www.geo.uzh.ch/en/events/featured-papers/alpine-glaciers-lose-at-least-a-third-of-their-volume-by-2050.html
Australia’s year ahead in climate and environment — the good, the bad and the controversial https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-01-23/what-2024-will-bring-for-australias-climate-and-environment/103362864
An offshore wind farm could give the Hunter a second life when its coal plant closes — but not everyone’s a fan https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-21/offshore-wind-information-war/103335322
Megafires are increasing with climate change, experts say — but could the emissions they pump out change the climate? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-22/are-megafires-contributing-to-climate-change/103219876
1 billion people left dangerously exposed to heat stress by gaps in climate monitoring https://theconversation.com/1-billion-people-left-dangerously-exposed-to-heat-stress-by-gaps-in-climate-monitoring-221313
Climate change and atmospheric dynamics unveil future weather extremes https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/climate-change-and-atmospheric-dynamics-unveil-future-weather-extremes
Risk of rolling blackouts rises as heatwave stresses power system https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/qld-power-grid-pushed-hard-as-record-demand-tipped-20240122-p5ez1l
Why hot Australian cities keep laying dark heat-absorbing asphalt, and not pale ‘cool roads’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-01-24/why-australia-builds-dark-roads-despite-heatwaves-climate-change/103375122
Australia’s wholesale power prices fall by almost half as carbon emissions drop https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/25/australia-wholesale-power-prices-drop-by-almost-half-as-carbon-emissions-drop
Climate Superlatives: Decoding The Science Behind Extreme Predictions https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicasanders/2024/01/24/climate-superlatives-decoding-the-science-behind-extreme-predictions/
Disaster risk reduction
Improved estimation of extreme floods with data pooling and mixed probability distribution https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169424000271
What we learned about floods in 2023 https://www.preventionweb.net/news/what-we-learned-about-floods-2023
After the earthquakes: Experts discuss building codes in Türkiye and the U.S. https://temblor.net/temblor/experts-discuss-building-codes-turkey-us-15917/
Identifying and managing disturbance-stimulated flammability in woody ecosystems https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/brv.13041
An integration of geospatial and fuzzy-logic techniques for multi-hazard mapping https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123024000112
Research suggests European Alps eroding slower than >10,000 years ago https://phys.org/news/2024-01-european-alps-eroding-slower-years.html
Why are floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal so devastating? Urban planning expert explains https://theconversation.com/why-are-floods-in-south-africas-kwazulu-natal-so-devastating-urban-planning-expert-explains-221285
Did the BOM get it wrong on the hot, dry summer? No – predicting chaotic systems is probability, not certainty https://theconversation.com/did-the-bom-get-it-wrong-on-the-hot-dry-summer-no-predicting-chaotic-systems-is-probability-not-certainty-221496
Britain is at bursting point and its flood barriers need to be updated https://theconversation.com/britain-is-at-bursting-point-and-its-flood-barriers-need-to-be-updated-221441
Prescribed burns could make forests more flammable https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/prescribed-burns-could-make-forests-more-flammable/
New version of NCEI’s coastal relief models released https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/foundational-coastal-models-updated
YouthADAPT Challenge Winner Ecobarter: Transforming Waste into Value to Combat Urban Flooding in Nigeria https://gca.org/youthadapt-challenge-winner-ecobarter-transforming-waste-into-value-to-combat-urban-flooding-in-nigeria/
New tool predicts flood risk from hurricanes in a warming climate https://news.mit.edu/2024/new-tool-predicts-flood-risk-hurricanes-warming-climate-0124
Paper Provides a Clearer Picture of Severe Hydro Hazards https://arkansasresearch.uark.edu/paper-provides-a-clearer-picture-of-severe-hydro-hazards/
Emergency Management
Covid-19 variant JN.1 may be the mildest form of the virus yet https://www.newscientist.com/article/2412267-covid-19-variant-jn-1-may-be-the-mildest-form-of-the-virus-yet/
Current approaches and critical issues in multi-risk recovery planning of urban areas exposed to natural hazards https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/24/79/2024/
He Used to Run Toward Disaster. Now He Prepares Others for the Worst https://www.georgetown.edu/news/he-used-to-run-toward-disaster-now-he-prepares-others-for-the-worst/
Disaster Education, Communication and Engagement
Community-led disaster management: Soulinh’s path to resilience https://www.preventionweb.net/news/community-led-disaster-management-soulinhs-path-resilience
We can’t rely on the ‘dogs breakfast’ of disaster warnings to do the hard work of building community resilience https://theconversation.com/we-cant-rely-on-the-dogs-breakfast-of-disaster-warnings-to-do-the-hard-work-of-building-community-resilience-220940
Communication and effectively fighting wildfires strengthen safety https://strategy-project.eu/communication-and-effectively-fighting-wildfires-strengthen-safety/
FEMA Releases “Disaster Mind” Game https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20240123/fema-releases-disaster-mind-game
First annual national climate change video game design competition https://itch.io/jam/climate-change-game-jam
Disaster psychology
Those with a variety of self-aspects experience lower emotional distress in response to negative events, showcasing the protective quality of complexity https://www.inc-aus.com/nick-hobson/emotionally-intelligent-people-use-complexity-principle-to-make-life-easier-navigate-failure.html
How climate disasters hurt adolescents’ mental health https://grist.org/health/how-climate-disasters-hurt-adolescents-mental-health/
Sociology and disasters
Pandemic effects on social capital in residents and non-residents of Chinese immigrant enclaves in Philadelphia https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558124000034
Urban Flood Resilience Networks: Exploring the Relationship between Governance Networks, Networks of Plans, and Spatial Flood Resilience Policies in Four Coastal Cities https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24694452.2023.2284299
Livelihood diversification strategies adaption determinants in flood-prone Bait areas of Punjab, Pakistan https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10668-023-04435-y
Development of Community-Level Capacity of Resilience to Natural Hazards for Environmental- and Social-Justice-Challenged Communities: 1. Approach, Concepts, and Assessment of Existing Information https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/3/963
Identifying vulnerable populations in urban society: a case study in a flood-prone district of Wuhan, China https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/24/179/2024/nhess-24-179-2024.html
Disaster Resilience News 