Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Malaysia – Severe flooding hits Sarawak as torrential rains continue https://rsoe-edis.org/eventList/details/794597/0
Strong tornado hits Senganan village, Indonesia https://watchers.news/2025/01/19/strong-tornado-hits-senganan-village-indonesia/
California prepares for possible new fires as winds create conditions for ‘explosive growth’ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/21/wind-new-fires-california
At least 27 injured after M6.4 earthquake hits Taiwan, equivalent to ‘two atomic bombs’ https://watchers.news/2025/01/21/at-least-27-injured-after-m6-4-earthquake-hits-taiwan-equivalent-to-two-atomic-bombs/
25 dead and missing as severe floods and landslides hit Java, Indonesia https://watchers.news/2025/01/21/25-dead-and-missing-as-severe-floods-and-landslides-hit-java-indonesia/
Winter storm blankets New Orleans with up to a foot of snow, shutting down the city, Louisiana https://watchers.news/2025/01/22/winter-storm-blankets-new-orleans-with-up-to-a-foot-of-snow-shutting-down-the-city-louisiana/
Rapidly spreading Hughes Fire puts 54 000 under evacuation orders or warnings as investigators probe possible human cause, California https://watchers.news/2025/01/23/rapidly-spreading-hughes-fire-puts-54-000-under-evacuation-orders-warnings/
Ireland braces for Éowyn on Friday, the most powerful storm in decades. Winds to near 200 km/h are forecast https://www.severe-weather.eu/global-weather/storm-eowyn-windstorm-ireland-bomb-cyclone-uk-north-atlantic-europe-mk/
Volcanic activity worldwide 23 Jan 2025: Santiaguito volcano, Popocatépetl, Semeru, Ibu, Marapi https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/263046/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-23-Jan-2025-Santiaguito-volcano-Popocatepetl-Semeru-Ibu-Marapi-Ki.html
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Whiplash: How Big Swings in Precipitation Fueled the L.A. Fires https://e360.yale.edu/features/daniel-swain-interview
Carbon Dioxide Levels Rose by a Record Amount Last Year https://e360.yale.edu/digest/2024-carbon-dioxide-levels
New Record for Annual Increase in Keeling Curve Readings https://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/2025/01/17/new-record-for-annual-increase-in-keeling-curve-readings/
Seven charts to discover the C3S Global Climate Highlights 2024 report https://climate.copernicus.eu/seven-charts-discover-c3s-global-climate-highlights-2024-report
The Welcoming Climate Shelters of Barcelona https://reasonstobecheerful.world/barcelona-climate-shelters
Mega-droughts are becoming more frequent and intense worldwide https://www.wsl.ch/en/news/mega-droughts-are-becoming-more-frequent-and-intense-worldwide/
Trump signs order to withdraw US from Paris climate agreement for second time https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/20/trump-executive-order-paris-climate-agreement
Melting ice reveals millennia-old forest buried in the Rocky mountains https://www.newscientist.com/article/2463397-melting-ice-reveals-millennia-old-forest-buried-in-the-rocky-mountains/
Heatwaves could worsen as soil moisture changes – study https://www.reading.ac.uk/news/2025/Research-News/Heatwaves-could-worsen-as-soil-moisture-changes—study
A Seychelles Shoreline Resists the Rising Seas https://eos.org/articles/a-seychelles-shoreline-resists-the-rising-seas
Giant iceberg on crash course with island, putting penguins and seals in danger https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd64vvg4z6go
Disaster risk reduction
Could natural disasters cause insurance companies to go out of business? https://www.marketplace.org/2025/01/17/could-natural-disasters-cause-insurance-companies-to-go-out-of-business/
Could Vancouver burn like L.A.? Yes, says Vancouver author of Fire Weather https://vancouversun.com/news/could-vancouver-burn-la-easily-author-canadian-wildfires
The LA fires have prompted a reckoning for the insurance industry – Australian premiums could soar as a result https://theconversation.com/the-la-fires-have-prompted-a-reckoning-for-the-insurance-industry-australian-premiums-could-soar-as-a-result-247207
Seismic hazard and shifting channels: Exploring coseismic river response https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825225000030
UCLA experts: Fire and the future of Los Angeles https://newsroom.ucla.edu/advisories/fire-and-the-future-of-los-angeles-ucla-experts-available
Why LA is on fire (it’s not just climate change) https://theconversation.com/why-la-is-on-fire-its-not-just-climate-change-246170
AI forecasts: Can Southeast Asia rise above the Mekong floods? https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/news/asean/40045287
Quantitative Analysis of EMDAT Indicates Changes in Disaster Trends over 124 Years Associated with Polycrisis https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4967313
Improving Streamflow Prediction Using Multiple Hydrological Models and Machine Learning Methods https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2024WR038192
How to navigate uncertainty in an unpredictable world https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00070-x
Cataclysmic megaflood refilled the Mediterranean Sea 5.33 million years ago https://watchers.news/2025/01/22/cataclysmic-megaflood-refilled-the-mediterranean-sea-5-33-million-years-ago/
Brazil saw 79% jump in area burned by fires in 2024 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250122-brazil-saw-79-jump-in-area-burned-by-fires-in-2024-monitor
Ethiopian earthquakes and volcanic eruptions: earth scientist explains the link https://theconversation.com/ethiopian-earthquakes-and-volcanic-eruptions-earth-scientist-explains-the-link-247245
Flood Resilience in Malaysian Housing: A Critical Review and Proposed Planning Law Framework https://akademiabaru.com/submit/index.php/jarsbs/article/view/5948/5682
New AI tool generates realistic satellite images of future flooding https://news.mit.edu/2024/new-ai-tool-generates-realistic-satellite-images-future-flooding-1125
California’s insurer of last resort has potential exposure to LA wildfires of nearly $5 billion and reinsurance of $5.78 billion https://fortune.com/2025/01/18/fair-plan-la-wildfire-exposure-5-billion-palisades-eaton-claims-payments-reinsurance/
Emergency Management
Cleaning up after the LA wildfires is dangerous. Here’s how to protect yourself https://www.npr.org/2025/01/19/nx-s1-5259900/la-wildfires-health-risks
USA: Los Angeles fires 2025 https://www.preventionweb.net/collections/usa-los-angeles-fires-2025
California Firefighters Use AI to Combat Growing Wildfire Threats https://decrypt.co/300099/california-firefighters-use-ai-to-combat-growing-wildfire-threats
This California city lost thousands of homes to fire. Santa Rosa’s rebuilding has lessons for L.A. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-22/santa-rosa-offers-hope-lessons-for-rebuilding-after-la-fires
It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia https://theconversation.com/its-science-not-fiction-high-tech-drones-may-soon-be-fighting-bushfires-in-australia-247789
The rise of firefighters-for-hire exposes the inequality of climate-driven disasters https://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-firefighters-for-hire-exposes-the-inequality-of-climate-driven-disasters-247851
Disaster Education, Communication and Engagement
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02090-5
False alerts — like the one sent during the Greater Los Angeles wildfires — can undermine trust and provoke anxiety https://theconversation.com/false-alerts-like-the-one-sent-during-the-greater-los-angeles-wildfires-can-undermine-trust-and-provoke-anxiety-247186
Help to reduce flood risk https://thefloodhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/FT-Q-R40-Helping-to-Reduce-Flood-Risk.pdf
UC webinar series will provide valuable wildfire resources https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/employee-news/uc-webinar-series-will-provide-valuable-wildfire-resources/
‘One big team working together’ – Shifting narratives to encourage civic participation and collective action in disaster preparedness https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420925000421
Disaster psychology
Intersection between individual, household, environmental and system level factors in defining risk and resilience for children in Kenya’s ASAL: A qualitative study https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0316679
The Shortcomings of Stoicism https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-in-high-achievers/202411/the-shortcomings-of-stoicism
Survivors of the LA fires will face a complex blend of mental health challenges https://www.sciencenews.org/article/survivors-la-fires-mental-health
The Mental-Health Toll of the California Wildfires Is Just Beginning https://time.com/7207912/los-angeles-california-wildfires-mental-health-support/
Sociology and disasters
Adapting to Change and Transforming Crisis into Opportunity – Behavioral and Policy Shifts in Sustainable Practices Post-Pandemic https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(25)00426-8
Multi-index model for assessing population vulnerability and risk profiles after cyclone Amphan: a case study of Satkhira district https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-024-07099-7
Prospects for children in 2025: Building resilient systems for children’s futures https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/prospects-children-2025-building-resilient-systems-childrens-futures
Neighbors and strangers pulled together to help LA fire survivors – 60 years of research shows these unsung heroes are crucial to disaster response https://theconversation.com/neighbors-and-strangers-pulled-together-to-help-la-fire-survivors-60-years-of-research-shows-these-unsung-heroes-are-crucial-to-disaster-response-247660
Disaster Resilience News 