Today in disaster resilience (18 April 2025)

Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…

Recent emergencies/disasters

Deep M6.5 earthquake hits south of Fiji Islands https://watchers.news/2025/04/13/deep-m6-5-earthquake-hits-south-of-fiji-islands/

Severe thunderstorms leave 80 dead across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India https://watchers.news/2025/04/11/severe-thunderstorms-leave-80-dead-across-uttar-pradesh-and-bihar-india/

Severe dust storms hit Delhi, leaving 2 dead and 5 injured, India https://watchers.news/2025/04/12/severe-dust-storms-hit-delhi-leaving-2-dead-and-5-injured-india/

Lanzarote flooding horror shown in terrifying footage as state of emergency declared https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/lanzarote-flooding-horror-shown-terrifying-31415335

Volcanic activity worldwide 12 Apr 2025: Etna volcano, Santiaguito, Semeru, Ibu, Dukono, Reventador https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/269160/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-12-Apr-2025-Etna-volcano-Santiaguito-Semeru-Ibu-Dukono-Reventador.html

Two dead after landslide buries a house in Dagua, Colombia https://watchers.news/2025/04/16/two-dead-after-landslide-buries-a-house-in-dagua-colombia/

6 rescued after mudslides trap vehicles in San Jacinto, California https://watchers.news/2025/03/14/6-rescued-after-mudslides-trap-vehicles-in-san-jacinto-california/

Extreme Weather and Climate Change

More than 150 ‘unprecedented’ climate disasters struck world in 2024, says UN https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/19/unprecedented-climate-disasters-extreme-weather-un-report

Heat wave scorches parts of India with record temperatures https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/04/heat-wave-scorches-parts-of-india-with-record-temperatures/

Most bike lanes in inner Melbourne have less than 40% tree cover – that’ll get worse, new maps show https://theconversation.com/most-bike-lanes-in-inner-melbourne-have-less-than-40-tree-cover-thatll-get-worse-new-maps-show-253222

Subglacial water amplifies Antarctic contributions to sea-level rise https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58375-4

How Pakistan quietly became world’s biggest solar importer https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/pakistan-solar-energy-china-b2731567.html

Heat networks: The low-carbon solution for social housing https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/buildings-design-and-specification/heat-networks-the-low-carbon-solution-for-social-housing/5135492.article

Arctic matter pathways are poised for major shifts amidst climate change, Transpolar Drift study finds https://phys.org/news/2025-04-arctic-pathways-poised-major-shifts.html

Retrofitting and EV charging points focus of climate plan https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0413/1507373-climate-action-plan-cabinet/

Nations reached a landmark agreement on Friday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping https://www.telesurenglish.net/global-shipping-strikes-landmark-emissions-deal/

Experts Urge Just Transition to Deal With Africa’s Climate Crisis https://nilepost.co.ug/news/253253/experts-urge-just-transition-to-deal-with-africas-climate-crisis

Brazil’s Belém races to make room for COP30 influx https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/04/07/brazils-belem-races-to-make-room-for-cop30-influx/

AI predicts that most of the world will see temperatures rise to 3°C much faster than previously expected https://phys.org/news/2024-12-ai-world-temperatures-3c-faster.amp

Europe’s Population is Adapting Better to Cold than to Heat https://www.isglobal.org/en/-/la-poblacion-europea-se-esta-adaptando-mejor-al-frio-que-al-calor

How will climate change impact migration in Africa? https://voxdev.org/topic/migration-urbanisation/how-will-climate-change-impact-migration-africa

Hundred-year storm tides will occur every few decades in Bangladesh, scientists report https://news.mit.edu/2025/hundred-year-storm-tides-will-occur-every-few-decades-bangladesh-0411

Pakistan’s 22 GW Solar Shock: How a Fragile State Went Full Clean Energy https://cleantechnica.com/2025/04/04/pakistans-22-gw-solar-shock-how-a-fragile-state-went-full-clean-energy/

Drivers and mechanisms contributing to excess warming in Europe during recent decades https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-025-00930-3

China Allows New Coal Plants, but With More Limited Role https://e360.yale.edu/digest/china-new-coal-plants-2027

Comprehensive Disaster and Climate Risk Management (CRM) https://www.undrr.org/climate-action-and-disaster-risk-reduction/comprehensive-disaster-and-climate-risk-management

Extended heatwave in India, Pakistan to test survivability limits, with temperatures reaching Death Valley levels https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/15/asia/india-pakistan-heatwave-climate-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html

Global carbon emissions and decarbonization in 2024 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-025-00658-x

Chart of the day: Australia tops the world on solar generation per capita https://reneweconomy.com.au/chart-of-the-day-australia-tops-the-world-on-solar-generation-per-capita/

First Global Comparison of Glacier Mass Change: They’re All Melting, and Fast https://eos.org/articles/first-global-comparison-of-glacier-mass-change-theyre-all-melting-and-fast

Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Fall 2024 https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2024/

Worsening Heat Could Trigger Mental Health Crisis in Coming Decades https://www.sciencealert.com/worsening-heat-could-trigger-mental-health-crisis-in-coming-decades

Overshoot: What does it mean to exceed and return to global warming of 1.5°C? https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-environment-science-and-economy/overshoot-what-does-it-mean-to-exceed-and-return-to-global-warming-of-1-5c/

Disaster risk reduction

With flood waters rising, there are warnings of a “climate-induced credit crunch” as natural disasters threaten the viability of home insurance https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-15/climate-change-pushing-up-insurance-risk-data-shows/105154662

UAF drones enter the hot zone to make volcano research safer https://www.gi.alaska.edu/news/uaf-drones-enter-hot-zone-make-volcano-research-safer

NZ Wildfire risk: Data to 2023 https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/wildfire-risk-data-to-2023/

Deadly floods and storms affected more than 400,000 people in Europe in 2024 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/15/europe-storms-floods-and-wildfires-in-2024-affected-more-than-400000

Monday’s earthquake was a warning. A much worse quake is coming https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/04/16/opinion-mondays-earthquake-was-a-warning-a-much-worse-quake-is-coming/?share=soawmqmnqenramiawcwo

Emergency Management

Owners are officially no longer responsible for tourism accidents on their land – but they never really were https://theconversation.com/owners-are-officially-no-longer-responsible-for-tourism-accidents-on-their-land-but-they-never-really-were-253622

‘Wrong side of the line’ | Kentucky flood victim claims FEMA denied help over county borders https://www.wdrb.com/news/wrong-side-of-the-line-kentucky-flood-victims-denied-fema-help-over-county-borders/article_9c994bd6-96d0-497f-a8de-4a1f8e86aee5.html

Increase in extreme weather events poses ‘substantial risk’ to blood supplies, researchers warn https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-17/climate-change-blood-supplies-substantial-risk/105179316

Officials issue warning as California homeowners are faced with unexpected obstacle in wake of catastrophe https://www.yahoo.com/news/officials-issue-warning-california-homeowners-111555764.html

Disaster Education, Communications and Engagement

What is disaster resilience education? https://schools.aidr.org.au/disaster-resilience-education/what-is-disaster-resilience-education/

Disaster psychology

Beyond anxiety: Teens’ mental health suffers on Africa’s climate frontlines https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/04/10/beyond-anxiety-teens-mental-health-suffers-on-africas-climate-frontlines/

Climate change is taking a toll on Latin America’s mental health https://dialogue.earth/en/climate/climate-change-takes-its-toll-on-latin-americas-mental-health/

Rising temperatures could cause a surge in mental health disorders with young Australians most at risk https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-14/heat-mental-disorders-climate-change-research/105175234

Sociology and disasters

Placemaking and Blue Green Infrastructure for Liveable, Resilient Places: Insights from Dundee, Scotland https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/ijwg/article/view/8031/6303

Preparing Australia for future pandemics: strengthening trust, social capital and resilience https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.5694/mja2.52652

Network dynamics of community resilience and recovery: new frontier in disaster research https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212420925003139