Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Record rainfall and strong winds trigger State of Emergency in New Zealand https://watchers.news/2025/05/03/record-rainfall-strong-winds-state-of-emergency-new-zealand/
Intense hailstorm hits Paris, France https://watchers.news/2025/05/04/intense-hailstorm-paris-france/
Tornado hits Burnet County, Texas, damaging homes and injuring one https://watchers.news/2025/05/03/tornado-burnet-county-texas-damaging-homes-injuring-one/
Shallow M5.4 earthquake, series of aftershocks hit Texas–New Mexico border region https://watchers.news/2025/05/04/m54-earthquake-texas-new-mexico-border/
Severe floods claim one life, destroy 35 homes in Los Olivares, Colombia https://watchers.news/2025/05/05/severe-floods-damage-los-olivares-colombia/
Flash floods in Jordan claim two lives, prompt evacuation of 1 700 in Petra https://watchers.news/2025/05/05/flash-floods-jordan-two-dead-evacuation-petra/
Extensive damage reported after suspected tornado hits Guadeloupe https://watchers.news/2025/05/05/tornado-damage-belcourt-baie-mahault-guadeloupe/
A severe drought crisis takes over Africa with conditions worsening across the continent https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/a-severe-drought-crisis-takes-over-africa-with-conditions-worsening-across-the-continent/191900/
Volcanic activity worldwide 7 May 2025: Santiaguito volcano, Fuego, Semeru, Ibu, Dukono, Marapi https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/270967/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-7-May-2025-Santiaguito-volcano-Fuego-Semeru-Ibu-Dukono-Marapi-Rev.html
Record rainfall impacts New Orleans as severe storms move through Louisiana https://watchers.news/2025/05/08/record-rainfall-new-orleans-severe-storms-louisiana/
Severe weather in Iran claims 9 lives, injures 86 https://watchers.news/2025/05/08/severe-weather-iran-claims-9-lives-injures-86/
Flash flooding in Las Vegas Valley leaves man missing as storm breaks rainfall records https://watchers.news/2025/05/07/flash-flood-las-vegas-valley-rainfall-records/
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Unprecedented heatwave causes mass bleaching of Ningaloo, Kimberley reefs https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/unprecedented-heatwave-causes-mass-bleaching-of-ningaloo-kimberley-reefs-20250501-p5lvmh.html
Surprising, but not unexpected, multi-decadal pause in Arctic sea ice loss https://essopenarchive.org/users/907810/articles/1281734-surprising-but-not-unexpected-multi-decadal-pause-in-arctic-sea-ice-loss
Climate change will surprise us, but so-called ‘tipping points’ may lead us astray https://thebulletin.org/premium/2025-03/climate-change-will-surprise-us-but-so-called-tipping-points-may-lead-us-astray/
Scientists issue dire warning after making frightening discovery in the Atlantic Ocean: ‘Sudden, wide-reaching impacts’ https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/arctic-ocean-current-amoc-collapse-freshwater/
Warming Doubled the Odds of Record Fires in South Korea https://e360.yale.edu/digest/south-korea-fires-climate-change
Warming oceans and atmosphere visualized in new climate stripes study https://phys.org/news/2025-05-oceans-atmosphere-visualized-climate-stripes.html
Two Britons to challenge UK’s ‘weak’ response to climate crisis in Strasbourg court https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/05/two-britons-to-challenge-uk-weak-response-to-climate-crisis-in-european-echr-court
How will 13 million farmers fight back against sea level rise? https://phys.org/news/2025-05-million-farmers-sea.html
Wildfire smoke and extreme heat can occur together: Preparing for the combined health effects of a hot, smoky future https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smoke-and-extreme-heat-can-occur-together-preparing-for-the-combined-health-effects-of-a-hot-smoky-future-252245
Increasing urban vegetation could have saved over 1.1m lives in two decades https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/increasing-urban-vegetation-could-have-saved-over-1.1m-lives-in-two-decades
What would change your mind about climate change? We asked 5,000 Australians – here’s what they told us https://theconversation.com/what-would-change-your-mind-about-climate-change-we-asked-5-000-australians-heres-what-they-told-us-254329
A thematic analysis of what Australians state would change their minds on climate change https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-96714-z
Capable of Powering 1.1 Million Homes, the First of 64 Offshore Wind Turbines Rises Above the North Sea https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/capable-of-powering-1-1-millon-homes-the-first-of-64-offshore-wind-turbines-rises-above-the-north-sea/
Giant iceberg reveals life from a century ago hidden beneath a block the size of Chicago https://www.earth.com/news/giant-iceberg-reveals-life-from-a-century-ago-hidden-beneath/
More than 40% of electricity used in Australia’s main power grid at start of year was renewable https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/07/more-than-40-of-electricity-used-in-australias-main-power-grid-at-start-of-year-was-renewable
High-income groups disproportionately contribute to climate extremes worldwide https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02325-x
The climate crisis is a significant threat to Kenya, impacting its environment, economy, and society https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/how-climate-crisis-impacting-kenya
Climate change-driven heatwaves hit Delhi’s Red Fort market traders https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/05/01/climate-driven-heatwaves-hit-delhis-red-fort-market-traders/
Tandem heat-wave-drought events across Eurasia amplified by global warming, new study finds https://phys.org/news/2025-05-tandem-drought-events-eurasia-amplified.html
Bangladesh Govt approves 29 projects under climate trust fund to combat climate change https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/environment/govt-approves-29-projects-under-climate-trust-fund-to-combat-climate-change
Disaster risk reduction
Stand Up for NOAA Research – The Time to Act is Now https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/about-ams/ams-statements/statements-of-the-ams-in-force/stand-up-for-noaa-research-the-time-to-act-is-now/
Community-based resilience-building: A UNDP guidance note https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/community-based-resilience-building-undp-guidance-note
Understanding and Addressing Disaster Risk https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781003292814/understanding-addressing-disaster-risk-ben-wisner-irasema-alc%C3%A1ntara-ayala-jc-gaillard-victor-marchezini-ilan-kelman
Development and Disasters https://practicalactionpublishing.com/book/3006/development-and-disasters
Journey of a Cultural Fire Practitioner – Koorin Campbell https://vimeo.com/970348281
Emergency Management
The Challenge of Overhauling FEMA In a Climate Changed World https://time.com/7282225/challenge-trump-fema-overhaul-climate-change-disasters/
On the First Sunday in May at Noon Please Sound Off in Respect of Past Firefighters https://www.firefightersday.org/
Months after the fire, many Altadena residents still don’t have internet https://laist.com/news/los-angeles-fire-internet-eaton-palisades
Homeowners devastated by wildfires are now facing a new threat — here’s what’s happening https://www.yahoo.com/news/homeowners-devastated-wildfires-now-facing-104533615.html
Most forest fires in Cyprus deliberately set, authorities say https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/local/cyprus-forest-fires-deliberate-aerial-fleet-expands/
Disaster Education, Communications and Engagement
The Role of Sociovirtualization in Building Resilient Online Communities https://londonic.uk/js/index.php/ljbeh/article/view/318
What are the primary threats to homes during a wildfire? https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/preparing-homes-for-wildfire
Crisis Mini-Games https://www.preventionweb.net/news/crisis-mini-games
From game to reality: How a blackout across Europe reinforced the urgency of resilience planning https://captrs.org/from-game-to-reality-how-a-blackout-across-europe-reinforced-the-urgency-of-resilience-planning/
Cheap and easy ways to stock your emergency go bag https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/nx-s1-5320173/budget-emergency-go-bag
Disaster psychology
Psychological Effects of Sudden Himalayan Floods https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/disaster-by-choice/202504/psychological-effects-of-sudden-himalayan-floods
Mental Health First Aid in Bangladesh: 10 Years of Progress https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/disaster-by-choice/202504/mental-health-first-aid-in-bangladesh-10-years-of-progress
Sociology and disasters
Rapid review on healthy ageing interventions that incorporate action on climate change and sustainability in cities and communities https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829225000243
The role of social capital in strengthening community resilience against floods: A case study of Mumbai, India https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212096324001025
Misconstrued anticipations? Disaster politics in the age of disinformation https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003537311-8/misconstrued-anticipations-disaster-politics-age-disinformation-miriam-matejova
Exploring Socio-Spatial Inequalities in Flood Response Using Flood Simulation and Social Media Data: A Case Study of 2020 Flood in Nanjing, China https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/13/5/92
Working equids supporting women’s disaster risk management https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/dpm-04-2025-431/full/html
PrepTalks: Dr. Daniel Aldrich “Social Capital in Disaster Mitigation and Recovery” https://www.fema.gov/blog/preptalks-dr-daniel-aldrich-social-capital-disaster-mitigation-and-recovery
Disaster Resilience News 