Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Northern Sichuan records heaviest rainfall of 2025, causing flash floods and evacuations https://watchers.news/2025/09/06/northern-sichuan-heaviest-rainfall-2025-flash-floods-evacuations/
Widespread damage reported after tornado touchdown in Holden, Massachusetts https://watchers.news/2025/09/07/widespread-damage-tornado-holden-massachusetts/
Tropical Storm Peipah hits Japan, evacuation orders issued for 660 000 https://watchers.news/2025/09/05/tropical-storm-peipah-japan-evacuation-orders-660000/
Portugal’s wildfires produce record emissions with smoke headed for France and Spain https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/09/20/portugals-wildfires-produce-record-emissions-with-smoke-headed-for-france-and-spain
Up to 3 000 deaths reported after M6.0 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan https://watchers.news/2025/09/08/up-to-3-000-deaths-reported-after-m6-0-earthquake-eastern-afghanistan/
Coches 2 Fire injures 2 and destroys 6 homes in Lakeside, California https://watchers.news/2025/09/09/coches-2-fire-injures-2-and-destroys-6-homes-in-lakeside-california/
Over 1 300 structures damaged, 89 people injured as powerful JEF3 tornado hits Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan https://watchers.news/2025/09/09/89-injured-1300-structures-damaged-jef3-tornado-shizuoka-japan/
At least 25 people dead or missing after severe floods in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia https://watchers.news/2025/09/11/bali-east-nusa-tenggara-indonesia-floods-25-dead-missing/
Bushfire threatens Mowanjum Community in WA’s Kimberley https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-10/mowanjum-fire-kimberley-emergency-warning/105757100
Garnet Fire spreads into McKinley Grove of ancient sequoias, Sierra National Forest, California https://watchers.news/2025/09/10/garnet-fire-mckinley-grove-giant-sequoias-sierra-national-forest-california/
Rare tornadoes strike New South Wales, damaging properties in Caragabal https://watchers.news/2025/09/11/rare-tornadoes-strike-new-south-wales-damaging-properties-caragabal/
Volcanic activity worldwide 11 Sep 2025: Santiaguito volcano, Fuego, Karymsky, Klyuchevskoy https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/280544/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-11-Sep-2025-Santiaguito-volcano-Fuego-Karymsky-Klyuchevskoy-Popocat.html
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Climate crisis will increase frequency of lightning-sparked wildfires, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/06/climate-crisis-lightning-sparked-wildfires-increase
Accelerating increase in the duration of heatwaves under global warming https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01737-w
Discovery of North America’s role in Asia’s monsoons offers new insights into climate change https://phys.org/news/2025-09-discovery-north-america-role-asia.html
Japan and South Korea record hottest summers in history https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/1/japan-and-south-korea-record-hottest-summers-in-history
Europe’s Soaring Heat and the Great Air Conditioning Dilemma https://www.wri.org/insights/europes-heat-and-air-conditioning-dilemma
Japan shocks the world — Solar panels as strong as 20 nuclear reactors unveiled https://www.ecoticias.com/en/japan-shocks-the-world-solar-panels/19817/
Scientists find three years left of remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see/news/article/5973/scientists-find-three-years-left-of-remaining-carbon-budget-for-1-5-c
Interactive: The pathways to meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C limit https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/one-point-five-pathways/index.html
Half of all homes in Australia’s most advanced renewable grid now have rooftop solar https://reneweconomy.com.au/half-of-all-homes-in-australias-most-advanced-renewable-grid-now-have-rooftop-solar/
More than 6M kids will fall into poverty due to climate change https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/09/08/brazil-climate-change-children-poverty/4091757354291/
How to help trigger positive tipping points – and speed up climate action https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-trigger-positive-tipping-points-and-speed-up-climate-action-261407
When record heat feels strangely normal https://theconversation.com/when-record-heat-feels-strangely-normal-264515
Study Finds We’ll Lose Almost 40 Percent of Our Glacial Ice https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2025/08/28/study-finds-well-lose-almost-40-percent-of-our-glacial-ice/
Hunting the heat: four innovative ways to map urban heat https://www.preventionweb.net/news/hunting-heat-four-innovative-ways-map-urban-heat
New method helps regions prioritise climate risks https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/nieuwe-methode-helpt-regios-klimaatrisicos-gericht-te-prioriteren
The 1995 Chicago heat wave killed hundreds. A new tool aims to prevent the next tragedy https://www.preventionweb.net/news/1995-chicago-heat-wave-killed-hundreds-new-tool-aims-prevent-next-tragedy
Rethinking Flood Preparedness in the Age of Climate Extremes https://genasys.com/ebooks-whitepapers/flood-with-climate-extremes-ebook/
Climate change forces BOM to overhaul El Niño and La Niña analysis https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-09/climate-change-prompts-bom-el-nino-la-nina-analysis-overhaul/105753896
Tourism falters under extreme heat https://www.theinvadingsea.com/2025/09/03/tourism-extreme-heat-related-illnesses-climate-change-acropolis-greece-airlines-grounded-flights/
Climate Action Has a Messaging Problem https://www.wri.org/insights/rebranding-climate-action
How much have fossil fuel giants contributed to heat waves such as B.C.’s heat dome? https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/571489/How-much-have-fossil-fuel-giants-contributed-to-heat-waves-such-as-B-C-s-heat-dome-
How China is adapting to ‘more frequent and intense’ heat extremes https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-how-china-is-adapting-to-more-frequent-and-intense-heat-extremes/
EU states still fighting over crucial targets in run-up to Cop30, leaked draft shows https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/08/eu-states-still-fighting-over-crucial-targets-in-run-up-to-cop30-leaked-draft-shows
Carbon emissions from oil giants directly linked to dozens of deadly heatwaves for first time https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/10/link-oil-giants-heatwaves-research-legal-liability
Quarter of heatwaves this century ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change, study finds https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-09-11/heatwaves-more-likely-climate-change-nature-major-emitters/105747138
Wind and solar power fuel over one-third of Brazil’s electricity for first time https://www.castanet.net/news/World/571707/Wind-and-solar-power-fuel-over-one-third-of-Brazil-s-electricity-for-first-time
Climate action can feel slow – but the fastest energy leap in history has begun https://theconversation.com/climate-action-can-feel-slow-but-the-fastest-energy-leap-in-history-has-begun-264483
Disaster risk reduction
Multiday Precipitation Is a Prominent Driver of Floods in Indian River Basins https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022WR032723
Germany’s 2021 flood could have been much worse https://www.climatechangepost.com/news/germanys-2021-flood-could-have-been-much-worse/
The next generation of wildfire risk models must account for the built environment https://headwaterseconomics.org/natural-hazards/wildfire/wildfire-risk-models-built-environment/
GAR Special Report 2024 Forensic Insights for Future Resilience: Learning from Past Disasters https://www.undrr.org/gar/gar2024-special-report
Insurers have detailed data on your home’s flood risk. So, why don’t you? https://theconversation.com/insurers-have-detailed-data-on-your-homes-flood-risk-so-why-dont-you-264110
AI model reveals hidden earthquake swarms and faults in Italy’s Campi Flegrei https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/ai-model-reveals-hidden-earthquake-swarms-and-faults-italys-campi-flegrei
Your home has a 1 in 4 chance of being at severe risk from extreme weather https://grist.org/extreme-weather/your-home-has-a-1-in-4-chance-of-being-at-severe-risk-from-extreme-weather/
UH researchers call for new standards for building in coastal flood zones https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/09/02/building-coastal-flood-zones/
NOAA’s transformative Flood Inundation Mapping expands to 60% of U.S. https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaas-transformative-flood-inundation-mapping-expands-to-60-of-us
AI Predicts More “Super Floods” and “Extreme Droughts” for Pakistan https://www.postech.ac.kr/eng/research/research_results.do
Workshop explores potential for AI in weather prediction https://wmo.int/media/news/workshop-explores-potential-ai-weather-prediction
As storms become more extreme, it’s time to rethink how we design roofs https://theconversation.com/as-storms-become-more-extreme-its-time-to-rethink-how-we-design-roofs-263036
Studying how people are injured inside buildings during earthquakes could improve safety and survival https://engineering.berkeley.edu/news/2025/09/preparing-for-the-next-big-one/
Strengthening national disaster risk management systems through integration of anticipatory action https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/strengthening-national-disaster-risk-management-systems
A Block-Level Categorical Flood Risk Mapping to Aid Shelter Location https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfr3.70119
Emergency Management
Technology to prevent power line faults sparking bushfires trialled https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-06/power-line-fault-detection-designed-to-prevent-bushfires/105684514
Unlocking East-West Collaboration for Early Warnings for All in Europe https://wmo.int/media/magazine-article/unlocking-east-west-collaboration-early-warnings-all-europe
How Europe lost an area the size of Cyprus to wildfires this year https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/09/05/climate-change/europe-wildfires-lost-area-size/
California’s wildfire fight takes a new turn with cross-border partnership https://internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com/californias-wildfire-fight-takes-a-new-turn-with-cross-border-partnership/
Community foundations in the Southern Interior join forces to finance wildfire research https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/571623/Community-foundations-in-the-Southern-Interior-join-forces-to-finance-wildfire-research
Study estimates 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke caused more than 80,000 deaths globally https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/571542/Study-estimates-2023-Canadian-wildfire-smoke-caused-more-than-80-000-deaths-globally
Increasing wildfires drive demand for De Havilland Canada’s new waterbomber https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/increasing-wildfires-drive-demand-de-havilland-canadas-new-waterbomber-2025-09-11/
Disaster Education, Communications and Engagement
Raw footage: Latvian locals get new flood warning app https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096231
Sirens blare from millions of phones in national test of emergency alerts https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lx9x251xgo
Building resilience through bushfire preparedness workshops https://burnetttoday.com.au/news/2025/09/08/building-resilience-through-bushfire-preparedness-workshops/
Disaster psychology
What motivates people’s behaviors before and after a disaster strikes https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EjFbeNvkh5EY4W2yJLqGa
Study finds extreme weather changes who migrates, not just how many https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/study-finds-extreme-weather-changes-who-migrates-not-just-how-many
Sociology and disasters
Natural Disasters and Rehabilitation: Post-Disaster Aid, Corruption, Misallocation, and Mistargeting https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sd.70225
Linking Social Infrastructure and Social Capital: Barangay Halls and Basketball Courts as Cornerstones of Community Resilience https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393759520_Linking_Social_Infrastructure_and_Social_Capital_Barangay_Halls_and_Basketball_Courts_as_Cornerstones_of_Community_Resilience
How Do Natural Disasters Affect Regional Innovation? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jors.70019
Disaster Resilience News 