Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Over 200 killed by heavy rains, flooding and storms across Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe https://watchers.news/2026/01/17/over-200-killed-by-heavy-rains-flooding-and-storms-across-mozambique-south-africa-and-zimbabwe/
State of Emergency declared for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky after extreme snow kills 2, Russia https://watchers.news/2026/01/18/state-of-emergency-declared-for-petropavlovsk-kamchatsky-after-extreme-snow-kills-2-russia/
Rapidly spreading wildfires claim at least 16 lives in Ñuble and Biobío, Chile https://watchers.news/2026/01/18/rapidly-spreading-wildfires-claim-at-least-16-lives-in-nuble-and-biobio-chile/
Chile declares ‘state of catastrophe’ as deadly wildfires menace cities https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7ypw4rjrzo
Woman killed, homes damaged as heavy rainfall and landslides strike New South Wales, Australia https://watchers.news/2026/01/19/woman-killed-homes-damaged-as-heavy-rainfall-and-landslides-strike-new-south-wales-australia/
Shallow M5.6 earthquake kills one and damages dozens of homes in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan https://watchers.news/2026/01/20/shallow-m5-6-earthquake-kills-one-and-damages-dozens-of-homes-in-gilgit-baltistan-pakistan/
Volcanic activity worldwide 21 Jan 2026: Santiaguito volcano, Fuego, Popocatépetl, Tangkubanparahu https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/292576/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-21-Jan-2026-Santiaguito-volcano-Fuego-Popocatepetl-Tangkubanparahu.html
Record-breaking rainfall leaves dead and missing in New Zealand https://watchers.news/2026/01/22/record-breaking-rainfall-leaves-dead-and-missing-in-new-zealand/
At least 5 dead in Tunisia after the heaviest rain in 70 years https://watchers.news/2026/01/22/5-dead-flood-tunisia-heaviest-rain-in-70-years-january-2026/
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Scientists discover Greenland’s ‘Achilles heel’ that is driving its rapid ice melt https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-greenlands-achilles-heel-sediment-that-rapidly-driving-ice-loss/
By 2100, year-round navigation of the Arctic Ocean https://www.climatechangepost.com/news/by-2100-year-round-navigation-of-the-arctic-ocean/
Australia’s climate hit regions will need fit-for-future science and modelling https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-climate-hit-regions-will-need-fit-for-future-science-and-modelling/
Water cycle instability drove global water-related disasters in 2025 https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/water-cycle-instability-drove-global-water-related-disasters-in-2025
Major river deltas are sinking faster than sea-level rise https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/01/science-sinking-river-deltas.html
More than 120 giga-scale battery projects planned around world in 2026, as costs continue to fall https://reneweconomy.com.au/more-than-120-giga-scale-battery-projects-planned-around-world-in-2026-as-costs-continue-to-fall/
Urban Greenery Is Making Some Cities Hotter, Study Finds https://e360.yale.edu/digest/urban-greenery-heat
WMO and IWMI strengthen cooperation on Climate and Water Resilience https://wmo.int/media/update/wmo-and-iwmi-strengthen-cooperation-climate-and-water-resilience
How climate change is making extreme rainfall events like the Great Ocean Road flooding more frequent and intense https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-16/victoria-floods-climate-change-and-extreme-rainfall/106237516
Greening school playgrounds improves quality of life in cities and helps deal with climate change https://www.uoc.edu/en/news/2026/greening-school-playgrounds-health-climate-uoc
Heatwaves, extreme heat, and heat stress https://www.preventionweb.net/knowledge-base/hazards/heatwave
Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from just 32 fossil fuel firms, study shows https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/21/carbon-dioxide-co2-emissions-fossil-fuel-firms-study
NZ is again being soaked this summer – record ocean heat helps explain it https://theconversation.com/nz-is-again-being-soaked-this-summer-record-ocean-heat-helps-explain-it-274013
Humidity quietly turning U.S. heat waves into a far deadlier threat https://watchers.news/epicenter/humidity-quietly-turning-u-s-heat-waves-into-a-far-deadlier-threat/
In Europe, Wind and Solar Overtake Fossil Fuels https://e360.yale.edu/digest/europe-wind-solar-fossil-fuels
Shaping a cooler Bangkok: Tackling urban heat for a more livable city https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/shaping-cooler-bangkok-tackling-urban-heat-more-livable-city
Climate change increased the chance of intense Australian heatwave fivefold, study finds https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-23/climate-change-increased-australian-heatwave-january-study/106253192
Disaster risk reduction
Global Risks Report 2026: Geopolitical and economic risks rise in new age of competition https://www.preventionweb.net/news/global-risks-report-2026-geopolitical-and-economic-risks-rise-new-age-competition
WMO, GWP launch global flood forecasting community to strengthen early warnings https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/science-environment/3740567-wmo-gwp-launch-global-flood-forecasting-community-to-strengthen-early-warnings
Flood Forecasting and Warning (E2E-EWS-FF) Community https://waterclimatecommunities.info/group/73/about
Atmospheric rivers are associated with nine out of every 10 floods in major global river basins https://www.nature.com/articles/s44304-026-00167-x
Report on global losses in 2025 due to disasters related to natural hazards https://www.munichre.com/en/company/media-relations/media-information-and-corporate-news/media-information/2026/natural-disaster-figures-2025.html
A description of each of the 281 hazard information profiles (HIPs)developed by scientists and experts across the globe https://www.preventionweb.net/drr-glossary/hips
New study reveals earth system models overestimate river flow increases https://www.preventionweb.net/news/new-study-reveals-earth-system-models-overestimate-river-flow-increases
When lightning strikes: Models of multi-ignition wildfires could predict catastrophic events https://www.llnl.gov/article/53926/when-lightning-strikes-models-multi-ignition-wildfires-could-predict-catastrophic-events
Unequal evidence and impacts, limits to adaptation: Extreme weather in 2025 https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/unequal-evidence-and-impacts-limits-adaptation-extreme
Climate mode interactions amplify coastal flood risks and their seasonal predictability https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01903-0
From Wildfire Risk to Resilience: The Investment Case for Action https://www.weforum.org/publications/from-wildfire-risk-to-resilience-the-investment-case-for-action-2026/
Value Yes, Chain No: Warnings Beyond Linearity https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/warning-research-centre/2026/01/21/value-yes-chain-no-warnings-beyond-linearity/
Lightning-triggered fire mergers are driving the world’s worst wildfire years https://watchers.news/epicenter/lightning-triggered-fire-mergers-are-driving-the-worlds-worst-wildfire-years/
A year of evidence showing the impact of disaster risk reduction https://www.preventionweb.net/news/year-evidence-showing-impact-disaster-risk-reduction
Plagued by Flooding, an African City Reengineers Its Wetlands https://e360.yale.edu/features/kigali-rwanda-wetland-restoration
Rockfall: An Increasing Hazard due to Climate Change https://riskfrontiers.com/insights/rockfall-hazard-climate-change/
Can pre-disaster community resilience enhance post-disaster recovery? A natural experiment from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6099442
Emergency Management
‘People saw dollar signs’: a year after devastating wildfires, an LA community is fighting displacement https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/18/altadena-wildfire-displacement
Learnings to strengthen anticipatory action for cyclones in Madagascar https://www.preventionweb.net/news/learnings-strengthen-anticipatory-action-cyclones-madagascar
China inaugurates university specializing in emergency management https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202601/20/WS696ed774a310d6866eb34a43.html
Disaster Education, Communications and Engagement
Playing seriously: Stop Disasters! Adapt our cities to climate change https://www.preventionweb.net/drr-community-voices/playing-seriously-stop-disasters-adapt-our-cities-climate-change
No power, no phone, no radio: why comms dropped out during the central Victorian fires https://theconversation.com/no-power-no-phone-no-radio-why-comms-dropped-out-during-the-central-victorian-fires-273234
More floods are coming. Here’s what actually works to help people prepare https://theconversation.com/more-floods-are-coming-heres-what-actually-works-to-help-people-prepare-273694
Disaster psychology
What makes people more likely to give to charity after a disaster: new research https://theconversation.com/what-makes-people-more-likely-to-give-to-charity-after-a-disaster-new-research-273217
After the disaster, living for today https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/01/after-the-disaster-living-for-today/
The effect of evacuation decisions on flash flood preparedness in Fujairah, UAE: When the waters rise are we ready in desert country? https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/effect-evacuation-decisions-flash-flood-preparedness
Sociology and disasters
When survival is organized locally: Perspectives of community resilience by collective action to flooding in three informal settlements of Douala, Cameroon https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590061726000086
Severe weather is deadly for vulnerable older adults long after the storm ends, study finds https://news.umich.edu/severe-weather-is-deadly-for-vulnerable-older-adults-long-after-the-storm-ends-study-finds/
As we begin to assess the fire damage in Victoria, we must not overlook these hidden costs https://theconversation.com/as-we-begin-to-assess-the-fire-damage-in-victoria-we-must-not-overlook-these-hidden-costs-273218
Combined benefits of multi-hazard early warnings on human mobility resilience to tropical cyclones https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378025001487
Vertical vulnerability and exposure of people in the context of disaster risk at the building, city and regional level https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420926000324
Disaster Resilience News 