Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Water rescues and landslides reported in California as next Pacific storm aims West Coast https://watchers.news/2026/02/17/water-rescues-and-landslides-reported-in-california-as-next-pacific-storm-aims-west-coast/
Storm Nils leaves 3 dead, record flooding and widespread outages in France https://watchers.news/2026/02/17/storm-nils-leaves-3-dead-record-flooding-and-widespread-outages-in-france/
Tropical Cyclone Gezani leaves at least 63 dead across Madagascar and Mozambique https://watchers.news/2026/02/17/tropical-cyclone-gezani-leaves-at-least-63-dead-across-madagascar-and-mozambique/
Ranger Road Fire doubles in size in one day, reaching over 114 650 ha (283 000 acres) in Kansas-Oklahoma https://watchers.news/2026/02/19/ranger-road-fire-doubles-in-size-in-one-day-reaching-over-114-650-ha-283-000-acres-in-kansas-oklahoma/
Eight skiers confirmed dead, Castle Peak Avalanche is now the second deadliest in the modern U.S. https://watchers.news/2026/02/19/eight-skiers-confirmed-dead-castle-peak-avalanche-is-now-the-second-deadliest-in-the-modern-u-s/
Floods during the 2025–26 rainy season leave 223 dead and 860 000 affected across Mozambique https://watchers.news/2026/02/18/floods-during-the-2025-26-rainy-season-leave-223-dead-and-860-000-affected-across-mozambique/
Volcanic activity worldwide 18 Feb 2026: Santiaguito volcano, Pacaya, Fuego, Popocatépetl, Soputan https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/295251/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-18-Feb-2026-Santiaguito-volcano-Pacaya-Fuego-Popocatepetl-Soputan.html
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
What northern NZ’s wet and sticky summer reveals about our warming atmosphere https://theconversation.com/what-northern-nzs-wet-and-sticky-summer-reveals-about-our-warming-atmosphere-276157
‘Daunting but doable’: Europe urged to prepare for 3C of global heating https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/16/europe-climate-advisory-board-3c-global-heating
Global warming forced scientists to change the way they look at El Niño https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/17/weather/el-nino-global-warming-pacific-ocean
EU climate science advisory board calls for strengthened adaptation policy in new report https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/eu-climate-science-advisory-board-calls-for-strengthened-adaptation-policy-in-new-report
Global warming must peak below 2°C to limit tipping point risks https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/global-warming-must-peak-below-2degc-to-limit-tipping-point-risks
Dramatic changes in upper atmosphere are responsible for recent droughts and bushfires: new research https://theconversation.com/dramatic-changes-in-upper-atmosphere-are-responsible-for-recent-droughts-and-bushfires-new-research-275792
Climate feedback of forest fires amplified by atmospheric chemistry https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-026-01926-1
Researchers connect Antarctic gravity low to past Antarctic climate and ice-sheet evolution https://watchers.news/epicenter/researchers-connect-antarctic-gravity-low-to-past-antarctic-climate-and-ice-sheet-evolution/
Study finds global increase in hot, dry days ideal for wildfires https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/18/study-wildfires-danger
Disaster risk reduction
A Critical Review of Infrastructure Resilience in Fast-Growing, Hot, and Arid Cities of the Global South https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210670726001253
Grandmothers of invention: A commentary on fifty years of hazards and disasters research and practice in the United States https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590061726000116
Integrating Sustainability into Urban Planning: A Systematic Review of Policies Addressing Hazard Risks and Climate Change https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/4/2068
Comparing Observed and Projected Changes in Australian Fire Climates https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/7/4/113
Are we prepared to protect what matters most? https://www.preventionweb.net/news/are-we-prepared-protect-what-matters-most
The future of Atlantic hurricane tracks https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/02/the-future-of-atlantic-hurricane-tracks/
5 Facts on Wildfires https://unu.edu/ehs/article/5-facts-wildfires
Emergency Management
3 big changes are proposed for FEMA. This is what experts really think of them https://www.npr.org/2026/02/17/nx-s1-5698320/fema-reform-trump-hurricane-earthquake
Local resilience in the rural Northern Sweden: challenges and opportunities in disaster management https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-025-07806-y
Assessing the temporal qualities of indirect impacts of flooding on traffic https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/assessing-temporal-qualities-indirect-impacts-flooding
Early Warnings for All intiative (EW4All): January 2026 updates https://www.preventionweb.net/news/early-warnings-all-intiative-ew4all-january-2026-updates
Time poverty and disaster readiness: How routine constraints shape hurricane preparation https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/time-poverty-and-disaster-readiness-how-routine-constraints
France’s FR-Alert: The role of mobile network operators in Early Warning Systems https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/frances-fr-alert-role-mobile-network-operators-early-warning
Disaster Education, Communications and Engagement
Gains of Volunteers, a Key Stakeholder in Disaster Response, on Disaster Preparedness https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/jhsem-2025-0030/html
Disaster psychology
Shaping Risk Perception in Mountain Communities: From Community Resilience to Personal Tendency in Landslide- and Debris-Flow-Prone Regions of China https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sd.70810
Sociology and disasters
Development and Diffusion of the Social Capital Index (SoCI) https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/15/2/138
How Right-of-Way Adaptations Support Urban Resilience: Pandemic Streateries and Social Interactions in Seattle’s University District https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01944363.2025.2580475
Hazard Note 10: Healing Country through Wiradjuri and Wolgalu-led land management https://www.naturalhazards.com.au/resources/resources/hazard-note-10-healing-country-through-wiradjuri-and-wolgalu-led-land
Disaster Resilience News 