Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Schools closed, ashfall reported after explosive eruption at Kanlaon volcano, Philippines https://watchers.news/2026/03/16/schools-closed-ashfall-reported-after-explosive-eruption-at-kanlaon-volcano-philippines/
Morrill Fire becomes largest in Nebraska history as statewide fires top 243 000 ha (600 000 acres) https://watchers.news/2026/03/16/morrill-fire-becomes-largest-in-nebraska-history-as-statewide-fires-top-243-000-ha-600-000-acres/
Rare tornado kills 2 in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, India https://watchers.news/2026/03/16/rare-tornado-kills-2-in-odishas-mayurbhanj-district-india/
Kona low brings extreme rainfall to Maui and Oʻahu, causing flooding and landslides across Hawaiʻi https://watchers.news/2026/03/19/kona-low-extreme-rainfall-flooding-landslides-hawaii-march-2026/
Kenya flood death toll rises to 71 as forecasters warn of renewed heavy rainfall https://watchers.news/2026/03/18/kenya-flood-death-toll-rises-to-71-as-forecasters-warn-of-renewed-heavy-rainfall/
Severe thunderstorms kill 19, injure over 50 in Karachi, Pakistan https://watchers.news/2026/03/19/severe-thunderstorms-kill-19-injure-over-50-in-karachi-pakistan/
Storm Therese brings heavy rainfall, flood and landslide risk to Canary Islands, Spain https://watchers.news/2026/03/19/storm-therese-brings-heavy-rainfall-flood-and-landslide-risk-to-canary-islands-spain/
Tropical Cyclone Narelle live updates: Far North Queensland takes cover as severe system tears into coast https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-20/tropical-cyclone-narelle-live-updates-friday/106472282
Volcanic activity worldwide 19 Mar 2026: Fuego volcano, Popocatépetl, Merapi, Semeru, Shiveluch https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/298001/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-19-Mar-2026-Fuego-volcano-Popocatepetl-Merapi-Semeru-Shiveluch-Ib.html
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Summer in March? Unusual Heat Wave Descends on Already Parched Western U.S. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13032026/march-heat-wave-western-united-states/
El Nino is likely to return this year, but its strength and impacts remain uncertain https://abcnews.com/US/el-nino-return-year-strength-impacts-remain-uncertain/story
Extreme heat has extreme effects–but some like it hot https://news.ubc.ca/2026/03/extreme-heat-has-extreme-effects-but-some-like-it-hot/
Better climate change adaptation through transformative innovation – enabling conditions and future perspectives https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/better-climate-change-adaptation-through-transformative
Raising confidence in climate projections: The past to future approach https://www.preventionweb.net/news/raising-confidence-climate-projections-past-future-approach
Half of people in Germany say their home is not ready for heatwaves – survey https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/half-people-germany-say-their-home-not-ready-heatwaves-survey
Extreme Heat Risk Governance Framework and Toolkit https://www.undrr.org/publication/documents-and-publications/extreme-heat-risk-governance-framework-and-toolkit
Deep ocean control of global temperature after net-zero emissions https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-026-01934-1
Under the same sky, climate change brings drought to Somalia and floods to Kenya https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260315-under-the-same-sky-climate-change-brings-drought-to-somalia-and-floods-to-kenya
Sea levels are rising at a rate not seen in over 4,000 years, and the world’s biggest cities are on the front lines https://www.earth.com/news/sea-levels-are-rising-faster-than-they-have-in-4000-years-world-biggest-cities-at-risk/
Substantial accumulation rates on a glacier avalanche cone from time-lapse photogrammetry and field measurements https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-786/
Why global warming is accelerating and what it means for the future https://www.newscientist.com/article/2519386-why-global-warming-is-accelerating-and-what-it-means-for-the-future/
Typhoons: The Hidden Lifeline in a Drying World https://postech.ac.kr/eng/research/research_results.do
Indigenous‑led renewable energy projects offer benefits that reach far beyond reducing carbon emissions https://theconversation.com/indigenous-led-renewable-energy-projects-offer-benefits-that-reach-far-beyond-reducing-carbon-emissions-276612
African coastlines face unprecedented sea level surge crisis https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2026-03-18-african-coastlines-face-unprecedented-sea-level-surge-crisis-1
Disaster risk reduction
Unplanned urbanisation fuels landslide disasters amid emerging rainfall trends https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/unplanned-urbanisation-fuels-landslide-disasters-amid-emerging-rainfall-trends/
Reducing risk together: moving towards a more holistic approach to multi-hazard and multi-risk assessment and management https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/26/1325/2026/
A probabilistic performance-based framework for heat vulnerability and risk assessment of buildings https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221242092600097X
As wildfires intensify, UB researchers test if AI can improve fire spread prediction https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2026/03/ai-wildfire-spread-prediction.html
Assessing vulnerability of rural buildings to tornadoes and their relationships with building attributes and surrounding land uses https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/assessing-vulnerability-rural-buildings-tornadoes-and-their
Massive 2011 Tohoku earthquake spurred development of modern tsunami forecast systems https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/news-story/massive-2011-tohoku-earthquake-spurred-development-modern-tsunami-forecast-systems
AI weather models show promise for hurricane forecasts, but new Rice study finds key physical limitations https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/ai-weather-models-show-promise-hurricane-forecasts-new-rice-study-finds-key-physical
Unplanned urbanisation fuels landslide disasters amid emerging rainfall trends https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/unplanned-urbanisation-fuels-landslide-disasters-amid-emerging-rainfall-trends/
First world map shows impact of the tidal pulse in coastal rivers https://www.tum.de/en/news-and-events/all-news/press-releases/details/first-world-map-shows-impact-of-the-tidal-pulse-in-coastal-rivers
Volcano hazards in Hawai‘i: managed risk and tailored recovery https://domesticpreparedness.com/articles/volcano-hazards-in-hawaii-managed-risk-and-tailored-recovery/
In the wake of fire, how South Korea is climate-proofing its forests and communities https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/wake-fire-how-south-korea-climate-proofing-its-forests-and-communities
Emergency Management
Swiss mountainside fault grows as evacuation plans prepared https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-adaptation/swiss-mountainside-fault-grows-as-evacuation-plans-prepared/91073612
Victorian bushfires 2026: Longwood fire post-event field survey https://www.preventionweb.net/news/victorian-bushfires-2026-longwood-fire-post-event-field-survey
Satellite data reconstructs 2025 LA fires, showing rapid spread in first day https://www.preventionweb.net/news/satellite-data-reconstructs-2025-la-fires-showing-rapid-spread-first-day
China deploys its first forest fire robot — tripling firebreak speed! https://www.preventionweb.net/news/china-deploys-its-first-forest-fire-robot-tripling-firebreak-speed
‘Disaster inertia’: why must NZ keep relearning the same lessons from extreme events? https://theconversation.com/disaster-inertia-why-must-nz-keep-relearning-the-same-lessons-from-extreme-events-278192
Disaster Education Communications and Engagement
Stop Disasters Game https://www.stopdisastersgame.org/game/
Be Tsunami Ready: Invest in Tsunami Preparedness https://tsunamiday.undrr.org/learn-wtad
World Meteorological Day 2026 – 23 March https://wmo.int/site/world-meteorological-day-2026-23-march
What disaster preparedness experts have packed in their go bags https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/climate-change-extreme-weather-disaster-preparedness-expert-tips
Disaster psychology
Mental health crisis after 2023 Maui wildfires extends beyond burn zones https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/03/11/mauiwes-mental-health-crisis/
Dépaysement: Mental Health Impacts as the Environment Changes https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/disaster-by-choice/202603/depaysement-mental-health-impacts-as-the-environment-changes
Despite escalating flood events worldwide, half of residents living in flood-vulnerable coastal areas have not had a single conversation about flood risk or climate adaptation with anyone in their social network https://www.sra.org/2026/03/11/half-of-people-living-in-flood-prone-areas-never-discuss-climate-risks-with-anyone-new-international-study-finds/
Sociology and disasters
Uneven paths: Soft Policy’s benefits to recovery in Louisiana Parishes after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479722012956
Participatory forensic investigations of disasters (PARFORIN): Including people in collective disaster risk analysis through social cartography https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/participatory-forensic-investigations-disasters-parforin
Indigenous Australians always come off worst in disasters. This needs to stop https://theconversation.com/indigenous-australians-always-come-off-worst-in-disasters-this-needs-to-stop-278071
When Artificial Intelligence Meets Cultural Knowledge: Forecasting Storm Surge Risks, Predicting Disaster Preparedness, and Building Resilient Coastal Communities in the Philippines https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm
Exploring climate resilience in a low-middle income country: The impact of socio-economic incentives on informal workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan https://www.preventionweb.net/resource/case-study/exploring-climate-resilience-low-middle-income-country-impact-socio-economic
Disaster Resilience News 