Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Severe flooding leaves 6 dead, over 6 000 homes inundated and 1.5 million affected in Dagestan, Russia https://watchers.news/2026/04/07/severe-flooding-leaves-6-dead-over-6-000-homes-inundated-1-5-million-affected-dagestan-russia-april-2026/
Typhoon Sinlaku forecast to reach super typhoon strength before nearing the Marianas, Typhoon Warnings issued for Rota, Tinian and Saipan https://watchers.news/2026/04/12/typhoon-sinlaku-forecast-to-reach-super-typhoon-strength-before-nearing-the-marianas-typhoon-warnings-issued-for-rota-tinian-and-saipan/
Tropical Cyclone Maila triggers deadly landslides and severe flooding in Bougainville and eastern Papua New Guinea https://watchers.news/2026/04/13/tropical-cyclone-maila-deadly-landslides-severe-flooding-bougainville-eastern-papua-new-guinea-april-2026/
Severe flash flooding disrupts Riyadh and eastern Saudi Arabia, prompting widespread school closures https://watchers.news/2026/04/13/severe-flash-flooding-disrupts-riyadh-saudi-arabia-school-closures-april-2026/
Cyclone Vaianu brings destructive winds, heavy rain and widespread disruption to New Zealand’s North Island https://watchers.news/2026/04/13/cyclone-vaianu-brings-destructive-winds-heavy-rain-disruption-new-zealand-april-2026/
Multiple tornadoes hit Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin during April 13 severe weather outbreak https://watchers.news/2026/04/14/tornado-kansas-minnesota-iowa-wisconsin-severe-weather-outbreak-april-13-2026/
At least 45 killed as floods and landslides hit Luanda and Benguela, Angola https://watchers.news/2026/04/15/at-least-45-killed-as-floods-and-landslides-hit-luanda-and-benguela-angola/
Floods and landslides leave 15 dead and damage over 28 000 homes in Ecuador https://watchers.news/2026/04/15/floods-and-landslides-leave-15-dead-and-damage-over-28-000-homes-in-ecuador/
Remote Papua New Guinea landslide kills 10 after days of heavy rain and flooding brought by Cyclone Maila https://watchers.news/2026/04/16/remote-papua-new-guinea-landslide-kills-10-heavy-rain-flooding-tropical-cyclone-maila/
At least 12 killed as floods cut off communities in northwestern Haiti https://watchers.news/2026/04/16/12-killed-floods-cut-off-communities-northwestern-haiti-april-2026/
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Solar panels are creating an unexpected effect by forming rainfall clouds and thriving oases in the middle of the desert https://www.ecoportal.net/en/solar-panels-are-creating-rain-clouds/19854/
Attributing 2019–2024 methane growth using TROPOMI satellite observations https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adz9007
Why the phrase ‘Super El Niño’ makes Australian climate scientists roll their eyes https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/151138-why-the-phrase-%E2%80%98super-el-ni%C3%B1o%E2%80%99-makes-australian-climate-scientists-roll-their-eyes
Synergistic impact of marine heat waves and rapid intensification exacerbates tropical cyclone destructive power worldwide https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adu1733
Europeans want more renewables, even if it increases energy bills https://www.politico.eu/article/poll-europeans-back-renewables-despite-higher-energy-costs/
India’s CO2 emissions in 2025 grew at slowest rate in two decades https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-indias-co2-emissions-in-2025-grew-at-slowest-rate-in-two-decades/
Are we heading for ‘super El Niño’ – and what could we expect? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/13/el-nino-explainer
Climate change may complicate avalanche risk https://www.washington.edu/news/2026/03/23/climate-change-avalanche-risk/
Five ways cities across Europe and Central Asia are adapting to extreme heat https://www.preventionweb.net/news/five-ways-cities-across-europe-and-central-asia-are-adapting-extreme-heat
Precipitation observing network gaps limit climate change impact assessment https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10300-5
Global carbon emissions and decarbonization in 2025 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-026-00780-4
Warming intensifies rainfall in North Atlantic storms https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2026/04/tropicalcyclones/
For the First Time in the U.S., Renewables Generate More Power Than Natural Gas https://e360.yale.edu/digest/us-renewables-natural-gas-coal
Marine heatwaves ‘nearly double’ the economic damage caused by tropical cyclones https://www.carbonbrief.org/marine-heatwaves-nearly-double-the-economic-damage-caused-by-tropical-cyclones/
U of A research finds improved weather forecasts could reduce heat deaths as climate warms https://news.arizona.edu/news/u-research-finds-improved-weather-forecasts-could-reduce-heat-deaths-climate-warms
Tuvalu, tiny Pacific nation at the forefront of climate crisis, to host world leaders before Cop31 summit https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/tuvalu-cop-31-summer-leaders-meeting
Disaster risk reduction
Wildfires, storms, floods contribute to record 92% of global insured losses in 2025, says Swiss Re Institute https://www.swissre.com/press-release/Wildfires-storms-floods-contribute-to-record-92-of-global-insured-losses-in-2025-says-Swiss-Re-Institute/7b39b1a5-b878-4a55-a5ff-bf5aa561a675
Argentine wildfire AI startup raises $2.7M after building a detection system that beats NASA’s alerts by 35 minutes https://thenextweb.com/news/satellites-on-fire-wildfire-ai-raises-2-7m
Disaggregation of Landslide Risk https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025EF007594
Northeast Asia Disaster Management Reference Handbook – April 2026 https://reliefweb.int/report/japan/northeast-asia-disaster-management-reference-handbook-april-2026
The US is now paying more than any other country for climate change damage, study suggests https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/us-country-climate-loss-damage
Global urban exposure near volcanoes is increasing: a spatio-temporal analysis from 1975 to 2030 https://www.nature.com/articles/s44304-026-00203-w
The far reach of fires https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-026-01967-6
The emerging danger of post-hurricane heat waves https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/04/the-emerging-danger-of-post-hurricane-heat-waves/
Synergistic Integration of Flood Inundation Modeling Methods: A Review of Computational, Data-Driven, Observational and Experimental, and Conceptual Models https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025RG000898
Nature-based coastal flood protection: Lessons from the Caribbean and the Philippines https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/jcrfr/article/view/8263
Before the Wave: Gaps in Tsunami Preparedness https://carleton.ca/thedisasterlab/2026/before-the-wave-gaps-in-tsunami-preparedness/
Emergency Management
Waikōloa Village Works to Find Ways to Safely and Effectively Evacuate https://hawaiicommunityjournal.org/waikoloa-village-ways-to-evacuate/
A lasting lesson and teaching event legacy of the 1961 Western Australian bushfires https://wildfiretoday.com/a-lasting-lesson-and-teaching-event-legacy-of-the-1961-western-australian-bushfires/
What if Texas’ destructive Tax Day flood had centered on inner Houston instead? It’s why cities should plan for the improbable https://theconversation.com/what-if-texas-destructive-tax-day-flood-had-centered-on-inner-houston-instead-its-why-cities-should-plan-for-the-improbable-279964
Disaster Education Communications and Engagement
Addressing Vulnerability to Urban Heat Stress Through Community Engagement: A Systematic Scoping Review https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wcc.70052
Articulations and enactments of climate adaptation citizenship: how citizens in small remote communities in the Nordics engage with climate change-related hazards https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644016.2026.2652118
PreventionWeb empowers students with disaster resilience knowledge https://www.preventionweb.net/news/preventionweb-empowers-students-disaster-resilience-knowledge
A year in review: The Stop Disasters game travels around the world https://www.undrr.org/news/year-review-stop-disasters-game-travels-around-world
Disaster psychology
Disaster preparedness among residents of flood-prone areas in sub-saharan africa: a systematic review https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12982-026-01527-8
After the storm, what remains is hope https://undpvietnam.exposure.co/after-the-storm-what-remains-is-hope
Shaken, but Not Deterred: Acute Stressors and the Formation of Hope and Aspirations among Tertiary-Educated Youth in Myanmar in the Aftermath of the 2025 Earthquake https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp18492.html
Sociology and disasters
Every £1 invested in societal resilience to disruption generates £35.12 of public value https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/research/recovery-renewal-resilience-from-covid-19/national-consortium-for-societal-resilience/assessing-the-public-value-of-societal-resilience-to-disruption/
Toolkit for Applying a Gender-Transformative Approach to Women-Led Climate Resilience https://www.pathfinder.org/publications/gta-toolkit/
Enhancing community flood adaptation by leveraging interdependencies between resilience capitals: A global empirical analysis https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11027-026-10310-8
“Eliminate the sources of harm”: Reframing climate adaptation through a community-defined resilience framework https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07352166.2026.2645850
Social infrastructure and centralisation in community response and recovery from disasters https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-026-08136-3
The role of social infrastructure in community-based disaster resilience: A case study of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420926000452
Wealth and land-cover change govern landslide fatalities on world’s mountains https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec2739
Disaster Resilience News 