Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Canadian government steps in as ‘out of control’ wildfires force thousands to flee https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/09/canada-british-columbia-government-wildfires
Severe storms damage 114 municipalities, leave 1 dead and 5 injured in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil https://watchers.news/2026/08/08/severe-storms-damage-114-municipalities-leave-1-dead-and-5-injured-in-rio-grande-do-sul-brazil/
846 structures damaged or destroyed, suspect faces arson charges for Old Trails and 4 other fires, Washington https://watchers.news/2026/08/07/846-structures-damaged-or-destroyed-suspect-faces-arson-charges-for-old-trails-and-4-other-fires-washington/
At least 111 people killed after powerful earthquake strikes Colombia https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/colombia-august-earthquake-kills-at-aleast-111/g80mxz0ws
Typhoon Dolphin: more than a million people evacuated in China as record rainfall dumped on Shanghai https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/10/typhoon-dolphin-china-shanghai-flooding-evacuations
Schools closed as Indonesia battles wildfires https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesia-races-to-contain-fires-as-haze-spreads
Major M7.4 earthquake hits Chocó, Colombia, leaving over 160 dead https://watchers.news/2026/08/10/major-m7-4-earthquake-hits-choco-colombia/
Intense Mount Etna eruption sends ash south, Catania Airport suspends arrivals, Italy https://watchers.news/2026/08/10/mount-etna-eruption-ash-catania-airport-italy/
B.C. declares provincial emergency as out-of-control Bald Range wildfire grows to over 10 000 ha (25 000 acres) https://watchers.news/2026/08/09/b-c-declares-provincial-emergency-as-out-of-control-bald-range-wildfire-grows-to-over-10-000-ha-25-000-acres/
Southern Spain wildfire worsens as wind gusts hamper firefighting efforts https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/southern-spain-wildfire-worsens-wind-gusts-hamper-firefighting-efforts-2026-08-10/
At least 15 dead as Philippines hit by twice London’s annual rainfall in just nine days https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/philippines-floods-landslides-rain-deaths-b3030818.html
State of Emergency declared in Perry and Muskingum counties after flooding leaves one dead, Ohio https://watchers.news/2026/08/12/state-of-emergency-declared-in-perry-and-muskingum-counties-after-flooding-leaves-one-dead-ohio/
Tourists flee as Greek wildfire hits resort; Croatia also fights blaze https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/tourists-flee-greek-wildfire-descends-resort-village-2026-08-13/
Flood death toll in India’s Assam reaches 100 as thousands lose their homes https://apnews.com/article/india-floods-monsoon-assam-brahmaputra-river-7bc402002a9159d828f220914fd9fb21
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Europe heat wave puts all major Italian cities on red alert as Austria sets heat record https://apnews.com/article/italy-europe-heat-wave-temperatures-austria-france-57b6b4c67fd40b24fe578e71edaa519b
Quarter of countries still missing UN climate plans 18 months after deadline https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/08/06/quarter-of-countries-still-missing-un-climate-plans-18-months-after-deadline/
China’s coal power rebounds as record clean energy goes to waste https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/08/06/china-wastes-clean-power-stopping-coal-use-from-falling/?
Cooling with consent: Toward equitable and readiness-based AI-guided heat adaptation https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212095526002348
July was the hottest month in the US since records began in 1895 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/10/climate/hottest-month-record-july-noaa
Can the searing European summer put climate action back on the agenda – or will disaster response take over? https://theconversation.com/can-the-searing-european-summer-put-climate-action-back-on-the-agenda-or-will-disaster-response-take-over-289151
State of the Climate: A Dimming, Overheated Planet, With Degraded Oceans https://insideclimatenews.org/news/10082026/global-warming-record-high-temperatures/
Met Office confirm summer 2026 on course to be UK’s hottest on record – Grantham Institute response https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/met-office-confirm-summer-2026-on-course-to-be-uks-hottest-on-record-grantham-institute-response/
Canals cool down cities during heatwaves – new research https://theconversation.com/canals-cool-down-cities-during-heatwaves-new-research-286803
‘Climate whiplash’ is not simply a buzzword, but a symptom of a warming planet https://theconversation.com/climate-whiplash-is-not-simply-a-buzzword-but-a-symptom-of-a-warming-planet-288515
Highs Of 35°C In Siberia: Temperatures In The Arctic Circle Have Been Getting A Little Out Of Hand https://www.iflscience.com/highs-of-35c-in-siberia-temperatures-in-the-arctic-circle-have-been-getting-a-little-out-of-hand-84336
World’s oceans hit record-high July temperatures https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvw8vmmgrwo
Has the government failed to protect Torres Strait culture from rising seas? The full Federal Court is about to decide https://theconversation.com/has-the-government-failed-to-protect-torres-strait-culture-from-rising-seas-the-full-federal-court-is-about-to-decide-287687
El Niño is headed for record-shattering intensity, NOAA says https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/13/climate/el-nino-noaa-record-strongest
To tackle extreme heat, Andy Burnham needs to urgently take these three radical steps https://theconversation.com/to-tackle-extreme-heat-andy-burnham-needs-to-urgently-take-these-three-radical-steps-289669
State of the Climate in 2025: Global Indicators https://headlines.ametsoc.org/2026/08/10/state-of-the-climate-in-2025-global-indicators/
Storms of dust and sand are another sign our climate is changing. Two experts explain https://theconversation.com/storms-of-dust-and-sand-are-another-sign-our-climate-is-changing-two-experts-explain-288204
The nation holding back the sea https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-21/tuvalu-australia-falepili-visa-climate-migration-pacific/106674754
Disaster risk reduction
When the Waters Rise: How the City of N’Djamena, Chad, Prepared for Floods and Averted Disaster https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2026/05/26/when-the-waters-rise-how-the-city-of-n-djamena-chad-prepared-for-floods-and-averted-disaster
The world’s mangrove forests are bouncing back. That’s good news for our coasts and climate https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-mangrove-forests-are-bouncing-back-thats-good-news-for-our-coasts-and-climate-288724
Flood and landslide susceptibility assessment and multi hazard interaction mapping using machine learning and GIS for sustainable settlement planning in Nepal https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/flood-and-landslide-susceptibility-assessment-and-multi
Likelihood of wildfires in Southern Europe has doubled since the 80s, study shows https://phys.org/news/2026-07-likelihood-wildfires-southern-europe-80s.html
A tale of two countries: assessing disaster resilience in Thailand and Pakistan https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23789689.2026.2707660
What earthquake sensors can tell us about hurricanes https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/what-earthquake-sensors-can-tell-us-about-hurricanes
How to reduce community wildfire risk for a more resilient California https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2026/08/06/how-to-reduce-community-wildfire-risk-for-a-more-resilient-california/
How would NZ’s vital freight system handle a big earthquake? Our study sounds a warning https://theconversation.com/how-would-nzs-vital-freight-system-handle-a-big-earthquake-our-study-sounds-a-warning-288266
Building finds its balance in groundbreaking earthquake test https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/06/03/building-finds-balance-groundbreaking-earthquake-test.html
Tectonostratigraphic evolution of a marginal basin during the transition from arc collision to subduction: The case of the northern Pacific forearc of Colombia https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/137/1-2/790/646246/Tectonostratigraphic-evolution-of-a-marginal-basin
WoFS-FLASH coupled forecasts for the July 2025 Texas Hill Country Flash Flood Disaster https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/aop/BAMS-D-25-0252.1/BAMS-D-25-0252.1.xml
The floods of the future won’t come one at a time https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/08/the-floods-of-the-future-wont-come-one-at-a-time/
Nigeria: National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (2025–2030) https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/policies-and-plans/nigeria-national-strategy-disaster-risk-reduction-2025-2030
Colombia earthquake has killed at least 132. My research helps explain why it was so destructive https://theconversation.com/colombia-earthquake-has-killed-at-least-132-my-research-helps-explain-why-it-was-so-destructive-289478
Emergency Management
Extreme fire behavior continues on Widemouth 2 Fire after fatal helicopter crash, Utah https://watchers.news/2026/08/08/extreme-fire-behavior-continues-on-widemouth-2-fire-after-fatal-helicopter-crash-utah/
After-Event Review (AER): Methodological guidance on conducting after-event reviews of Early Warning Systems https://www.undrr.org/publication/documents-and-publications/after-event-review-aer-methodological-guidance-conducting
Just weeks before devastating wildfires hit, Spokane practiced a mass evacuation – the drill paid off https://theconversation.com/just-weeks-before-devastating-wildfires-hit-spokane-practiced-a-mass-evacuation-the-drill-paid-off-288899
Multiple water rescues conducted as severe storms bring 115 km/h (70 mph) wind threat to flood-hit Perry County, Ohio https://watchers.news/2026/08/11/multiple-water-rescues-conducted-as-severe-storms-bring-115-km-h-70-mph-wind-threat-to-flood-hit-perry-county-ohio/
AI and the future of emergency management https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/ai-and-future-emergency-management
Duty, Self-Reliance, and Distrust: Motivations of Zero Responders After Hurricane Ian https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02807270261478909
Disaster Education Communications and Engagement
Firefighting aircraft aren’t enough – Britain needs to build a wildfire‑resilient society that involves everyone https://theconversation.com/firefighting-aircraft-arent-enough-britain-needs-to-build-a-wildfire-resilient-society-that-involves-everyone-289240
Disaster psychology
Climate change may be making us lonelier: How heat waves and extreme weather disrupt social connections everyone relies on https://theconversation.com/climate-change-may-be-making-us-lonelier-how-heat-waves-and-extreme-weather-disrupt-social-connections-everyone-relies-on-288678
Global Study Links Higher Temperatures to Increased Suicide Rates https://climateadaptationplatform.com/global-study-links-higher-temperatures-increased-suicide-rates/
Sociology and disasters
Disabled people face greater climate change risks – and they can also help NZ adapt https://theconversation.com/disabled-people-face-greater-climate-change-risks-and-they-can-also-help-nz-adapt-289141
Dilemmas of humanitarian geospatial artificial intelligence https://www.academia.edu/3071-0286/2/3/10.20935/AcadAI8465
Disaster Recovery through Women’s Eyes https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003694069/disaster-recovery-women-eyes-kaira-zoe-alburo-ca%C3%B1ete
Disaster Resilience News 