Year: 2026

Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…

Recent emergencies/disasters

Damaging tornado hits Purcell, Oklahoma, destroying multiple structures https://watchers.news/2026/01/08/tornado-purcell-oklahoma-multiple-structures-destroyed-january-8-2026/

Evacuations underway after Mayon volcano’s dome collapse and pyroclastic flows, Philippines https://watchers.news/2026/01/08/evacuations-underway-after-mayon-volcanos-dome-collapse-and-pyroclastic-flows-philippines/

Death toll reaches 16 in North Sulawesi as floods and landslides impact Indonesia https://watchers.news/2026/01/07/death-toll-reaches-16-in-north-sulawesi-as-floods-and-landslides-impact-indonesia/

Victorian fires: One killed in bushfire disaster in Victoria as hundreds of structures lost https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-11/bushfires-victoria-nsw-heatwave-live-coverage/106217152

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji crosses north Queensland coast south of Ayr bringing intense rainfall https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-11/cyclone-koji-north-queensland-coast-warnings-flood/106216534

Wildfires burn 15 000 ha (37 000 acres), forcing thousands to evacuate in Argentine Patagonia https://watchers.news/2026/01/12/wildfires-burn-15-000-ha-37-000-acres-forcing-thousands-to-evacuate-in-argentine-patagonia/

Binaliw: the massive garbage landslide in Cebu City, the Philippines https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/binaliw-1

Deadly avalanches strike the French Alps, leaving six dead in Savoie resorts https://watchers.news/2026/01/13/deadly-avalanches-strike-the-french-alps-leaving-six-dead-in-savoie-resorts/

Avalanche kills 2 near Long Pass, Washington https://watchers.news/2026/01/13/avalanche-kills-2-near-long-pass-washington/

Great Ocean Road flash flooding leaves beach towns to count the cost https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-16/flooding-great-ocean-road-victoria-wye-river-lorne/106232918

Persistent drought and La Niña conditions sustain widespread wildfires in Chile https://watchers.news/2026/01/15/persistent-drought-and-la-nina-conditions-sustain-widespread-wildfires-in-chile/

Volcanic activity worldwide 14 Jan 2026: Santiaguito volcano, Fuego, Popocatépetl, Semeru, Ibu https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/291932/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-14-Jan-2026-Santiaguito-volcano-Fuego-Popocatepetl-Semeru-Ibu-Mar.html

Extreme Weather and Climate Change

Extreme heat is a global health emergency https://heathealth.info/

Successes in climate action https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02546-0

Solar to the fore as grid sails through heatwave and record demand https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-09/solar-powers-australia-through-heatwave-conditions/106211394

Solar power overtakes coal and gas in Germany, a country with little sun https://electrek.co/2026/01/07/solar-overtakes-coal-and-gas-in-germany-a-country-with-little-sun/

2025 was so hot it pushed Earth past critical climate change mark, scientists say https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-2025-critical-mark-eclipsed/

How smart home materials can shield us from extreme heat and cut energy bills all year https://theconversation.com/how-smart-home-materials-can-shield-us-from-extreme-heat-and-cut-energy-bills-all-year-254614

Roads can become more dangerous on hot days – especially for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists https://theconversation.com/roads-can-become-more-dangerous-on-hot-days-especially-for-pedestrians-cyclists-and-motorcyclists-272995

Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Small Island Developing States https://www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/news/nature-based-solutions-for-climate-adaptation-in-small-island-developing-states/

How to Make Communities More Resilient to Climate Change https://news.ncsu.edu/2026/01/compounded-resilience-communities/

Where will the next megafire break out? Climate change is making it tougher to predict https://theconversation.com/where-will-the-next-megafire-break-out-climate-change-is-making-it-tougher-to-predict-272807

La Niña breakdown underway as models point to ENSO-neutral conditions in early 2026 https://watchers.news/2026/01/11/la-nina-breakdown-underway-as-models-point-to-enso-neutral-conditions-in-early-2026/

Rain one minute, heatwave the next. How climate ‘whiplash’ drives unpredictable fire weather https://theconversation.com/rain-one-minute-heatwave-the-next-how-climate-whiplash-drives-unpredictable-fire-weather-273104

What is the global water cycle and how is it amplifying climate disasters? https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-global-water-cycle-and-how-is-it-amplifying-climate-disasters-272806

When heat drains growth: The human cost of rising temperatures in Bangladesh https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/when-heat-drains-growth–the-human-cost-of-rising-temperatures-i

Climate adaptation has a new global plan. What the Belem indicators are and why they matter to Africa https://theconversation.com/climate-adaptation-has-a-new-global-plan-what-the-belem-indicators-are-and-why-they-matter-to-africa-271174

Climate change’s hidden price tag: a drop in our income https://news.arizona.edu/news/climate-changes-hidden-price-tag-drop-our-income

Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding https://www.preventionweb.net/understanding-disaster-risk/terminology/hips/mh0607

Climate Variability Emerges as Both Risk and Opportunity for the Global Energy Transition https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/climate-variability-emerges-both-risk-and-opportunity-global-energy-transition

A Concern in the Summer: 5 Facts on Heat Stress https://unu.edu/ehs/article/concern-summer-5-facts-heat-stress

‘It’s embarrassing’: riders say time is up for fossil fuel sponsorship of heat-affected Tour Down Under https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/12/cycling-extreme-heat-tour-down-under-fossil-fuel-sponsorship

An Antarctic ‘polar thriller’ and a neurodivergent novel imagine a climate changed future https://theconversation.com/an-antarctic-polar-thriller-and-a-neurodivergent-novel-imagine-a-climate-changed-future-271105

Rising sea level in Black Sea poses risk to 160 mln: Study https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/rising-sea-level-in-black-sea-poses-risk-to-160-mln-study-217204

AI improves flood projections under climate change https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/01/ai-improves-flood-projections-under-climate-change

Climate Adaptation Means Building Social Infrastructure https://ssir.org/articles/entry/climate-adaptation-social-infrastructure

WMO confirms 2025 was one of warmest years on record https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-confirms-2025-was-one-of-warmest-years-record

Coal power generation falls in China and India for first time since 1970s https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/13/coal-power-generation-falls-china-india-since-1970s

El Nino events reduce life expectancy, cause trillions in economic losses: Study https://www.ntu.edu.sg/news/detail/el-nino-events-reduce-life-expectancy–cause-trillions-in-economic-losses–study

The economics of climate risk ignores the value of natural habitats https://theconversation.com/the-economics-of-climate-risk-ignores-the-value-of-natural-habitats-272769

Climate change has already made the United States poorer https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2504376122

Disaster risk reduction

Global Catastrophic Risks 2026 https://globalchallenges.org/gcr-2026/

Hybrid vegetation-seawall coastal systems for wave hazard reduction: analytics for cost-effective design from optimized features https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/hybrid-vegetation-seawall-coastal-systems-wave-hazard-reduction-analytics-cost

Natural hazard susceptibilities and inequities reduced by short-term groundwater use https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01884-0

The shifting pattern of landslide risk in cities – an interesting case study from Medellín https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/medellin-1

The rising risk of flooding and the role of Nature-Based Solutions https://www.uvm.edu/water/news/rising-risk-flooding-and-role-nature-based-solutions

New Paper Rocks Earthquake Science with a Clever Computational Trick https://www.stevens.edu/news/new-paper-rocks-earthquake-science-with-a-clever-computational-trick

Storm patterns highlight need for better disaster preparedness, UP study finds https://up.edu.ph/storm-patterns-highlight-need-for-better-disaster-preparedness-up-study-finds/

Words into Action: Nature-based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction https://www.undrr.org/words-action-nature-based-solutions-disaster-risk-reduction

The technology dividend: Empowering and protecting communities through early warnings https://www.undp.org/geneva/blog/technology-dividend-empowering-and-protecting-communities-through-early-warnings

Haiti earthquake 2010 https://www.preventionweb.net/collections/haiti-earthquake-2010

Disasters that never happened: Six preventive actions https://www.preventionweb.net/drr-community-voices/disasters-never-happened-six-preventive-actions

Global Water Monitor https://www.globalwater.online/

Global Water Monitor 2025 Summary Report https://www.globalwater.online/globalwater/report/index.html

China to step up earthquake preparedness efforts in 2026 https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202601/09/WS6960af5ea310d6866eb32ed4.html

Handbook for livable and resilient cities: Integrating hazard and risk information into urban planning https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/handbook-livable-and-resilient-cities-integrating-hazard-and

When bushfires make their own weather https://theconversation.com/when-bushfires-make-their-own-weather-273008

Sena Kizildemir Simulates Disasters to Prevent Building Collapses https://spectrum.ieee.org/sena-kizildemir-simulation-disasters

Words into Action guidelines: Implementation guide for addressing water-related disasters and transboundary cooperation https://www.undrr.org/publication/words-action-guidelines-implementation-guide-addressing-water-related-disasters-and

Mapped: how the world is losing its forests to wildfires https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2026/jan/13/mapped-how-the-world-is-losing-its-forests-to-wildfires

Why recovery speed shapes resilience? https://www.undrr.org/news/why-recovery-speed-shapes-resilience

Six Innovative Nature-Based Solution Projects for Social Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean https://www.iadb.org/en/blog/nature-climate-and-disaster-risk/six-innovative-nature-based-solution-projects-social-infrastructure-latin-america-and-caribbean

Disaster losses are far higher than insurance industry estimates as invisible impacts go uncounted https://www.preventionweb.net/news/disaster-losses-are-far-higher-insurance-industry-estimates-invisible-impacts-go-uncounted

Cyclone Senyar: Why hazards continue to turn into disasters in Indonesia https://theconversation.com/cyclone-senyar-why-hazards-continue-to-turn-into-disasters-in-indonesia-272242

The Effects of Disasters on Construction Wages: Role Played by Spatial Proximity https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/AJCEB/article/view/9568/8729

Emergency Management

Palisades fire visualised https://ororatech.com/resources/the-palisades-fire-visualized

One year after the 2025 Los Angeles Fires: What has changed, what have we learned, and what actions must still happen? https://www.moodys.com/web/en/us/insights/insurance/one-year-after-the-2025-los-angeles-fires.html

Making early warning systems work for all: Evidence and lessons from last-mile communities https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/making-early-warning-systems-work-all-evidence-and-lessons

The South Sudan Roadmap on Anticipatory Action 2025-2030 https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/policies-and-plans/south-sudan-roadmap-anticipatory-action-2025-2030

Graziers call for action as government and Bureau of Meteorology point fingers over faulty rain gauges https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-13/faulty-queensland-rain-gauges-bom-cattle-livestock/106220168

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

‘It’s a blanket of silence’: Fire victims’ attorneys accuse city of blocking Palisades fire transparency https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-13/l-a-attorneys-delay-disclosure-firefighter-testimony-palisades-fire

New way of monitoring wildfire could take flight https://news.clemson.edu/new-way-of-monitoring-wildfire-could-take-flight/

NSW SES moves to embrace ‘volunteers for a day’ to boost members after May 2025 floods https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-10/nsw-ses-embraces-spontaneous-volunteering-from-mud-armies/106148252

Disaster Education, Communications and Engagement

A toolkit for news media professionals reporting on disasters and resilience https://www.preventionweb.net/hubs/risk-media-hub

My home is in a district facing extreme or catastrophic fire danger. What should I do? https://theconversation.com/my-home-is-in-a-district-facing-extreme-or-catastrophic-fire-danger-what-should-i-do-273000

Critical zones, disaster risk science, and education for sustainable development in Africa https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/critical-zones-disaster-risk-science-and-education

Is nature angry with us? https://www.preventionweb.net/drr-community-voices/nature-angry-us

Disaster psychology

Psychologists develop tools and strategies to help people understand the risk of extreme weather and take action https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/01-02/trends-weather-behavioral-interventions

Sociology and disasters

Guidebook for community resilience https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/guidebook-community-resilience