Please find below links to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news recently…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Hurricane Henri already flooding NYC streets, subways https://nypost.com/2021/08/22/hurricane-henri-already-flooding-nyc-streets-subways/
Caldor fire continues to rage after winds fan northern California blaze https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/22/caldor-fire-california-continues-to-rage
Mexico – Deadly Flash Floods in Chihuahua After 60mm of Rain in 3 Hours https://floodlist.com/america/mexico-floods-chihuahua-august-2021
USA – More Deaths Reported Following North Carolina Floods https://floodlist.com/america/usa/north-carolina-floods-update-august-2021
DR Congo – Deadly Flash Floods in North and South Kivua https://floodlist.com/africa/drcongo-floods-north-south-kivu-august-2021
Tennessee Flooding Death Toll Climbs to 22; Dozens Still Missing https://weather.com/news/news/2021-08-22-tennessee-flooding-toll-rises
Henri leaves $12B in damage in Northeast. Some have lost everything https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/24/henri-heads-out-sea-leaving-behind-12-billion-damage-northeast/8253458002/
More than 8 000 homes destroyed as severe floods and landslides hit Venezuela https://watchers.news/2021/08/25/venezuela-flood-landslides-august-2021/
43 fatalities, at least 3 800 homes destroyed as heavy rains and floods hit Sudan https://watchers.news/2021/08/24/43-fatalities-at-least-3-800-homes-destroyed-as-heavy-rains-and-floods-hit-sudan/
Benin – Warnings as Rivers Rise, Floods in South Leave 1 Dead https://floodlist.com/africa/benin-floods-august-2021
Russia – Five Missing After Floods and Mudflows in Dagestan https://floodlist.com/europe/russia-floods-dagestan-august-2021
Volcanic activity worldwide 26 Aug 2021: Fuego volcano, Karymsky, Semeru, Shiveluch, Dukono https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/139554/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-26-Aug-2021-Fuego-volcano-Karymsky-Semeru-Shiveluch-Dukono-Reventa.html
Siberia’s wildfires are bigger than all the world’s other blazes combined https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/11/siberia-fires-russia-climate/
Niger – Flooding Reported in All Regions, Over 60 Dead and 100,000 Affected https://floodlist.com/africa/niger-flood-update-august-2021
France and Spain – Destructive Flash Floods After Torrential Rain https://floodlist.com/europe/france-spain-floods-august-2021
Cambodia – One Killed in Sihanoukville Flash Floods https://floodlist.com/asia/cambodia-sihanoukville-floods-august-2021
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Study finds ‘very concerning’ 74% increase in deaths associated with extreme heat brought on by the climate crisis https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/19/health/heat-deaths-concerning-study/index.html
IPCC report may have underplayed risk of freak El Nino and La Nina events https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/ipcc-report-may-have-underplayed-risk-of-freak-el-ninos-and-la-ninas-20210820-p58klm.html
A billion children at ‘extreme risk’ from climate impacts – Unicef https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/20/a-billion-children-at-extreme-risk-from-climate-impacts-unicef
New Research Explores the Costs of Climate Tipping Points, and How They Could Compound One Another https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16082021/climate-tipping-points/
Solar exceeds coal for first time, as renewables set new records on Australia’s main grid https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-exceeds-coal-for-first-time-as-renewables-set-new-records-on-australias-main-grid/
Thresholds of temperature change for mass extinctions https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25019-2
When hotter and drier means more – but eventually less – wildfire https://theconversation.com/when-hotter-and-drier-means-more-but-eventually-less-wildfire-165352
‘Blistering temperatures’: Dark roofing banned on Sydney’s urban fringe https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/blistering-temperatures-dark-roofing-banned-on-sydney-s-urban-fringe-20210820-p58kma.html
Australia on verge of electric cars boom amid sharp jump in sales figures https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-on-verge-of-electric-cars-boom-amid-sharp-jump-in-sales-figures-20210820-p58kn5.html
Changes In Sea Levels And Hurricane Activity Played A Part In Upending The Maya Civilization https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2021/08/23/changes-in-sea-levels-and-hurricane-activity-played-a-part-in-upending-the-maya-civilization/
The sunny side of Earth’s hottest month https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/568917-the-sunny-side-of-earths-hottest-month
NSW’s roadmap to renewables https://www.energymagazine.com.au/nsws-roadmap-to-renewables/
Voters in Sydney’s Liberal ‘heartland’ more worried about climate than Covid, polling suggests https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/24/voters-in-sydneys-liberal-heartland-more-worried-about-climate-than-covid-polling-suggests
How climate change amplifies extreme weather like Tennessee’s deadly floods and NYC’s record rainfall https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/23/weather/flooding-henri-tn-climate-change/index.html
With temperatures rising, how can Singapore shape its future developments to keep cool? https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/temperatures-warmer-climate-change-singapore-urban-planning-developments-2107851
How the climate crisis is changing hurricanes https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/21/weather/hurricane-henri-climate-change/index.html
Climate crisis made deadly German floods ‘up to nine times more likely’ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/23/climate-crisis-made-deadly-german-floods-up-to-nine-times-more-likely
Climate Change, Land Use Change, and Mountain Disasters https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2021/08/23/part-i-climate-change-land-use-change-and-mountain-disasters/
An estimated 1.7 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were linked to too much cold or heat, a new study finds https://gizmodo.com/extreme-weather-is-getting-deadlier-1847529013
Lancet Heat and Health series https://www.thelancet.com/series/heat-and-health
Three pandemic measures that will also curb climate change: Flannery https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/three-pandemic-measures-which-will-also-curb-climate-change-flannery-20210824-p58lfr.html
Heavy rainfall which led to severe flooding in Western Europe made more likely by climate change https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/heavy-rainfall-which-led-to-severe-flooding-in-western-europe-made-more-likely-by-climate-change/
People keep moving to the worst places for climate risk https://www.fastcompany.com/90668484/people-keep-moving-to-the-worst-places-for-climate-risk
Leaked UN draft report: Greenhouse emissions must peak in four years https://thebulletin.org/2021/08/leaked-un-draft-report-greenhouse-emissions-must-peak-in-four-years/
In a Summer of Deadly Deluges, New Research Shows How Global Warming Fuels Flooding https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25082021/floods-germany-climate-change-attribution-study/
Household financial vulnerabilities and physical climate risks https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2021/08/staff-analytical-note-2021-19/
NSW bushfire survivors win legal battle ordering EPA to take action on climate crisis https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/26/nsw-bushfire-survivors-win-legal-battle-ordering-epa-to-take-action-on-climate-crisis
As Disasters Mount, Central Banks Gird Against Threat of Climate Change https://e360.yale.edu/features/as-disasters-mount-central-banks-gird-against-threat-of-climate-change
Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction https://global.oup.com/academic/product/climate-change-a-very-short-introduction-9780198867869
Few realistic scenarios left to limit global warming to 1.5°C https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2021-05-17-few-realistic-scenarios-left-to-limit-global-warming-to-1.5c.html
Southern Blob of unusual Pacific heat blamed for creating megadrought https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/southern-blob-of-unusual-pacific-heat-blamed-for-creating-megadrought-20210826-p58m7p.html
Disaster risk reduction
The lesson from German floods: prepare for the unimaginable https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/08/20/lesson-german-floods-prepare-unimaginable/
Request for Information on the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/23/2021-18167/request-for-information-on-the-national-flood-insurance-programs-community-rating-system
Home seismometers provide crucial data on Haiti’s quake https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02279-y
Ten Years on from the Quake That Shook the Nation’s Capital https://eos.org/features/ten-years-on-from-the-quake-that-shook-the-nations-capital
Can burying power lines prevent California’s next big wildfire? https://grist.org/wildfires/can-burying-power-lines-prevent-california-next-wildfire-pge/
Slowing down on Country: Naturalising Melbourne’s waterways https://www.foreground.com.au/parks-places/slowing-down-on-country-naturalising-melbournes-waterways/
We are underway – one month into Natural Hazards Research Australia https://www.naturalhazards.com.au/node/6
Understanding the relationship between rainfall and flood probabilities through combined intensity-duration-frequency analysis https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002216942100809X?via%3Dihub
Analysis of Drought Factors Affecting the Economy https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.1201/9781315404219-34
Rwanda to use artificial intelligence in disaster management https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/rwanda-use-artificial-intelligence-disaster-management
Submarine mountains can subdue earthquakes https://temblor.net/earthquake-insights/submarine-mountains-can-subdue-earthquakes-13212/
Lidar Remote Sensing of Forest Structure, Biomass and Dynamics https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/Lidar_Forest_Dynamics
An Exercise in Resilience: Testing the Bronzeville Community Microgrid https://hazards.colorado.edu/news/research-counts/an-exercise-in-resilience-testing-the-bronzeville-community-microgrid
New UNDRR Strategic Framework is launched https://www.unwater.org/new-undrr-strategic-framework-is-launched/
Wildfires are the most human of natural disasters https://brusselsmorning.com/2021/08/26/wildfires-are-the-most-human-of-natural-disasters/
An extremeness threshold determines the regional response of floods to changes in rainfall extremes https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-021-00248-x
Emergency management
Why it takes months to subdue some wildfires https://www.denverpost.com/2021/08/21/explainer-why-it-takes-months-to-subdue-some-wildfires/
Queensland Parks and Wildlife officials sought to downplay Fraser Island bushfire, internal documents reveal https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-23/qld-fraser-island-bushfire-rti-documents-media-emails/100387502
Should we give up on COVID-zero? Until most of us are vaccinated, we can’t live with the virus https://theconversation.com/should-we-give-up-on-covid-zero-until-most-of-us-are-vaccinated-we-cant-live-with-the-virus-166269
Research in the USA: Higher vaccination coverage is associated not only with significantly lower COVID-19 incidence, but also significantly less severe cases of the disease https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.17.21262195v2
Israel hopes boosters can avert new lockdown as Covid vaccine efficacy fades https://www.ft.com/content/23cdbf8c-b5ef-4596-bb46-f510606ab556
‘It’s just unbelievable’: Tennessee surveys wreckage after floods kill 22 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/23/tennessee-floods-flash-flooding-death-toll-damage
Highly Vaccinated Israel Is Seeing A Dramatic Surge In New COVID Cases. Here’s Whyhttps://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/08/20/1029628471/highly-vaccinated-israel-is-seeing-a-dramatic-surge-in-new-covid-cases-heres-why
Italy – once overwhelmed by COVID-19 – turns to a health pass and stricter measures to contain virus https://theconversation.com/italy-once-overwhelmed-by-covid-19-turns-to-a-health-pass-and-stricter-measures-to-contain-virus-165457
South African firefighter battles Cape Town blazes and inequality https://news.trust.org/item/20210825165751-lz76u/
Study finds COVID peak still six weeks away and NSW could reach 6,000 cases a day https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-26/covid-peak-in-nsw-still-six-weeks-away-modelling-shows/100411220
Aboriginal woman ‘turned away’ from hospital as data reveals Wilcannia worst hit by Covid https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/26/aboriginal-woman-turned-away-from-hospital-as-data-reveals-wilcannia-worst-hit-by-covid
Disaster education, communications and engagement
Greece plans to name heatwaves in the same way as storms https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/21/greece-plans-to-name-heatwaves-in-the-same-way-as-storms
Pi and the Meandering Paths of Rivers https://www.brainpickings.org/2018/06/21/pi-rivers/
Replicating the Unpredictable: Board Games as Prototypes for Wildfire Evacuations https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354103397_Replicating_the_Unpredictable_Board_Games_as_Prototypes_for_Wildfire_Evacuations
Children’s Climate Cards https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/childrens-climate-cards
Psychology and disasters
Surprise, Less Happiness During Pandemic https://flowingdata.com/2021/04/27/surprise-less-happiness-during-pandemic/
Grieving over climate change? Colorado experts offer hope amidst the haze https://www.denverpost.com/2021/08/22/climate-change-grief-anxiety-mental-health/
COVID-19 rule breakers characterized by extraversion, amorality and uninformed information-gathering strategies https://www.psypost.org/2021/08/covid-19-rule-breakers-characterized-by-extraversion-amorality-and-uninformed-information-gathering-strategies-61727
Sociology and disasters
We can look beyond our bureaucrats to our local business and community leaders to guide us through hard times https://ausbizmedia.com/recovery-after-disaster/
Supporting Social Connectedness of Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Small and Rural Public Libraries https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01616846.2021.1970446?journalCode=wplq20
John Plodinec in Community Resilience: Beyond Sustainability and Resilience https://globalresilience.northeastern.edu/john-plodinec-in-community-resilience-beyond-sustainability-and-resilience/
