Dear colleague,
Please find links below to some aspects of disaster resilience that were in the news this week…
Recent emergencies/disasters
Japan floods leave up to 34 dead, many at nursing homes
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Japan-floods-leave-some-20-dead-many-in-nursing-15386726.php
Canada – Floods in Manitoba Prompt Evacuations
http://floodlist.com/america/canada-manitoba-floods-july-2020?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Myanmar – Jade Mine Landslide Kills Over 160
http://floodlist.com/asia/myanmar-jade-mine-landslide-kachin-july-2020
Search for survivors continue after Japan floods from record-breaking rainfall kill at least 18
https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/search-for-survivors-continue-after-japan-floods-kill-at-least-18-after-record-breaking-rainfall/
B.C. couple escapes from ‘debris flood’ that filled home with mud, logs, rocks
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mudslide-escape-from-debris-flood-mcbride-bc-1.5639288
India – Monsoon Rains Trigger Floods and Landslides in Gujarat and Karnataka
http://floodlist.com/asia/india-floods-landslides-gujarat-karnataka-july-2020
Bulgaria – Storm and Floods in Sofia
http://floodlist.com/europe/bulgaria-floods-sofia-july-2020
Pakistan – Buildings Collapsed After Heavy Rainfall in Karachi
http://floodlist.com/asia/pakistan-karachi-flash-floods-july-2020
Heavy downpours in southern Japan, which have killed more than 50, now battering the country’s main island
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/08/japans-devastating-rains-move-north-as-search-for-missing-goes-on?CMP=share_btn_tw
China raises emergency level as heavy rain triggers floods
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-weather-floods-idUSKBN248113
Mongolia – Floods Leave 8 Dead, 2,300 Homes Damaged
http://floodlist.com/asia/mongolia-floods-july-2020
Bangladesh – Floods Affect Over 1 Million People in 13 Districts
http://floodlist.com/asia/bangladesh-floods-update-july-2020
Volcanic activity worldwide 9 Jul 2020: Pacaya volcano, Fuego, Semeru, Reventador, Sangay
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/106434/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-9-Jul-2020-Pacaya-volcano-Fuego-Semeru-Reventador-Sangay-Laguna-de.html
Efforts continue to control forest fires in southwestern Iran
https://iranpress.com/iran-i149408-efforts_continue_to_control_forest_fires_in_southwestern_iran
Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Spain closes half of all its coal-fired power stations in one fell swoop
https://reneweconomy.com.au/spain-closes-half-of-all-its-coal-fired-power-stations-in-one-fell-swoop-47885/
Trend towards worsening heatwaves is accelerating, new research finds
https://climateextremes.org.au/heatwave-trends-accelerate-worldwide/
Increasing trends in regional heatwaves
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16970-7
Could a warming climate be putting Australia’s magnificent alpine landscapes at risk?
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2020/07/the-end-of-snow/
Observed changes in dry-season water availability attributed to human-induced climate change
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-020-0594-1
Australia ranks second worst in world on climate action, outside top 50 on clean energy
https://reneweconomy.com.au/australia-ranks-second-worst-in-world-on-climate-action-outside-top-50-on-clean-energy-90879/
Rare night clouds may be warning sign of climate crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/jul/06/rare-night-clouds-may-be-warning-sign-of-climate-crisis
Arctic explorers find unusually thin ice as a result of climate change
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2248111-arctic-explorers-find-unusually-thin-ice-as-a-result-of-climate-change/
Rising above adversity: community-led climate adaptation along Bangladesh’s coastal belt
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/email/url.php?eid=72592
The world endured 2 extra heatwave days per decade since 1950 – but the worst is yet to come
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/email/url.php?eid=72597
Extreme heat and rain: thousands of weather stations show there’s now more of both, for longer
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/email/url.php?eid=72595
Partitioning the Uncertainty of Ensemble Projections of Global Glacier Mass Change
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019EF001470
The City of Sydney is now entirely powered by green energy
https://electrek.co/2020/07/06/egeb-the-city-of-sydney-100-renewable-energy-arc-marine-reef-cubes-offshore-wind/
The Ugly History of Climate Determinism Is Still Evident Today
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-ugly-history-of-climate-determinism-is-still-evident-today/
Siberia just experienced its hottest June on record
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/siberia-just-experienced-its-hottest-june-on-record-scientists-are-calling-the-trend-a-warning-cry?cid=news:socialshare:twitter
CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere nearing levels of 15m years ago
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/09/co2-in-earths-atmosphere-nearing-levels-of-15m-years-ago?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet
Disaster risk reduction
Japan debuts new bullet train that can run during an earthquake
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-new-shinkansen-model-n700s/index.html
The Repeat Events and Dollars Index (REDI) is a web-based interactive mapping application developed to help Queensland councils better understand their risk, costs and repeat damage from natural hazard events
https://www.qra.qld.gov.au/REDI
Chicago and the region need to step up fast to reduce flooding and protect inhabitants and businesses
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/7/5/21311943/flooding-maps-fema-first-street-chicago-suntimes-editorial
Subducting plate angle dictates tsunami threat during large earthquakes
https://temblor.net/earthquake-insights/subducting-plate-angle-dictates-tsunami-threat-during-large-earthquakes-11267/
Floods and drought: Two sides of the same coin
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/email/url.php?eid=72590
Latest issue of the Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies
https://www.massey.ac.nz/~trauma/issues/current.html
ERA5-based global meteorological wildfire danger maps
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-020-0554-z
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020
https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/
Using opportunities in big data analytics to more accurately predict societal consequences of natural disasters
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10286608.2019.1615480?forwardService=showFullText&tokenAccess=hH9Wr5IStWK4tCwt8ieb&tokenDomain=eprints&target=10.1080%2F10286608.2019.1615480&doi=10.1080%2F10286608.2019.1615480&journalCode=gcee20#.XwXGOoqlQ4U.twitter
Super ensemble learning for daily streamflow forecasting: large-scale demonstration and comparison with multiple machine learning algorithms
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00521-020-05172-3
The U.S. has already had 10 billion-dollar weather disasters this year
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/u-s-has-already-had-10-billion-dollar-disasters-year-n1233220?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma
Hurricanes Destroy Beachside Homes, But Not This One
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/hurricanes-destroy-beachside-homes-but-not-this-one?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Lancaster Flood Risk Management Scheme
http://thefloodhub.co.uk/lancaster/
A new high-resolution view into Earth’s crust shows what caused more than 22,000 tiny temblors to rumble in Southern California
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/06/strange-earthquake-swarm-lasted-years-scientists-finally-know-wh/
Houston: A lack of data and options is trapping people in flood-prone homes and driving inequality
https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/houston-hurricane-harvey-flooding-homes_n_5efcac45c5b612083c55c30e?ri18n=true
In New York City, ‘Managed Retreat’ Has Become a Grim Reality
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03072020/new-york-city-managed-retreat-sea-level-rise
The truth behind fear-inducing Nankai Trough quake prediction figures
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/07/08/national/science-health/truth-behind-fear-inducing-nankai-trough-quake-prediction-figures/
Japan nonlife insurers to raise premiums 6-8% in wake of disasters
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/07/08/business/japan-nonlife-insurers-raise-premiums-6-8-percent-wake-disasters/
Emergency management
COVID-19: This is when life will return to normal, according to the experts
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/coronavirus-covid19-life-social-distancing-noramlity-chart
Bushfire royal commission hears longer fire seasons making it harder for states to help each other
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-06/bushfire-royal-commission-told-climate-change-like-nuclear/12426530
Impact of Australia’s catastrophic 2019/20 bushfire season on communities and environment. Retrospective analysis and current trends
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/email/url.php?eid=72600
Mongolia: National society preparedness case study
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/email/url.php?eid=72601
As Melbourne goes into coronavirus lockdown, it’s a sign it could happen anywhere in Australia
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-07/coronavirus-metro-melbourne-lockdown-we-must-stay-vigilant/12431494
Navajo Nation faces twin threats as wildfires spread during pandemic
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/06/arizona-wildfires-coronavirus-navajo-nation
Masks, disinfectant, social distancing: Japan responds to disaster amid coronavirus
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-japan-floods/masks-disinfectant-social-distancing-japan-responds-to-disaster-amid-coronavirus-idUSKBN2490CS
Locating the Risk on Foreign Shores: The Making of “Covid-Safe” Japan
https://www.teach311.org/2020/07/09/maly/
$1.2B Calgary hailstorm ranks as Canada’s 4th costliest natural disaster
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/calgary-hailstorm-ranks-as-canadas-4th-costliest-natural-disaster-alberta
Disaster education, communications and engagement
Japan’s top mobile carriers launch multilingual disaster information service for tourists
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/07/05/national/japan-mobile-carriers-multilingual-disaster-information-tourists/#.XwOVoSgzaUk
JMA launches English portal
https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/202007_Heavyrain/2020_Heavyrain.html
Dynamics of Crisis Communications in Social Media: Spatio-temporal and Text-based Comparative Analyses of Twitter Data from Hurricanes Irma and Michael
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340390281_Dynamics_of_Crisis_Communications_in_Social_Media_Spatio-temporal_and_Text-based_Comparative_Analyses_of_Twitter_Data_from_Hurricanes_Irma_and_Michael
Confusion over warnings during bushfires
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6821865/confusion-over-warnings-during-bushfires/#gsc.tab=0
Create your Bushfire Survival Plan
https://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/BushFire_Safety/Pages/Create-your-bushfire-survival-plan.aspx
Psychology and disasters
Floodwaters Test the Staying Power of a ‘Determined Man’
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02072020/american-climate-video-floodwaters-test-staying-power-%E2%80%98determined-man%E2%80%99
Addressing COVID-19 Grief and Loss
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-resilience/202007/addressing-covid-19-grief-and-loss
Sociology and disasters
How do natural hazards affect participation in voluntary association? The social impacts of disasters in Japanese society
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212420918308070
Examining of the actor collaboration networks around hazard mitigation: a Hurricane Harvey study
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342689952_Examining_of_the_actor_collaboration_networks_around_hazard_mitigation_a_hurricane_harvey_study
Researching Crime After a Disaster: What We Can Learn From a Large Survey in New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0002764220938107
Commercial social spaces in the post-disaster context
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEPP-10-2019-0078/full/html
Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans on August 29, 2005, but the decisions that caused the disaster extend across the twentieth century
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674971714
Special Issue: Geographies of the COVID-19 pandemic
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/dhga/10/2
Function of Social Capital Embedded in Religious Communities at Times of Disaster: Cases of Disaster Relief Activity by a Muslim Community and a Soka Gakkai Community in Japan
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329349801_Function_of_Social_Capital_Embedded_in_Religious_Communities_at_Times_of_Disaster_Cases_of_Disaster_Relief_Activity_by_a_Muslim_Community_and_a_Soka_Gakkai_Community_in_Japan
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If you have any links you wish to share please send them to:
Neil Dufty
Principal, Molino Stewart Pty Ltd
E-mail: ndufty@molinostewart.com.au
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