After disasters, communities often push to rebuild as quickly as possible. A public health expert says they should aim higher and fix problems that exist pre-storm.
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Articles on Natural disasters
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After Cyclone Tracy, you’d expect Darwin of all cities to be ready for the next one. But as the clean-up after Cyclone Marcus continues, it’s clear more must be done to increase the city’s resilience.
On March 11, 2011, a nuclear disaster struck Japan. Translated testimony by the power plant’s manager reveals how close the world came to a greater catastrophe – and how much there is to be learned.
To address environmental degradation, including climate change, it is essential to take into account human rights and migration. Hybrid international law and regional thinking are both essential.
New research suggests politics and risk perception may explain why the US and Caribbean see climate change so differently, though both places are ever more vulnerable to powerful hurricanes.
In the future, Europe will suffer from more heat waves as well as extreme rainfall, presenting new challenges for planners and health care services. Building resilient cities can help.
Many Puerto Ricans are happy to see their broke power utility sold off to whoever can get the lights turned back on. But privatizing the island’s energy grid may bring more problems than relief.
According to current forecasts, California has a 93 percent chance of an earthquake with magnitude 7 or greater occurring by 2045. Early warning systems, now in development, could limit casualties and damage.
Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles are already saving lives in search and rescue operations, but they still need improvements if they’re to be widely used in the most dangerous situations.
While the Montecito, California mudslides took 20 lives, landslides kill far more people in developing countries. Tighter construction standards and early warning systems could help reduce their toll.
Australia’s scorching summers aren’t just inconvenient: heatwaves are deadly. Yet new research has found many vulnerable people don’t have a plan for extreme heat.
A watershed scientist explains why post-wildfire landscapes are so susceptible to landslides – and why those risks are poised to rise.
In response to mudslides that have killed at least 20 people in Southern California, a geologist calls for more resources to study and map landslide hazards so residents can understand the risks.
The governor of Puerto Rico has ordered a recount of the official death toll for Hurricane Maria. The real number is likely higher by the hundreds. What happened?
Floods and natural disasters can be highly traumatic for children.
What decisions can we make today to reduce the future risk of hazards like floods and fire? Particularly in a time of climate change, modelling various plausible futures helps us plan for uncertainty.
Extreme weather events are inevitably followed by disease outbreaks. So why not team health professionals with climate experts?
Fire is part of the ecology in much of California, but recent wildfires have caused much more damage than past burns of similar size. A fire ecologist points to two key factors: winds and population growth.
A Puerto Rican librarian with a personal relationship to hurricanes describes the brutal reality of life on this Caribbean island more than a month after Maria and Irma left their mark.
The media and policymakers often say a ‘perfect storm’ of environmental factors cause wildfires but that ignores the role of irresponsible urban planning and development in raising fire risks.
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Dean (Head of School), Indigenous Knowledges
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Business Improvement Lead
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Senior Research Fellow - Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (CIET)
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Laboratory Head - RNA Biology
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Head of School, School of Arts & Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia
Top contributors
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Honorary Professor of Hazards and Disaster Risk Sciences, University of Sydney
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Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton
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Professor of Climate Science, UMass Lowell
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Professor of Disasters and Health, UCL
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Professor Emeritus of Geography, Louisiana State University
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Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Director, Security and Resilience Program, Northeastern University
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Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Boise State University
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Associate Professor of Earthquake Science, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York
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Sr. Associate Vice President for Research and Research Professor, University of Oregon
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Senior Researcher, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
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Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Wollongong
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Associate Professor of Human Geography, University of Tasmania
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Scientia Professor and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney
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Associate Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee
