Deleon Gambel, 14, fights the current from the overflow of Buffalo Bayou as he makes his way through floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey while checking on neighbors in his apartment complex in Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.
AP Photo/LM Otero
The number of natural disasters around the world has doubled since 1980, raising serious questions about how to respond. Here’s how game theory could help.
U.S. Army Spc. Pam Anderson applies first-aid medical attention to an elderly man during flood relief operations just outside of Winona, Minnesota, August 20, 2007.
Staff Sgt. Daniel Ewer, U.S. Army
New research shows that older people are especially at risk during and after natural disasters, and may need medical help or other support well after relief operations end.
Heavy storms in February caused parts of a California highway to give way.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo
Florian Roth, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich; Christine Eriksen, University of Wollongong e Tim Prior, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
Understanding what parts of society are susceptible to natural hazards and why, is key for emergency services and risk managers.
All tropical cyclones in the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, with their locations shown at six-hour intervals and color representing maximum wind speed.
Cyclonebiskit/Wikipedia
Major hurricanes threaten millions of people and billions of dollars in property along the Atlantic coast. Here experts advise on preparing, understanding forecasts and recovering after a storm.
Debris litters the neighborhood where multiple members of the same family were killed in a tornado in Beauregard, Ala., March 5, 2019.
AP Photo/David Goldman
Tornado forecasting has greatly improved in recent decades, but these dangerous storms can still take communities by surprise. Two meteorologists explain what causes tornadoes and how to stay safe.
UN member states are holding consultations as part of the development of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
In a changing and unsettled world, migration can be a greater-than-ever contributor to development for communities of origin, destination areas, and for the migrants themselves.
Disaster preparations often focus on gear and logistics, but research in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami shows that strong social ties played a key role in helping communities rebound.
Poorly resourced small towns like Marysville often struggle to recover from disasters like the Black Saturday bushfires.
Andrew Brownbill/AAP
Rebuilding small communities on the same site in the same way seldom works. It’s not about getting back to where you were, but rather grasping the opportunity to create a more resilient place.
Globally the frequency of natural disasters has more than doubled over the past 35 years.
CGIAR/Challenge food and water programme
Wetlands management is vital but sweeping statements about their universal value may do more harm than good.
Devastation in Sichuan province after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, thought to be induced by industrial activity at a nearby reservoir.
dominiqueb/flickr
Natural disasters are on the rise due to climate change, displacing millions of people each year. A new international initiative is aiming to improve the way governments respond to such crises.