Stand by for drones, robots and sensors to the rescue.
Mass evacuations in response to natural disasters like Hurricane Maria are a logistical challenge, but also face psychological barriers to residents being willing and able to leave.
EPA
The distinction between food insecurity and famine is artificial and unhelpful. Hungry people are suffering however their situation falls below the radar.
Trees burn in the High Park wildfire near Fort Collins, Colorado, June 17, 2012.
USFS
Much disaster reporting simply chronicles events, but good journalism digs deeper and examines causes. Stories about Colorado wildfires have raised questions about risk, especially on fire anniversaries.
A satellite image of Hurricane Irma spiraling through the Caribbean.
NOAA/AP
Levi Gahman, The University of the West Indies: St. Augustine Campus y Gabrielle Thongs, The University of the West Indies: St. Augustine Campus
The Caribbean is facing its second deadly hurricane in as many weeks. This isn’t just bad luck: the region’s extreme vulnerability to disaster also reflects entrenched social inequalities.
Using solar power could give the U.S. military some advantages – and more security.
Diane Durden/U.S. Marine Corps
US military bases usually get their electricity from the civilian grid, which is vulnerable to attack and to disaster. Solar-powered microgrids could protect national security, and would save money.
As flooding took hold in the Houston area, volunteers who suffered through Hurricane Katrina made their way to Texas.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
The widespread discussion as to whether the Hurricane Harvey disaster was caused by climate change or not is a dangerous distraction from the real issues.
Residents of Muong La, Son La, are left to pick up the pieces after this latest disaster.
Le Trieu Duong
Disasters may have ‘natural’ triggers but why are ethic minorities forced to live under harsh conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to catastrophes?
Bangladesh is located in a river delta, making it both fertile and extremely vulnerable to disasters. In 2007, cyclone Sidr destroyed parts of this low-lying Bangladeshi island.
UNU-EHS/Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson
Why don’t people evacuate their homes when warned of impending storm danger? To save lives, resiliency plans must understand how locals in climate-vulnerable places assess risk.
Survivors of a stampede at Demba Diop stadium, Senegal. Eight people were killed when a wall collapsed after fighting started between fans.
EPA
As Senegal mourns the victims of the Demba Diop football stadium crush and searches for answers, it is to be hoped that lessons are learned, and consequences are swift.
Residents near the burnt-out Grenfell Tower display a sign that expresses their anger at being marginalised and ignored.
Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
As climate change increases the frequency and severity of disasters in the near future, leveraging social media data, crowd-sourcing and other means of discovering the unknown will become crucial.
The 2011 Brisbane floods were thought to be a ‘one-in-100-year’ event.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Australia is facing an above-average cyclone season, with at least 11 cyclones likely in the region.
The relatively low death toll when Cycle Aila hit Bangladesh in 2009 was widely attributed to improvements in disaster preparedness.
Reuters/Andrew Biraj
It’s not uncommon for kids to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress after a disaster. With thousands of children affected by Hurricane Harvey, how can parents help kids bounce back?
Ecuador is known for promoting the ‘Buen Vivir’ development policy agenda. But the state’s response to a recent earthquake brought its commitment into question.