The federal government created a program in 1968 to insure homes in the US from flooding, yet few of the houses hammered by Harvey’s record rainfall were covered.
Shoes left after a flash flood during the mudslide in Freetown, Sierra Leone August 18, 2017.
REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
Unless urban planning is taken seriously in Sierra Leone, there’s a risk that similar disasters like the mudslides could occur with potentially more devastating consequences.
The financial impact of Hurricane Katrina on individual lives has been little studied until now.
Reuters/Robert Galbraith
Researchers examined credit data on the victims of Hurricane Katrina to understand how the disaster affected their personal finances, revealing important lessons for those hurt by Harvey.
As flooding took hold in the Houston area, volunteers who suffered through Hurricane Katrina made their way to Texas.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Ad hoc boat rescues have become critical parts of disaster response efforts, a trend first responders have officially embraced.
As many people have had to wade through floodwaters, they need to be aware of the risk of infection and disease from contaminated waters.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
As Houston continues to rescue residents whose homes were ruined, it also begins to deal with issues related to contaminated floodwaters and overflowing reservoirs. It won’t be easy.
Residents pick through a makeshift aid station in Rockport, Texas after Harvey struck their city.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
The unpredictability of hurricanes makes it hard to say for sure whether climate change is making them worse. But we do know that sea-level rise and increased evaporation will worsen the impacts.
In Big Bend National Park’s Santa Elena Canyon, the Rio Grande separates the United States (left) from Mexico (right).
Ken Lund
Instead of building a wall on the US-Mexico border, a landscape architect calls for restoring the Rio Grande and turning its course into an international park – an idea first proposed in the 1930s.
The Acros Fukuoka eco-building in Fukuoka, Japan boasts one of the world’s most famous green roofs. The GRIT Lab at the University of Toronto is working to bring green roofs to the city and beyond in order to combat climate change.
(Shutterstock)
Green roofs could play a critical role in helping cities cope with extreme rainfall events in the age of climate change. The roofs essentially suck up stormwater like sponges if designed properly.
A canoe ride on a flooded street in Ajegunle, a densely populated area in Lagos, Nigeria.
EPA/George Esiri
Analysis of flood gauge data suggest that floods are becoming less frequent in many parts of the world. Despite that, more people and property are at risk, particularly in developing countries.
As summer heatwaves intensify across Canada, smaller cities need to follow the lead of Toronto and Vancouver - to protect vulnerable citizens from injury, disease and death.
In the 1950s, Reggio Calabria on the toe of Italy, was a dangerous place to grow up.
lyonara/flickr
A researcher on sea level rise and climate change impacts reviews Kim Stanley Robinson’s new novel, ‘New York 2140,’ which envisions the city’s future in the face of extreme sea-level rise.
Sydney’s summer was the hottest on record.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins