Actor Russell Crowe, who lives in Nana Glen, in northeast New South Wales, with neighbours. The area was hit by bushfires in early November 2019.
Russell Crowe/Twitter
For attracting attention and money to a cause, celebrity-driven attention is hard to beat. But there’s also a downside.
Residents of Grantham pay their respects during the dawn memorial service after the 2011 Queensland flash floods. Research into natural disaster recovery suggests there is a long road ahead for survivors of the current bushfire crisis.
AAP/PATRICK HAMILTON
Government agencies have detailed plans for responding to disasters, like the Dec. 10-11, 2021 tornados. But one issue doesn’t get enough attention: cleaning up the mess left behind.
The neighborhood known as The Mudd suffered disproportionate damage, a reflection of the Bahamas’ history.
AP Photo/Fernando Llano
It’s now officially the end of hurricane season, but the rebuilding of the Bahamas continues, slowed by the risks imposed by a history of colonialism and class division.
Members of the public contemplate a makeshift floral memorial near the Linwood Mosque, where seven people were killed, in Christchurch.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Christchurch is now inextricably associated with the mass shootings at two mosques in which 50 people died. So what can a city do when its name become synonymous with such an event?
Haiti had not yet recovered from its devastating 2010 earthquake when it was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. It is one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Haiti is extremely vulnerable to climate change. It is also very poor. International donors have stepped in to help the country fund climate mitigation, but is the money going where it’s most needed?
Households in rural and regional areas are more likely to be insured than those in cities, possibly because rural residents are more attuned to environmental conditions and the risks to property.
Tasmania Police/AAP
The differences between owners and the growing number of renters, and between rural and urban areas, point to explanations other than affordability for the one-in-two Australians who are underinsured.
Some Puerto Ricans had to restore downed power lines themselves after Hurricane Maria.
Alvin Baez/Reuters
It’s been one year since a Category 4 storm turned Puerto Rico into a disaster zone. Today, nearly every pillar of society — including the economy, health care and schools — remains hobbled.
A storm caused flooding in the CBD as it swept through Hobart.
Patrick Gee/The Mercury. Used with permission
Managing flood risk is not just ‘good planning’; it requires commitment to resilient cities by land developers, politicians and communities. Effective response means learning from mistakes.
Beginning the recovery in Bogalay, Myanmar on May 8, 2008.
REUTERS
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.
Fallen trees and power lines are two of the main hazards that could have been reduced with better planning for cyclones.
Geoff Whalan/Flickr
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.
If Caribbean governments can’t afford to rebuild their islands, maybe big tech firms can?
Masaō Ashtine, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus
Tesla, China and Richard Branson are among those offering to help Caribbean nations rebuild – and do so in a greener, more resilient way – after the devastating 2017 hurricane season.
Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, Purdue University
Professor of Globalisation and Development; Director of the Oxford Martin Programmes on Technological and Economic Change, The Future of Work and the Future of Development, University of Oxford