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Articles on Natural disasters

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Damage in Mayfield, Kentucky, after a tornado swept through the area on Dec. 11, 2021. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Why the southern US is prone to December tornadoes

Tornadoes in December aren’t unusual in the Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi Valley states, but the Dec. 10-11 outbreak was extreme and far-reaching.
People wade through high water to evacuate a flooded home in LaPlace, La., after Hurricane Ida struck. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The 2021 hurricane season showed US isn’t prepared as climate-related disasters push people deeper into poverty

The most vulnerable communities are being pushed deeper into poverty with each climate-related disaster. Part of the problem is that government aid helps the wealthiest people most.
A cabin is illuminated by firetruck lights as the Caldor Fire burns near Lake Tahoe in California on Aug. 31, 2021. Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A new ratings industry is emerging to help homebuyers assess climate risks

Private companies rate all kinds of investments, from stocks to used cars. Now, they’re starting to analyze climate risks to local real estate – but how reliable are their findings?
Flooding is seen in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia after the remnants of Hurricane Ida, Sept. 2, 2021. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Cities worldwide aren’t adapting to climate change quickly enough

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and that share is growing. Rapid climate change could make many cities unlivable in the coming decades without major investments to adapt.
Melizabeth Uhi, a school principal, stands in front of her destroyed home in Vanuatu, a week after Cyclone Pam tore through the South Pacific archipelago in 2015. Nick Perry/AP

Millions of people were evacuated during disasters last year – another rising cost of climate change

As climate change amplifies the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, evacuations are likely to become increasingly common and costly – in human and economic terms.
Tools for a prescribed burn conducted in the Sierra Nevada in November 2019. Susan Kocher

Moving beyond America’s war on wildfire: 4 ways to avoid future megafires

Two forest researchers whose own communities were threatened by fires in 2021 explain how historic policies left forests at high risk of megafires.
“My family has lost everything. We all live in this area, and now it’s all gone,” said Fusto Maldonado, whose home in Barataria, Louisiana, flooded during Hurricane Ida. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Louisiana’s coastal cultures are threatened by the very plans meant to save their wetlands and barrier islands

As the state copes with hurricanes and climate disasters, it is figuring out how to manage the slow-motion loss of its coastal land. But its plans could endanger the cultures that define the region.
A man inspects a road destroyed by a flood in Dili, East Timor, April 6 2021. Kandhi Barnez/AP

Why involving people with disability in preparing for disasters leads to better outcomes

Overlooking people with disability in disaster preparations and responses makes them even more vulnerable. A new partnership has shown they can play meaningful and active roles.
Outages left downtown New Orleans in the dark after Hurricane Ida made landfall on Aug. 29, 2021. Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Can burying power lines protect storm-wracked electric grids? Not always

Hurricane Ida left the entire city of New Orleans in the dark and renewed discussion of burying power lines. But there’s no way to completely protect the grid, above ground or below.
Dance and movement therapy not only holds promise for treatment of trauma, anxiety and depression but can also contribute lifelong coping skills. kate_sept2004/E+ via Getty Images

Dance and movement therapy holds promise for treating anxiety and depression, as well as deeper psychological wounds

The COVID-19 pandemic and a growing global refugee crisis have shone a light on the ever-increasing need for new approaches to mental health treatment.

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