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TARGETING SCIENCEEPA’s Climate Science Erasure
The EPA has removed scientific data and climate change information from the agency’s webpages, including all references to the contribution of human activities to climate change. The EPA also removed critical research evaluating the risks that climate change poses to the health of Americans, and to the impact of global warming on the U.S. economy through the intensification of natural disasters such as droughts, extreme precipitation, and wildfires.
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SEARCH & RESCUEUsing Smartphones to Improve Disaster Search and Rescue
When a natural disaster strikes, time is of the essence if people are trapped under rubble.When visibility is limited, sound that can penetrate through rubble is the key to finding trapped victims quickly.
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FLOODSA West Texas County Wants to Better Prepare for Floods. Paying for It Will Be Tricky.
Ector County has boomed since the 1970s, when the drainage system was last updated. Officials hope state and federal funds will help pay for the update despite some grant programs ending under the Trump administration.
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CLIMATE ADAPTATIONStudy Warns Past Heat Waves Would Be Far More Lethal Now
The weather patterns behind Europe’s past extreme heat waves could cause tens of thousands more deaths in today’s hotter climate –unless countries rapidly scale up heat-adaptation efforts.
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DISASTER RESPONSEFEMA’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year
As 2025 draws to a close, the departure of the beleaguered acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, David Richardson, caps a tumultuous year for FEMA. Internal turmoil and delayed aid – all under the shadow of President Donald Trump’s vow to abolish the agency — expose the agency’s fragility under Trump.
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EMERGENCY EVACUATIONSThe Hong Kong High-Rise Fire Shows How Difficult It Is to Evacuate in an Emergency
The catastrophic Hong Kong fire highlights how difficult it is to evacuate high-rise buildings in an emergency. A key problem: As high-rises grow taller and populations age, the old assumption that “everyone can take the stairs” simply no longer holds.
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RESILIENCE INSURANCEBuilding Climate Resilience Through Insurance Incentives
Insurance does not have to be just a payout after a tragedy. When designed thoughtfully, it can act as a lever for resilience.
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RISKSScientists Find Evolutionary Explanation for “Irrational” Dread Risk Behavior
People often respond to low-probability, high-consequence events like terror attacks or nuclear accidents with a Dread Risk response, leading them to engage in extreme avoidance behavior, which often exposes them to higher risk of dying in more common incidents like traffic accidents.
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SEARCH & RESCUERobot to the Rescue When Buildings Collapse
When disaster strikes, a small robot steps in to save lives. The researchers have dubbed it a “Smurf.” It uses its eyes, ears and nose to find survivors in collapsed buildings.
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CARIBBEAN RESILIENCE After Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica’s Climate Resilience Plan Faces Its Biggest Test Yet
A $150 million “catastrophe bond” will help with hurricane recovery, but experts hope financial markets will invest more in adaptation.
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DISASTERSTrump Killed a Crucial Disaster Database. This Nonprofit Just Saved It.
Climate Central revived the federal list of billion-dollar disasters, another example of nonprofits providing data the government deletes.
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DROUGHTSDrought Is Quietly Pushing American Cities Toward a Fiscal Cliff
Municipal bond defaults of any kind are extraordinarily rare, let alone those linked to a changing climate. But drought is set to pose a greater risk to the $4 trillion municipal bond market than floods, hurricanes, and wildfires combined.
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DISASTER INSURANCECalifornia’s “Last Resort” Property Insurer Seeks Rate Hike, Ringing National Alarm Bells
In recent years, hundreds of thousands of Californians have purchased home insurance from a state-managed “last resort” insurance pool that has grown rapidly as private insurance companies have fled the market. Now, this last-resort insurance plan is seeking an average 36% rate hike.
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CLIMATE CHANGE & DISASTERSClimate Change Is Turning Global Wildfires into Monsters
Predicting bushfires is difficult at the best of times. But as climate change wreaks havoc with our world’s weather systems it’s getting harder and more important to get right. And the behavior of wildfires worldwide over the last year has shown us just how unpredictable and devastating these fires have become.
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AI & DISASTERSHow AI Can Improve Storm Surge Forecasts to Help Save Lives
Hurricanes are America’s most destructive natural hazards, causing more deaths and property damage than any other type of disaster. The No. 1 cause of the damage and deaths from hurricanes is storm surge. I have recently been exploring ways that artificial intelligence can improve the speed of storm surge forecasting.
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The long view
CLIMATE CHANGE & DISASTERSClimate Change Is Turning Global Wildfires into Monsters
Predicting bushfires is difficult at the best of times. But as climate change wreaks havoc with our world’s weather systems it’s getting harder and more important to get right. And the behavior of wildfires worldwide over the last year has shown us just how unpredictable and devastating these fires have become.