• Disasters Expo USA: The Latest in Disaster Preparedness and Recovery

    Disasters Expo USA will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center on 6-7 March 2024. Leading disaster mitigation experts will share with the thousands of participants the latest information and insights on the most innovative, cost-effective, and efficient solutions which aim to help communities prepare for, cope with, and recover from destructive and costly disasters.

  • How Sponge Cities Work?

    With concrete and asphalt covering areas once given over to grass and soil, the water from heavy rains has nowhere to go. Too often, that results in flooding, and cities around the world are now exploring ways to reverse this kind of urban development. And they are doing it by turning themselves into urban “sponges.” In other words, they are creating spaces and infrastructure to absorb, hold and release water in a way that allows it to flow back into the water cycle.

  • Air Pollution Hides Increases in Rainfall

    For much of the last century, the drying effect of aerosols has masked increases in rainfall from greenhouse gases – but as aerosol emissions diminish, average and extreme rains may ramp up.

  • Raging Texas Wildfires Force U.S. Main Nuclear Weapon Facility to Evacuate, Temporarily Shut Down

    Raging wildfires in the Texas panhandle have forced the evacuation and temporary closure of the Pantex plant, the U.S. premier nuclear weapons assembly facility. The Pantex plant said that “All weapons and special materials are safe and unaffected.”

  • Earthquake Fatality Measure Offers New Way to Estimate Impact on Countries

    A new measure that compares earthquake-related fatalities to a country’s population size concludes that Ecuador, Lebanon, Haiti, Turkmenistan, Iran and Portugal have experienced the greatest impact from fatalities in the past five centuries.

  • New Detection Method Aims to Warn of Landslide Tsunamis

    Researchers have devised a way to remotely detect large landslides within minutes of occurrence and to quickly determine whether they are close to open water and present a tsunami hazard.

  • Can Astronomers Use Radar to Spot a Cataclysmic Asteroid?

    How can humans protect the Earth from devastating asteroid and comet impacts? According to the National Academies, ground based astronomical radar systems will have a “unique role” to play in planetary defense.

  • Report Details 2023 State Policy Trends in Disaster Resilience

    As the world continues to grapple with the growing impacts of climate change, we will need to take clear steps to reduce the consequences of ongoing and forecasted catastrophes. It is important to understand what is happening at the state level and how climate adaptation and disaster resilience priorities are appearing in state laws that govern our approaches and underwrite our resilience efforts.

  • CyberShake Study Uses Summit Supercomputer to Investigate Earthquake Hazards

    Researchers are unraveling the mysteries of earthquakes by using physics-based computational models running on high-performance computing systems. The team’s findings will provide a better understanding of seismic hazards in the Golden State.

  • Deficiencies in Building Structures, Construction Shortcuts Were the Main Cause of Casualties in Turkey-Syria Earthquakes

    A new, independent field investigation into the aftermath of the Turkey-Syria earthquakes has found that a drive for profit has pushed all players within the construction industry to take shortcuts, with building stock primarily made of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures, being the main cause of the casualties.

  • Category 6-level Hurricanes Are Already Here, a New Study Says

    Some U.S. scientists are making the case that the current storm classification no longer captures the intensity of recent hurricanes. They argue for extending the current hurricane rating system, the Saffir-Simpson scale, with a new category for storms that have winds topping 192 miles per hour, saying that the world has already seen storms that would qualify as Category 6s. But what would change if we added a number to the hurricane scale?

  • What Sets the Recent Japan Earthquake Apart from Others?

    On Jan. 1, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the western side of Japan on the Noto Peninsula, killing over 200 people. Japan is prone to earthquakes, including a magnitude 9.1 earthquake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami and killed almost 20,000 people. Geophysicist William Frank discusses how a recent earthquake in Japan relates to an earthquake swarm in the region.

  • Clusters of Atmospheric Rivers Amp Up California Storm Damages

    When multiple atmospheric rivers hit California back-to-back, the economic damage from resulting rain and snowfall is three to four times higher than predicted from individual storms, a Stanford study finds. The insight could help water managers and disaster planners better prepare for future impacts of climate change.

  • Investors Are “Flying Blind” to Risk of Climate Lawsuits

    Polluting companies could be liable for trillions in damages from climate lawsuits. But few investors and regulators are taking these risks into account when evaluating companies’ climate-related financial risks. Experts call for an overhaul in how climate litigation risks are assessed and provides a new framework for doing so.

     

  • Where Damaging Earthquakes Are Most Likely to Occur in U.S.

    Scientists recently revealed the latest National Seismic Hazard Model, showing that nearly 75% of the United States could experience a damaging earthquake, emphasizing seismic hazards span a significant part of the country.