Natural disasters

GEOMAGNETIC STORMSWhat a Solar Superstorm Could Mean for the U.S.
By Steven Sobieszćzyk, Ayesha Davis, and Jeffrey J. Love
If a geomagnetic storm as large as the famed “Carrington Event” of 1859 were to occur today, it could adversely affect telecommunications and electric power transmission systems across the U.S., especially in the Midwest and the East Coast.
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DISASTERSIn 2025, the US Suffered a Billion-Dollar Disaster Every 10 Days
By Matt Simon
A new analysis finds that in 2025 major catastrophes took 276 lives and caused $115 billion in damages. It could have been much worse.
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NATURAL HAZARDSDashboard to Analyzes Natural Hazard Risk to Bank Branches
New interactive dashboard is designed for banks—whether large institutions like JPMorgan Chase or small community banks—to understand how natural disasters such as floods, storms or heatwaves could affect their assets and branch locations.
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DISASTERSWest Coast Levee Failures Show Growing Risks from America’s Aging Flood Defenses
By Farshid Vahedifard
Across the U.S., levees are getting older while weather is getting more extreme. Many of these structures were never designed for the enormous responsibility they now carry.
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DISASTERSYou’ve Heard of Climate Change. What Is the Climate Debt Doom Loop?
By Cynthia McCormick Hibbert
The low-cost way for municipalities to fund responses and preparedness for the floods, fires and other disasters.
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DISASTER RECOVERYWhat Happens When Disaster Recovery Becomes a Luxury Good
By Rebecca Egan McCarthy
As federal services deteriorate, a patchwork of private companies is taking their place —for better or for worse.
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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.
By Carlos Nogueras Ramos
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
By Rebecca Egan McCarthy
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
By Milad Haghani, Erica Kuligowski, and Ruggiero Lovreglio
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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SEARCH & RESCUERobot to the Rescue When Buildings Collapse
By Georg Mathisen
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
By Rebecca Egan McCarthy
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.
By Sophie Hurwitz
Climate Central revived the federal list of billion-dollar disasters, another example of nonprofits providing data the government deletes.
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