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What a Solar Superstorm Could Mean for the U.S.
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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In 2025, the US Suffered a Billion-Dollar Disaster Every 10 Days
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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Dashboard 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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West Coast Levee Failures Show Growing Risks from America’s Aging Flood Defenses
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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You’ve Heard of Climate Change. What Is the Climate Debt Doom Loop?
The low-cost way for municipalities to fund responses and preparedness for the floods, fires and other disasters.
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What Happens When Disaster Recovery Becomes a Luxury Good
As federal services deteriorate, a patchwork of private companies is taking their place —for better or for worse.
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EPA’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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Using 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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A 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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Study 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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FEMA’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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The 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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Robot 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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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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Trump 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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The long view
The U.S. Barely Bothers to Track Geoengineering. What Could Go Wrong?
Whether it’s cloud seeding or covering the Arctic in tiny glass beads, there’s little standing in the way of weather modification.
Study Reveals Climatic Fingerprints of Wildfires and Volcanic Eruptions
In research that could help elucidate humans’ role in global warming, scientists showed how three major natural events impacted global atmospheric temperatures.