Latest news on Disaster Risk Reduction

GE is partnering with Sam Cossman and the Nicaraguan government to install about 80 wireless sensors inside one of the country's active volcanoes. The sensors will gather real-time data about Masaya's temperature, atmospheric pressure, gravity, and the variety of different gasses. The data will be transmitted to Predix, an open-source database - and...

This country note is produced as part of The Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI). The geographic spread of the Cook Islands poses logistical problems for any necessary post-disaster relief and response efforts. However, the it also has a proactive approach to disaster risk financing and  insurance (DRFI), which...

This publication makes a case for Flood Early Warking Systems (FEWSs) in delivering actionable information to the most vulnerable to floods. Based on Practical Action's work in Nepal and Bangladesh, the author argues that FEWSs must be locally owned to sustain resilience gains.They key learnings presented in this document are: Ensuring that all...

This publication discusses the importance of understanding risk, especially future risks from climate change, in decision-making on infrastructure investment. It highlights the need to accommodate greater uncertainty and draw on data from climate modelling and presents new approaches that can facilitate this.The document proposes the following: Infrastructure...

This issue of HazNet, the magazine of the Canadian Risks and Hazards Network, focuses on the vital role of volunteers in emergency management and building community disaster resilience. The publication notes that mechanisms to manage surge capacity and supporting  frameworks to enable volunteer support during events are...

This paper presents results from a climate adaptation research project undertaken in Toulouse (France) in 2015. While city and building designers could be pivotal actors, they have yet to fully take on this role. Research can support adaptation action through greater collaboration with practitioners and a better understanding of their knowledge and...

If another powerful cyclone were to hit the Ayeyarwady Deltam it could have a more devastating impact than 2008, one of the worst natural disasters in Myanmar's history. The reason: continuing destruction of mangrove forests that provide a coastal buffer against extreme weather and support marine life. Now environmentalists are campaigning to prevent...

Services such as energy, transport and sanitation - essential for modern society - are already experiencing significant impacts from severe weather related to climate change. Unchecked, the projected increases in flooding will lead to more disruption of infrastructure. Furthermore, gradual changes in the climate will reduce capacity and increase running...

Reducing the risks posed by natural and man-made hazards will be critical to keep cities around the globe on a sustainable development track, say delegates preparing for the Habitat III conference on urbanization. Over 3200 cities and municipalities worldwide have signed up to Making Cities Resilient, making it the largest association of local government...

Women are disproportionately affected by disasters compared to men, with a 4:1 ratio. Circumstances may lead to the misperception that vulnerability to the impacts of disasters is due to weak physical characteristics; in reality, it is gender inequality contributing to the high proportion of women affected. In this framing, women can become assets rather...