Knowledge Base highlights and editors' picks

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Every week the PreventionWeb team of editors selects the latest news and research, reports and publications on disaster risk reduction – here is their selection of the latest must-read content.

Update

30 September 2022

Hurricane Ian flooded a hospital and forced evacuations from dozens of nursing homes – many health facilities face rising risks from severe storms

When disasters strike, health services become really crucial as injuries rise. Yet in many coastal communities, the hospitals were built in locations that are at increasingly high risk of flooding during hurricanes.

Conversation Media Group, the

Satellite image of Hurrican Ian heading towards Florida, USA.

Update

3 October 2022

Hurricane Ian capped 2 weeks of extreme storms around the globe: Here’s what’s known about how climate change fuels tropical cyclones

When Hurricane Ian hit Florida, it was one of the United States’ most powerful hurricanes on record, and it followed a two-week string of massive, devastating storms around the world.

Conversation Media Group, the

Update

3 October 2022

Insects will struggle to keep pace with global temperature rise – which could be bad news for humans

Animals can only endure temperatures within a given range. The upper and lower temperatures of this range are called its critical thermal limits. As these limits are exceeded, an animal must either adjust or migrate to a cooler climate.

Conversation Media Group, the

A parent accompanies three children amidst heavy rains in Mumbai, India

Research briefs

8 September 2022

Weather whiplash’ occurrences will increase alongside global temperatures

A sudden flip in weather conditions from a long hot and dry period to a parade of storms, for example, or from abnormally mild winter temperatures to extreme cold—can cause major disruptions to human activities, energy supply, agriculture, and ecosystems.

Woodwell Climate Research Center

Riksha drivers walking through the flooded streets in Bangladesh in 2020.

Update

29 September 2022

4 innovations that can be part of India and Bangladesh’s flood defences

New technological and nature-based innovations are being developed and introduced in the face of worsening climate change-driven floods.

The Third Pole

Update

29 September 2022

Life-saving landslide risk communication in Puerto Rico

Since 2017, when rainfall from Hurricane Maria triggered landslides, USGS, UPRM, the Natural Hazards Center, and community leaders have worked together to create communication materials, a landslide forecasting network, and—most importantly—trust.

Natural Hazards Center

Update

30 September 2022

Beavers can help mitigate the effects of climate change. But how significant is their impact?

As heatwaves and droughts become more frequent, beavers could play an important role in safeguarding against these risks, scientists say.

World Economic Forum

A severely damaged house and a pile of debris in New Orleans after Hurricane Ida in the United States in 2021.

Research briefs

23 September 2022

New research can help electric utilities account for climate change

Researchers have devised a method to determine the impact of climate change on the supply and variability of local renewable energy.

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Research briefs

27 September 2022

Cattle grazing with virtual fencing shows potential to create wildfire fuel breaks, study finds

The use of virtual fencing to manage cattle grazing on sagebrush rangelands has potential to create fuel breaks needed to help fight wildfires, a recent Oregon State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service study found.

University of Oregon

United States Department of Agriculture

Update

28 September 2022

Puerto Ricans: we won’t become resilient until we have an equitable and just recovery

“Refuse to glorify resilience; demand accountability.” Thus reads a meme on Puerto Rican social media, the background image a house with a wind-battered roof, a combination of rusted tin and ragged palm tree leaves.

Union of South American Nations