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.

Documents and publications

2 August 2023

Using social media feeds for mapping and assessing areas affected by flooding due to tropical cyclones

This paper argues that social media platforms present a significant potential of data sources to operationalize the provisions of the Sendai Framework.

A disabled old woman affected by the floods stands in front of a temporary shelter in Bangladesh, 2022

Update

1 August 2023

Bangladesh is undertaking the world’s largest resettlement programme – and the climate is making it harder

Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate extremes. The nation’s topography lays its citizens bare to cyclones, flash floods, erosion and drought – not to mention the significant socio-economic impact these bring.

Conversation Media Group, the

Weather station positioned on a rocky hillside, Nepal

Update

26 July 2023

Drones, reaching new heights in Nepal’s fight against climate change

In the hours and days following a devastating flood in June 2021, when a deluge of sediment and debris swallowed parts of the Melamchi River Valley in central Nepal, authorities scrambled to recover the dead and injured.

World Bank, the

Fire fighters in clouds of smoke during a wild fire in Greece

Update

28 July 2023

Greece wildfires: how climate change is involved, and what we can do about it

Fanned by strong winds and record temperatures, wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes recently spread from the hilly interior to the densely populated coastline with astonishing speed, leaving authorities with the daunting task of evacuating thousands.

Conversation Media Group, the

Woman, displaced from war in Yemen, collecting fire wood

Update

31 July 2023

Displaced from home and sheltered in an extreme environment

Millions of people, displaced from their home countries, take refuge in areas that are highly vulnerable to extreme weather.

Eos - AGU

View from dune top over sunset in North Sea from the island of Ameland, Friesland, Netherlands

Update

28 July 2023

Plants build dunes but can speed erosion during severe storms

When waves hit vegetated dunes, waterlogged areas form in front of plants, making for sand that’s easier to wash away. But you still need plants to form dunes in the first place.

Eos - AGU

Update

28 July 2023

New ocean observing technologies to advance vital tsunami warning systems

More than 700 million people on our planet are exposed to tsunamis, but new technological advancements and international cooperation efforts will make future tsunami warnings more timely, accurate and accessible to all those at risk.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Headquarters

Update

27 July 2023

Are we ready to respond to an earthquake, a tropical storm, an epidemic outbreak, and a cyber-attack at once?

As odd as it may sound, an earthquake, a tropical storm, an epidemic outbreak, and a cyber-attack occurred in Panama in June 2023 as the scenario for an emergency drill.

World Bank, the

A farmer takes a break in the midday heat

Update

27 July 2023

4 factors driving 2023’s extreme heat and climate disasters

Between the record-breaking global heat and extreme downpours, it’s hard to ignore that something unusual is going on with the weather in 2023.

Conversation Media Group, the

Update

27 July 2023

July 2023 is set to be the hottest month on record

According to ERA5 data from the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the first three weeks of July have been the warmest three-week period on record and the month is on track to be the hottest July and the hottest month on record.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)