Breaking News: Natural Disasters

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Newswise: In Race Against Hurricane Season, Engineers Launch Survey to Study Incentives for Climate-Resilient Homes
Released: 23-Aug-2022 10:50 AM EDT
In Race Against Hurricane Season, Engineers Launch Survey to Study Incentives for Climate-Resilient Homes
University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame researchers are racing against time to create a new framework for community recovery from natural disasters, educate homeowners on risks and encourage incentives for climate-resilient homes before the next extreme event hits.

Newswise: Prediction of Human Movement During Disasters To Allow For More Effective Emergency Response
Released: 10-Aug-2022 5:05 PM EDT
Prediction of Human Movement During Disasters To Allow For More Effective Emergency Response
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

The COVID-19 pandemic, bigger and more frequent wildfires, devastating floods, and powerful storms have become unfortunate facts of life. With each disaster, people depend on the emergency response of governments, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector for aid when their lives are upended. However, a complicating factor in delivering that aid is that people tend to disperse with such disasters.

Newswise: Simultaneous climate events risk damaging entire socioeconomic systems
3-Aug-2022 10:05 AM EDT
Simultaneous climate events risk damaging entire socioeconomic systems
PLOS Climate

In heatwaves where heat and drought combine, effects can destabilize interlinked sectors, including health, energy and food production systems.

   
Released: 2-Aug-2022 2:05 PM EDT
Wildfires are intensifying around the world. Here are the latest headlines in wildfires research for media
Newswise

California’s McKinney Fire grew to become the state’s largest fire so far this year. The risk of wildfire is rising globally due to climate change. Below are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Wildfires channel on Newswise.

       
Newswise: Global Supply Chains Remain Resilient in the Wake of Natural Disasters
Released: 19-Jul-2022 8:05 AM EDT
Global Supply Chains Remain Resilient in the Wake of Natural Disasters
University of California San Diego

While many U.S. policy makers are calling for reshoring and nearshoring to combat trade disruptions caused by COVID-19, new University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy research suggests retrenchment of global supply chains is unlikely to happen in the post-pandemic context.

Released: 18-Jul-2022 7:05 AM EDT
When Disaster Strikes, These Americans May Not Be Ready
Ohio State University

A new national study shows which Americans are least likely to be prepared to take necessary actions when faced with disasters such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires.

Released: 28-Jun-2022 8:05 AM EDT
Get ready for hurricane season by downloading the “Homeowners Handbook to Prepare for Natural Disasters”
Gulf of Mexico Alliance

NOAA has forecasted a more active than usual hurricane season this year. Are you prepared?

Released: 23-Jun-2022 1:35 PM EDT
Disaster Scientist Explores Role of Place Attachment Following California Wildfires
University at Albany, State University of New York

Homeowners across the United States are not only experiencing higher mortgage rates and property costs, they’re also at risk of damage from an increasing number of disasters linked to natural hazards, including wildfires.

   
Newswise: Natural Disasters Can Accelerate Changes to Tropical Forests
Released: 22-Jun-2022 8:05 AM EDT
Natural Disasters Can Accelerate Changes to Tropical Forests
University of Miami

University of Miami associate professor Kenneth Feeley conducted a lengthy study on forests in Jamaica and learned that hurricanes can magnify the effects of climate change, allowing species from warmer climates to replace those that prefer cooler temperatures.

Newswise: Engineers Explore Innovative Ways to Improve Resilience of Coastal Structures
Released: 22-Jun-2022 6:05 AM EDT
Engineers Explore Innovative Ways to Improve Resilience of Coastal Structures
University of Miami

University of Miami engineering and ocean sciences faculty members received federal research funding recently to delve into how they can strengthen coastal buildings and seawalls in the face of climate change.

Released: 16-Jun-2022 3:30 PM EDT
Massive Dataset Reveals Which Governments Have Best Responded to COVID-19 Pandemic
Binghamton University, State University of New York

How well did our political institutions manage the COVID-19 pandemic and are they prepared to handle future threats to the public? A research team led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York hopes to answer these questions and more after compiling an extensive dataset tracking public health government responses to COVID-19 at all levels of government throughout the world.

   
Released: 16-Jun-2022 12:00 PM EDT
UCI-Led Study Links Repeated Hurricane Exposure to Adverse Psychological Symptoms
University of California, Irvine

Repeated exposure to hurricanes, whether direct, indirect or media-based, is linked to adverse psychological symptoms and may be associated with increased mental health problems, according to a first-of-its kind study led by University of California, Irvine researchers.

Released: 14-Jun-2022 5:05 PM EDT
Study Explores Uncertainties in Flood Risk Estimates
Desert Research Institute (DRI)

Flood frequency analysis is a technique used to estimate flood risk, providing statistics such as the “100-year flood” or “500-year flood” that are critical to infrastructure design, dam safety analysis, and flood mapping in flood-prone areas.

26-May-2022 4:00 PM EDT
How Will Humans Survive a Global Catastrophe?
Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)

One suggested way to save humankind in the event of a deadly pandemic or other extreme global catastrophe is establishing a safe refuge – on an island or in such far-out places as the moon or under water -- where a portion of the human population can stay alive.

Released: 26-May-2022 1:55 PM EDT
Tsunami Threats Underestimated in Current Models, New Research Shows
University of Southern California (USC)

The 2004 Sumatra earthquake generated one of the most destructive tsunamis ever recorded, with 100-foot waves that killed nearly 230,000 and resulted in an estimated $10 billion in damage.

Newswise: FAU Experts for the 2022 Hurricane Season
Released: 26-May-2022 8:30 AM EDT
FAU Experts for the 2022 Hurricane Season
Florida Atlantic University

With the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season forecast to be above average activity with a higher probability of major hurricanes making landfall along the continental U.S. coastline, several FAU faculty experts are available to discuss various issues surrounding hurricane preparedness, evacuation and aftermath.

Released: 13-May-2022 12:05 PM EDT
Remote sensing research improves hurricane response
Florida State University

Researchers with the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering’s Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) Center are investigating better ways to predict where road-clogging debris will be most severe after tropical cyclones.

Newswise:Video Embedded fsu-faculty-available-to-comment-for-2022-hurricane-season
VIDEO
Released: 6-May-2022 2:25 PM EDT
FSU Faculty Available to Comment for 2022 Hurricane Season
Florida State University

By: Bill Wellock | Published: May 2, 2022 | 4:03 pm | SHARE: Florida State University faculty are leaders in the study of hurricanes and the effects of these destructive storms.Their scholarship has led to research on infrastructure challenges, evacuation routes, sustainable tools and mental health challenges for those affected by hurricanes.

     
Released: 2-May-2022 1:05 PM EDT
Untrained Disaster Responders Are More Prone to Suicide Years After World Trade Center Attack
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Construction workers, clean-up staff and other untrained nontraditional emergency employees who assisted in recovery efforts at the World Trade Center in New York following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, are more than five times as likely than traditional first responders to have considered suicide, according to a Rutgers study. Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the study is believed to be the first to examine the prevalence and connection of thoughts of suicide in two occupational groups that participated in rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

   
Released: 27-Apr-2022 3:15 PM EDT
Using Satellite Data to Help Direct Response to Natural Disasters
Ohio State University

Researchers have developed a way to use satellite imaging data to create 3D images that could quickly detect changes on the Earth’s surface, a new study says.

Newswise: Immersive VR: empowering kids to survive in fire, flood, and war
Released: 26-Apr-2022 12:05 AM EDT
Immersive VR: empowering kids to survive in fire, flood, and war
University of South Australia

When you live in the driest State in the driest country in the world, bushfires are an unfortunate, and all-too-regular part of life. Learning how to survive such emergencies is important for all people, but especially for our youngest citizens

Released: 19-Apr-2022 5:05 PM EDT
Disasters could disrupt care for opioid use disorder in most vulnerable communities
Yale University

he COVID-19 pandemic has spiked the overdose death rate from opioid use. For people who rely on medications (buprenorphine, methadone, and extended-release naltrexone) to treat opioid use disorders, the pandemic and such natural disasters as tornados, hurricanes, and wildfires can disrupt access to medications.

Newswise: Quantifying the Economic Costs of Red Tide
Released: 7-Apr-2022 4:50 PM EDT
Quantifying the Economic Costs of Red Tide
Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System-Regional Association (GCOOS-RA)

University of Florida research has quantified the financial shock that a 2018 red tide bloom had to Florida’s economy using the Airbnb market as a gauge to the broader impacts.

Released: 7-Mar-2022 11:45 AM EST
Collected Psychological Science Research on War, Conflict, and Authoritarianism
Association for Psychological Science

Research on war, conflict, and authoritarianism published in the APS journals Perspectives on Psychological Science, Current Directions in Psychological Science, and Psychological Science between 2008 and 2020.

Released: 1-Mar-2022 11:50 AM EST
HU Professors Team with Students to Develop Smart Disaster Prediction, Prevention System
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

A team of Harrisburg University professors and students have set out to develop a smart disaster prediction and prevention system that could help save thousands of lives across the U.S. each year. Using sets of existing disaster data and an adaptive artificial intelligence model, the team plans to design an alert system capable of predicting natural and human-induced disasters, starting with wildfires and vehicle collisions.

Newswise: Pacific, western Indian ocean island nations and culture face extinction in aftermath of undersea volcanic eruptions and climate change, WVU expert says
Released: 21-Jan-2022 4:40 PM EST
Pacific, western Indian ocean island nations and culture face extinction in aftermath of undersea volcanic eruptions and climate change, WVU expert says
West Virginia University

While the aftermath of an undersea volcanic eruption and the following tsunami garner much attention as the waves crash around inhabited islands, an expert at West Virginia University says the combination of those hard to predict eruptions and climate change will eventually erase island nations and their cultures in the Pacific and western Indian oceans.

Released: 19-Jan-2022 9:25 AM EST
Tonga faces daunting challenges after massive volcanic eruption
University of Miami

University of Miami experts provide insights on the powerful eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano, an event geologists are calling the biggest recorded anywhere in the world in more than three decades.

Newswise: Want to limit carbon and curb wildfire? Create a market for small trees
Released: 13-Dec-2021 4:15 PM EST
Want to limit carbon and curb wildfire? Create a market for small trees
University of California, Berkeley

Clearing California’s forests of dense overgrowth is a critical first step for curbing catastrophic wildfire in the state. But forest restoration

Newswise: Virtual bushfire experiment puts the heat on high-risk communities
Released: 12-Dec-2021 8:05 PM EST
Virtual bushfire experiment puts the heat on high-risk communities
University of South Australia

A virtual reality exercise undertaken in Australia with people living in high fire-risk zones has revealed some harsh truths: most people are not prepared for a serious bushfire and many would make fatal errors that could cost them their life.

30-Nov-2021 4:20 PM EST
Tracking Inequities and Health Impacts of Flooding
Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)

Flooding is the most expensive natural disaster in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), costing the country more than $1 trillion in inflation-adjusted dollars since 1980. Rising sea level and more intense storms could be devastating for the more than 40 percent of Americans who live in coastal areas.

   
Newswise: ORNL at AGU: Making climate models smarter
Released: 9-Dec-2021 7:05 AM EST
ORNL at AGU: Making climate models smarter
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists participating in the AGU Fall Meeting 2021, talking about making climate models smarter, are available for media interviews.

30-Nov-2021 3:45 PM EST
Study Finds That Highway Delays can Cause Economic Losses of $8 Million to $250 Million in a Single Day
Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)

The shutdown of the Colonial gas pipeline in May 2021 had a disastrous impact on many sectors of the U.S. economy, particularly those dependent on the country’s transportation infrastructure. The incident was a warning that the failure of one critical infrastructure has a ripple effect on others, leading to sometimes serious human and economic consequences.

Released: 2-Dec-2021 12:05 PM EST
UAlbany Awarded $2.8 Million for FEMA Project Aimed at Improving Disaster Messaging
University at Albany, State University of New York

Through the project, researchers will help emergency managers develop a Message Design Dashboard (MDD) for FEMA to help write effective messages for public alert and warning.

Released: 1-Dec-2021 6:05 PM EST
Call to Action
California State University (CSU) Chancellor's Office

The CSU is equipping teams across the state to respond when disaster strikes.

Released: 29-Nov-2021 3:25 PM EST
Two UB faculty receive NSF funding to study social media in disaster response
University at Buffalo

Future research findings could be of value to emergency responders and cities, potentially helping to inform rescue operations for future disasters.

Newswise:Video Embedded iowa-state-students-learn-disaster-response-during-simulated-tornado
VIDEO
Released: 9-Nov-2021 9:50 AM EST
Iowa State students learn disaster response during simulated tornado
Iowa State University

After nearly two years of pandemic response, Iowa State University emergency manager Clayton Oliver is bringing his knowledge of and experience in disaster response to ISU students in an honors seminar. The students applied what they have learned in a simulated tornado disaster at a university apartment.

Released: 5-Oct-2021 11:20 AM EDT
NYU Tandon and Wagner project to look below the surface to make NYC more resilient
NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Debra Laefer of NYU Tandon and Rae Zimmerman of NYU Wagner have received a $1 million Civic Innovation Challenge (CIC) Award supporting community-based solutions to mobility and disaster resilience by creating a digitized, open, underground infrastructure road map.

Released: 21-Sep-2021 2:55 PM EDT
For hurricane victims, prolonged disruption of utilities, limited preparation lead to longer recovery times
University of Notre Dame

Studying major hurricanes Notre Dame researcher, Sisi Meng, found that the fate of hurricane victims depends on a number of factors including how well-prepared they are, whether they have weathered a hurricane before and how quickly their utility services are restored.

Newswise: After the flood disaster in western Germany: what science must find answers to
Released: 20-Sep-2021 10:25 AM EDT
After the flood disaster in western Germany: what science must find answers to
GFZ GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam

On 14 July 2021, between 60 and 180 mm of rain fell in the Eifel region in just 22 hours - an amount that would otherwise have fallen in several months and which led to catastrophic flooding.

Released: 13-Sep-2021 8:20 AM EDT
Argonne is helping communities avoid the climate crosshairs
Argonne National Laboratory

Scientists at Argonne are addressing the vulnerabilities of infrastructure systems through the lens of climate impacts: They are creating detailed climate maps and adapting them to infrastructure as a way for communities to protect themselves from the effects of climate change.

Released: 9-Sep-2021 12:05 PM EDT
New Research Analyzes Millions of Twitter Posts During Hurricanes to Understand How People Communicate in a Disaster
Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)

In the face of a potentially disastrous storm like Hurricane Ida, people take to Twitter and other social media sites to communicate vital information. New research published in the journal Risk Analysis suggests that monitoring and analyzing this social media “chatter” during a natural disaster could help decision makers learn how to plan for and mitigate the impacts of severe weather events in their communities.

Released: 8-Sep-2021 3:40 PM EDT
Officials leading hurricane response need ‘risk literacy’
Ohio State University

New research suggests that emergency management officials often do not have the numeracy skills needed to make the best decisions based on data they receive about which residents to evacuate during a hurricane and when to make the decision.

Released: 8-Sep-2021 12:40 PM EDT
Developing Digital Twins for Improved Hurricane Prediction
Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences

UT's Oden Institute will lead an interdisciplinary research project to develop a computational “digital twin” framework for storm surge modeling in the Gulf Coast that bridges the gap between multi-physics simulations and knowledge discovery through artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies.

Released: 7-Sep-2021 4:55 PM EDT
Offering help when it’s needed most
West Virginia University

In the months that follow, after the recovery crews have packed up and gone home, hopelessness and isolation set in for many disaster victims. These are the times when mental health support is needed most, according to a WVU researcher.



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