October 13

What happened this week?

Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to 31; names of 10 victims released. Fire crews began to make slow progress against wildfires that have killed at least 31 people in Northern California’s wine country as officials continued the grim search for more bodies amid the ashes. ... Read more

Storm Nate: At least 22 dead in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras. Tropical Storm Nate has killed at least 22 people in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras. It caused heavy rains, landslides and floods which blocked roads, destroyed bridges and damaged houses. ... Read more

Puerto Rico hasn’t nearly recovered from Maria, but now it’s facing deadly mudslides. As if recovering from a Category 4 hurricane wasn’t enough, Puerto Rico continues to battle unfavorable weather — the understatement of the year. ... Read more

 

Interesting Facts

Historic patterns point to 2025 drought. Based on historic weather patterns, the Midwestern United States can expect the drought of the century around 2025, according to Elwynn Taylor, a climatologist for Iowa State University Extension, Ames. ... Read more


What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

What Needs to be Done to Stop Wildfires in Drought-Killed Forests. A century of fire suppression followed by the worst drought in recorded history has put California’s forest landscapes and water supply at risk. A study led by Van Butsic of U.C. Berkeley proposes a new way to manage forests. ... Read more

Building a climate-resilient Puerto Rico 'from scratch'. Intelligent people can debate the extent to which climate change caused Hurricane Maria. What is not debatable is the unprecedented damage to the island of Puerto Rico caused by the hurricane, and the need to rebuild much of the island’s infrastructure, buildings and housing. ... Read more

 

 

October 6

NATE

 

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What happened this week?

Tropical storm kills 20 in C. America, heads for US. A tropical storm churning north along Central America killed at least 20 people in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras on Thursday, with forecasters predicting it could strengthen into a hurricane as it heads for Mexico and the United States. ... Read more

Death toll in Mexico earthquake rises to 369 as last body pulled from rubble. The last body known to be trapped in rubble following Mexico's magnitude 7.1 earthquake has been recovered, officials said Wednesday, and they raised the overall death toll from the quake to 369, an increase of 14 over the previous tally. ... Read more

Interesting Facts

Footage of SF’s Market Street Before and After the 1906 Earthquake. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake remains the #2 deadliest natural disaster in US history, trailing the 1900 Galveston hurricane that struck Texas. ... Read more

'Earthquake swarm' at Yellowstone longest ever recorded, scientists fascinated. Since June 12, seismologists have been recording more than 2,000 earthquakes in the western region of Yellowstone National Park. The latest data puts this ongoing event as the biggest swarm recorded to-date. ... Read more


What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Jamaica to Lead Disaster Relief After Devastating Hurricanes. In a show of regional solidarity with its Caribbean neighbors, the Jamaican government announced it will lead disaster relief in the Caribbean. At a recent U.N. meeting in China, Jamaica's Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett was named the head of the disaster recovery working group. ... Read more

In Mexico City, Pressure to Prepare for the Next Big Earthquake. The buildings shuddered and rocked in the strongest earthquake in this city’s modern history, and yet they remained upright. Then, exactly 32 years later, they crumpled in seconds, killing 228 people. ... Read more