Natural disasters

When natural disaster strikes, people can lose anything and everything. But what survivors often say they miss most are the lost photos. In Valencia, Spain, photo restorers have been collecting and cleaning images pulled from the mud and returning them to grateful owners.

Japan experiences more earthquakes than any country. But its transit system remains remarkably safe. The bullet train, for example, has never seen a death or serious injury due to an earthquake or tsunami. Japan may offer lessons to other countries as climate change causes more natural disasters globally.

The majority of deaths from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami were in Indonesia. But the island of Simeulue was largely spared. Researchers say this was partly due to folklore passed down through the generations that residents are now trying to keep alive.

Two decades after a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Indonesia, some survivors are rebuilding their lives in the same location, while others are too traumatized to return.

Europe is the fastest warming continent on earth but scientists say many local governments are badly prepared for weather related disasters. With the increase in flooding events across the region, is Europe truly prepared to grapple with the effects of climate change?