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Natural disasters

Is Europe ill-prepared for flood disasters?

Climate science and solutions

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?

Zehra Kurukafa walks past a destroyed house in the village of Polat, Turkey, Feb. 12, 2023.

Turkey earthquake survivors face despair, as rescues wane

Natural disasters
Men remove debris as they search for people in a destroyed building in Adana, Turkey, Feb. 6, 2023.

After deadly quake in Turkey, rescue teams struggle to help amid frigid temps

Natural disasters
People and rescue teams try to reach trapped residents inside collapsed buildings in Adana, Turkey, Feb. 6, 2023.

Powerful quake rocks Turkey and Syria, kills more than 2,300

Natural disasters
Muddy water running through an informal settlement of huts

South African floods: Protecting people must include a focus on women and girls

In this photo provided by the New Zealand Defense Force, volcanic ash covers roof tops and vegetation in an area of Tonga, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022.

Tonga volcanic eruption is a ‘1-in-1,000-year event,’ volcanologist says

Natural disasters

Three deaths have been confirmed by Tongan authorities. The eruption was so powerful that people as far as 2,000 miles away could hear it, and volcanic ash plume grew to 180 miles across the island in less than an hour.

Dead trees stand on the beach and in the ocean at "The Boneyard," created by beach erosion and fierce storms, in Hunting Island State Park on Hunting Island, S.C., in the United States

Seemingly small shifts in global temperatures have huge consequences for the planet

Climate Change

The year 2021 was once again one of the hottest on record. And what may seem like a slight temperature increase has actually caused devastating effects across the globe, with natural disasters becoming stronger and deadlier.

View of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands of La Palma, Spain

Residents remember their losses as they rebuild from La Palma’s volcanic eruption

Natural disasters

The Cumbre Vieja volcano’s eruption was officially declared over on Christmas Day after 10 days of no lava flows or seismic activity, and more than three months since it first erupted. Now, residents are trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives.

This aerial shot released by the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) shows a village affected by a landslide in Nganjuk, East Java, Indonesia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. 

When it rains, it wars: Tracking intersecting security threats, Part II

Critical State

Critical State, our foreign policy newsletter, takes a deep dive into a theory about how natural disasters may help and hurt rebel resilience.

a ship and other debris on a beach in indonesia after a tsunami

Why Indonesia’s tsunamis are so deadly

Environment

A combination of plate tectonics in the region, the shape of the coastline, vulnerable communities and a less-than-robust early warning system all combine to make Indonesian tsunamis especially dangerous.