Disaster risk reduction

Knowing better, but still losing more: why disaster risk reduction breaks down

Sven Fuchs, Konstantinos Karagiorgos, Margreth Keiler, Lars Nyberg, Maria Papathoma-Köhle and Annemarie Polderman May 11, 2026

Image generated using ChatGPT 5.4

The surviving house in Pacific Palisades became one of the most discussed images from the 2025 California wildfires (Fig. 1). What makes it scientifically interesting, though, is not that it survived. It is that many of the features associated with the house’s survival – a more fire-resistant exterior, stronger windows, and details that reduce ember entry – are already well known. This case points ...[Read More]

From Classroom to Community: Bridging Disaster Risk Reduction Education with the Real World Through Service-Learning

Paulo Hader October 27, 2025

Students exploring ideas for making uncertainties in natural hazards and risks more visible to the residents of Tübingen as part of a Service-Learning course at the University of Tübingen (Image credit: Iris Schneider)

This week, we turn our attention to education and collaboration in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Dr. Solmaz Mohadjer has been leading an innovative Service-Learning course that brings students together with non-profit organisations working at the forefront of risk reduction. The course not only introduces students to the complexities of disasters and resilience but also creates space for dialogue ...[Read More]

Disaster Risk Reduction in Humanitarian Action – An interview with Gözde Kazaz from Hayata Destek (Support to Life)

Şevval Sude Çeliker, Savyon Both and Isabella Bourrachot September 22, 2025

About 160,000 buildings collapsed or were badly damaged by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, leaving 1.5 million people homeless (image credit: Hayata Destek / Kerem Uzel, Kahramanmaraş 2023)

This summer, we participated in a Service-Learning course titled “Breaking the Cycle of Disaster, Response, Recover, and Repeat”. The course was developed by Solmaz Mohadjer and offered as part of the Transdisciplinary Course Program at the University of Tübingen, Germany. We were brought together from different disciplines to explore key factors that contribute to effective disaster risk reductio ...[Read More]

No Resilience Without Trust – An interview with Janise Rodgers and Mary Antonette Beroya-Eitner from GeoHazards International

Aminata Ehrath, Manolo Heimberger and Yvette Roos September 1, 2025

School children at the forefront of disaster awareness campaigns in Cap Haitian, Haiti, expressing themselves through the slogan: “Remember the 1842, the 2010 and the 2021 earthquakes, let’s get our community ready!” (Image credit: GeoHazards International)

This summer, we participated in a Service-Learning course titled “Breaking the Cycle of Disaster, Response, Recover, and Repeat”. The course was developed by Solmaz Mohadjer and offered as part of the Transdisciplinary Course Program at the University of Tübingen, Germany. We were brought together from different disciplines to explore key factors that contribute to effective disaster risk reductio ...[Read More]