Hazard management

Reducing housing vulnerability to natural hazards – Interview with Dr Eefje Hendriks

Vale Cigala December 19, 2022

Community in the Philippines rebuild above the sea showing hazard vulnerability and dependency on fishery as a livelihood. (Photo credit: Dr Hendriks, with permission)

The impact of natural hazards on vulnerable communities can be devastating, causing fatalities, damaging houses and livelihoods, and pushing people into poverty. These disasters make them even more vulnerable. A growing line of research identifies actions and tools to reduce vulnerability and make communities more resilient. An interesting and crucial part of this research investigates the role of ...[Read More]

Life with dust: its impacts and how to catch it

Gabriele Amato April 4, 2022

18 April 1935: Dust storm approaching Stratford, Texas. Dust Bowl surveying in Texas. Credit NOAA George E. Marsh Album, theb1365, Historic C&GS Collection. http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/theb1365.html

In today’s interview, we have the pleasure to meet Dr Slobodan Nickovic, who won the prestigious 2022 Plinius Medal. Slobodan is a research consultant at the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia, and at the Institute of Physics in Belgrade, Serbia. Throughout his career, he worked for national and international educational, scientific, and operational institutions including the Uni ...[Read More]

Who’s afraid of Natech?

Giulia Roder February 7, 2022

Natural hazards that impact industrial sites and result in technological accidents, causing the release of hazardous substances, are referred to as Natech events. In the popular imagination, Natech accidents are triggered by major natural hazard events. However, experience tells us that low magnitude natural events, such as lightning or heavy rains, are sufficient to cause enormous adverse effects ...[Read More]

Building a risk-aware culture

Asimina Voskaki November 1, 2021

Photo credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay (Pixabay License)

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The future depends on what you do today”. In the past months, we have witnessed extreme weather events, wildfires, earthquakes, and volcanic activity in different parts of the world. Although this activity is ordinary for a living planet like Earth, it can disturb the modern way of living and put people at risk. Even for the events that can be predicted with a higher deg ...[Read More]