In the 10/14/2025 edition:
Disaster Risk Reduction is more important than ever as communities worldwide face rising temperatures, intensifying storms, and other climate-related challenges. Here’s the latest news from 14 October 2025.
News: Climate change comes for the House of the Seven Gables
By Inside Climate News on Oct 13, 2025 05:38 pm
At the edge of Salem’s harbor, caretakers face a race against rising seas and intensifying storms to protect a landmark bound up in America’s literary and colonial past.
News: Nepalgunj pioneers inclusive disaster preparedness
By United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN) on Oct 13, 2025 04:16 pm
UN Women in collaboration with the NDRRMA catalysed Nepalgunj to become the first local government in Nepal — and in Asia-Pacific — to adopt a GEDSI Strategic Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM).
News: The $3.3 trillion climate question: Can data centres take the heat?
By World Economic Forum on Oct 13, 2025 03:59 pm
Analysis by the World Economic Forum finds that extreme heat, drought and other climate hazards could drive annual costs up at data centres globally by $81 billion by 2035, rising to $168 billion by 2065.
News: How disaster-ready are African countries? Study of 5 shows some progress, but also huge gaps
By Conversation Media Group, the on Oct 13, 2025 03:54 pm
My study assessed how Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Namibia and the DRC are progressing toward the goals of a global agreement called the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, launched by the United Nations in 2015.
News: Inclusive by design: Why gender and intersectionality matter in disaster risk reduction
By United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN) on Oct 13, 2025 03:25 pm
Women, girls, persons with disabilities, older people, ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ individuals often face greater impacts, not because they are inherently vulnerable, but because of persistent structural barriers.
News: Women’s leadership at the heart of disaster risk reduction
By United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Oct 13, 2025 03:25 pm
Climate and environmental challenges are hitting harder and more often. While disasters touch everyone, their impacts are not felt equally. The most marginalized, especially women and girls, are too often the first to suffer and the last to recover.
News: Australian Government: International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR)
By Australia – government on Oct 13, 2025 03:20 pm
On this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, we acknowledge the ongoing efforts across Australia to reduce disaster risk. Through strong partnerships and global engagement, we can continue to build a safer, more resilient Australia.
News: How AI can help fund resilience, not disasters
By International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on Oct 13, 2025 02:37 pm
This year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction calls to “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters.” AI through its ability to quickly ingest, process, and find patterns within vast, complex datasets – can help flag key factors across and within s
News: Fund Resilience, Not Disasters: Why risk reduction is the future of insurability
By Insurance Development Forum on Oct 13, 2025 02:31 pm
Every year, disasters are becoming more frequent, more costly, and more devastating. That’s why this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) carries such a vital message: Fund Resilience, Not Disasters.
News: Why heat warnings need to get more local
By Dialogue Earth on Oct 13, 2025 12:09 pm
Globally, heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths. When it comes to heat and health, a few degrees can make a big difference.
DRR Community Voices: The high price of disasters and how to avoid paying it
By Arighna Mitra on Oct 13, 2025 09:48 am
The 2025 IDDRR calls for a course correction: “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters.” For governments that make up the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), with support from the Secretariat, this is a practical agenda
News: The technology dividend: Empowering and protecting communities through early warnings
By United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Oct 13, 2025 09:27 am
Early warning systems remain among the most effective and cost-efficient methods for reducing disaster-related deaths and losses. As we mark the IDDRR 2025, this blog shows how funding proactive and inclusive resilience pays.
DRR Community Voices: Giving a glimpse into the future: How AI can help communities prepare
By Lea Schollerer, Christian Geiß on Oct 11, 2025 12:35 am
There is a fundamental challenge: how do we protect people from disasters that haven’t happened yet, in places where they don’t yet live? The answer requires us to understand where vulnerable populations might be located in the future.
News: Proposing a community-led digital early-warning system: integrating climate resilience with protection programming in South Asia
By Humanitarian Practice Network on Oct 10, 2025 07:28 pm
This article responds to the Humanitarian Practice Network’s call for greater community participation and accountability in the design of humanitarian AI systems, as outlined in a recent Network Paper exploring localisation and digital innovation.
News: Marsh restoration project helps protect Louisiana highway from flooding
By Yale Climate Connections on Oct 10, 2025 07:25 pm
The project now provides habitat for wildlife. It helps protect the coast from storms. And it breaks up waves so they don’t crash onto the road during high winds.
News: Resilience: the smartest investment in a world of rising risks
By Context on Oct 10, 2025 07:23 pm
Resilience is one of the smartest investments we can make. Every dollar spent on disaster resilient infrastructure yields between four and $15 in avoided losses.
News: Storms are changing — Should the hurricane scale change too?
By Georgia Institute of Technology on Oct 10, 2025 07:23 pm
As climate change continues to reshape the intensity and behavior of hurricanes, meteorologists and researchers are examining whether the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale still adequately communicates the full scope of hurricane hazards.
News: Living through the heat: Why climate-ready health systems are essential for urban resilience in Asia and the Pacific
By United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Oct 10, 2025 07:22 pm
2024 was the hottest year ever recorded. Temperatures in parts of South and Southeast Asia reached 53°C, and 6 of the 11 global cities that experienced prolonged extreme heat were in this region. It is a glimpse into a future that has already arrived.
News: How the world’s most elderly country is fighting heat in a deadly double crisis
By Cable News Network on Oct 10, 2025 07:21 pm
The alarm device carried by certain elderly people is part of a government push in Japan to combat a deadly double emergency: the collision of the country’s climate crisis and its aging population.
News: Interpretable deep learning network significantly improves tropical cyclone intensity forecast accuracy
By Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences on Oct 10, 2025 07:10 pm
A research team proposes a novel tropical cyclone intensity prediction framework that integrates Kolmogorov-Arnold networks (KANs) with a dynamic predictor pruning optimization module-namely, TCI-KAN.
News: Four good practices for mental health support across disasters
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Oct 10, 2025 10:54 am
Disasters take a heavy toll on mental health, from anxiety and stress to long-term trauma. These inspiring mental health initiatives help communities and emergency workers cope, recover, and develop mental resilience in the face of disasters.
News: How anticipatory action in the DRC is saving lives from cholera
By Centre for Humanitarian Data on Oct 09, 2025 05:37 pm
Over the past 3 years, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has funded an innovative approach in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that helped stop Cholera outbreaks before they spiral—one that is proving both life saving and cost effective.
News: Satellite program aims to track every wildfire on Earth
By Yale Climate Connections on Oct 09, 2025 05:35 pm
A nonprofit coalition is building a fleet of satellites to help firefighters and communities respond when disaster strikes.
News: 5 ways to fund disaster resilience for a safer future
By World Economic Forum on Oct 09, 2025 05:33 pm
The GAR 2025 highlights that direct disaster costs have grown to approximately $202 billion annually, and that the true costs could be over $2.3 trillion, when cascading and ecosystem costs are taken into account.
News: Long-term temperature extremes can now be predicted up to two years ahead with increased accuracy
By Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici on Oct 09, 2025 05:32 pm
A new study led by CMCC researchers demonstrates the potential to predict variations in the frequency of occurrence of temperature extremes – both heatwaves and cold spells – up to two years in advance.
News: Uganda strengthens Ebola outbreak preparedness
By World Health Organization (WHO) on Oct 09, 2025 05:01 pm
Uganda’s Ministry of Health, working with World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, has intensified surveillance, screening and undertaken contingency planning to mitigate the risk of cross-border transmission of Ebola virus disease.
News: Deforestation can cause eight-fold increase in flood event risk, says report
By University of New South Wales on Oct 09, 2025 03:11 pm
New research, based on forest fires in Australia, proves there is a significantly higher risk of large-scale flooding when major deforestation has occurred in catchment areas.
News: Heat stress is a major driver of India’s kidney disease epidemic
By Yale Environment 360 on Oct 09, 2025 03:08 pm
Cases of chronic kidney disease unrelated to pre-existing conditions are on the rise in India and other tropical nations.
News: Placing adaptation where it belongs – at the core of climate policy to build resilience
By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Oct 09, 2025 03:04 pm
Climate change is driving longer wildfire seasons, more extreme heat and costly weather events that threaten lives, livelihoods and economies. Adaptation must go hand-in-hand with mitigation to enhance the resilience of societies, ecosystems and economies
News: UNDRR highlights Japan’s leadership in disaster risk reduction at World Expo 2025 Osaka
By United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Oct 09, 2025 02:29 pm
UNDRR is featured at the UN Pavilion at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, showcasing the message that “Disasters are not natural.” The display invites visitors to explore how to reduce disaster risk through smarter planning, investment, and risk-informed decisi
News: Early Warnings for All intiative (EW4All): August 2025 updates
By Early Warnings for All initiative (EW4All) on Oct 08, 2025 05:24 pm
This brief displays the August 2025 updates for the Early Warnings 4 All initiative.
News: How climate information and early warning systems protect lives and economies
By United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Oct 08, 2025 03:48 pm
As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense because of climate change, the ability to anticipate them before they strike is crucial for saving lives and safeguarding economies. At the core of this capability lies climate information.
News: The ambitious plan to protect Northern California’s Plumas National Forest from wildfires
By Grist Magazine on Oct 08, 2025 03:46 pm
To shield the forest and its communities from the next megafire, the Forest Service plans to burn it — intentionally.
News: European landscape resilient to climate extremes strengthened thanks to enhanced sponge functioning
By Deltares on Oct 08, 2025 03:43 pm
How can the natural water storage capacity of landscapes be restored? This ‘sponge function’ of the landscape is important for storing surplus rain water, replenishing groundwater reserves and protecting biodiversity.
News: New Zealand oceans warming 34% faster than global average, putting homes and industry at risk, report finds
By Guardian, the (UK) on Oct 08, 2025 02:47 pm
NZ$180bn worth of housing and $26bn of infrastructure at risk of flooding and storm damage, new government report finds.
News: Tracking flood frequency key to protecting B.C. communities
By University of British Columbia on Oct 08, 2025 02:41 pm
A study shows that even modest increases in river flows can dramatically raise flood frequency, with major implications for infrastructure and community safety.
News: Abandoned land drives dangerous heat in Houston, Texas A&M study finds
By Texas A&M University System on Oct 08, 2025 02:36 pm
Research highlights how a lack of vegetation and shade exposes vulnerable residents to heightened health risks.
News: Climate Litigation Database relaunches today
By Climate Policy Radar on Oct 08, 2025 02:12 pm
The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and Climate Policy Radar are proud to announce the launch of The Climate Litigation Database, a new interface for the Sabin Center’s U.S. and Global climate litigation databases.
News: How extreme temperatures strain minds and bodies: a Karachi case study
By Conversation Media Group, the on Oct 07, 2025 04:19 pm
In Karachi, Pakistan, a heatwave is not simply a matter of high temperatures. It’s a public health emergency that seeps into every corner of life: physical health, sleep, mood and the invisible care work that keeps families and neighbours alive.
News: What really works when it comes to warning communities about disasters, and what doesn’t?
By Natural Hazards Research Australia on Oct 07, 2025 04:16 pm
Warnings save lives – but only when they reach people in ways they can trust and act on. That was the powerful message that emerged as experts from around the world came together for Natural Hazards Research Australia’s Knowledge Sharing Forum.
News: Extreme weather now costs Australians $4.5b a year. Better insurance options and loans would help us adapt
By Conversation Media Group, the on Oct 07, 2025 04:14 pm
Today’s release of the Insurance Council of Australia’s report puts Australia on the spot: we rank second in the world in extreme weather-related losses. As the Insurance Council puts it, this is not the silver medal we want to win.
News: New toolkit guides communities to build resilience to wildfires
By National League of Cities (NLC) on Oct 07, 2025 03:38 pm
A new toolkit from NLC and ICF provides local governments with practical cost-effective resources for navigating wildfire risks, building resilience and mitigating impacts.
News: Climate change behind 36% of damage inflicted by Typhoon Ragasa in China
By Imperial College London on Oct 07, 2025 03:31 pm
A “Ragasa” type typhoon at landfall is about +49% more likely in the 2025 climate compared to a pre-industrial baseline, and is estimated that about a third (36%) of the damage in South China of a “Ragasa” type typhoon can be attributed to climate change.