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Disaster Risk Reduction and Open Data Newsletter: September 2020 Edition

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World Bank: Hurricanes don’t know borders. Neither does a pandemic.

In the field of disaster risk management, when a new risk appears in an already risky situation, we call it a compound risk. The COVID-19 pandemic means communities need to prepare even more thoroughly for disasters, as resources are limited or have been reallocated to respond to the health crisis. In simple terms, the economic and health impacts of COVID-19 are making already-disaster-prone countries more vulnerable than ever before.

U.S. flood strategy shifts to ‘unavoidable’ relocation of entire neighbourhoods
Using tax dollars to move whole communities out of flood zones, an idea long dismissed as radical is swiftly becoming policy, marking a new and more disruptive phase of climate change.

Scientists drove radars inside Hurricane Laura’s fiercest winds, hoping to unravel their mysteries
The scientists’ goal? Capture ultra-detailed radar scans from the inside of Laura, probing the tempest in a way that traditional Doppler radar simply couldn’t. The team was particularly interested in Hurricane Laura’s eyewall, the unbroken ring of extreme winds and rain surrounding the storm’s eerily calm eye.

Tackling the Environmental Crisis Can Boost the Economy Says WEF Report
Entitled ‘The Future of Nature and Business’, the report warns that when the world recovers from the coronavirus pandemic there can be no business-as-usual, with today’s destruction of the natural world-threatening over half of global GDP.

How can the UN help prevent another Beirut disaster?
The devastation caused by the Beirut explosions on 4 August has focused attention on the risks involved in the transportation and storage of dangerous goods around the world. The UN is at the forefront of international efforts to reduce these risks and save lives.

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