Natural Disasters Archives - State of the Planet

jeff schlegelmilch in washington dc

Why It’s So Hard to Be Prepared for Disasters

Disaster expert Jeffrey Schlegelmilch discusses February’s devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the challenges to building resilience, and how emergencies can reveal the inner workings of a society.

by Daniella Zandi |March 15, 2023
Flooding in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Should We Stop Using the Term ‘Natural Disaster’?

The words we use to describe events matter. Would a different term elicit more substantial change?

by Ella Jacobs |March 14, 2023

What We Need to Learn From Climate-Accelerated Extreme Weather Events

We need to build our response capacity leading up to extreme-weather emergencies and implement a more systematic and assured process of reconstruction for victims in the aftermath.

by |March 6, 2023

Towering Wildfire Clouds Are Affecting the Stratosphere, and the Climate

Aircraft collecting data from clouds of smoke have revealed surprising effects of wildfires on the ground.

by |February 28, 2023
map of earthquake impacts

Gauging Losses and Lessons in Turkey’s Unfolding Earthquake Tragedy

As earthquake engineers stress, most of the time, buildings kill people, not the shaking itself. It’s exceedingly hard to unbuild, move back, or retrofit buildings at scale.

by |February 7, 2023

New Trainings Will Lead the Way on Climate Resilience and Equitable Disaster Response

With a $1.5 million grant from FEMA, Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness will create and deliver trainings on climate resilience with a focus on equity for state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency managers.

by |January 30, 2023

Flooding in California: What Went Wrong, and What Comes Next

Climate School experts help to explain this devastating weather and what it means in the broader conversation of climate change and disaster response.

by |January 12, 2023
2023 total bills by state

What Climate Resilience Policies Are in Store for State Legislatures in 2023?

States have already filed at least 39 bills related to disaster resilience. Here, a closer look at what they focus on.

by Lucia Bragg |January 11, 2023
flooded walnut orchard

California’s Atmospheric Rivers Warn of Future Climatic Calamity

Atmospheric rivers continue to hit California. What do these events mean for flooding and other potential disasters in California’s future?

by |January 9, 2023
map shows total enacted bills by state

New Climate School Report Details State Policy Trends in Disaster Resilience

As disasters become more expensive, state-level recovery measures are increasing in importance. A new report sheds light on state efforts to prioritize disaster resilience and recovery.

by Lucia Bragg, Gillian McBride, Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, and Lauren Esposito |December 13, 2022