Natural disasters – Science & research news

US energy colonialism a key cause of Puerto Rico’s Hurricane María crisis

February 1, 2018

energy puerto rico hurricane maria colonialism

A colonial legacy, $73-billion debt crisis, outdated infrastructure and two hurricanes created a perfect storm of devastation in the country, says article in Frontiers in Communication. [...]

The losses that come after the earthquake: devastating and costly

August 29, 2017

In 2011, the Tohoku earthquake created a series of huge tsunami waves, which damaged coastal communities killing more than 17,900 people, forcing more than 50,000 households to relocate, and caused the Fukushima nuclear power plant failure, a nuclear disaster second only to Chernobyl in Russia in 1986, but which spread radiation across the Pacific Ocean. Image by Shutterstock.

A study, published in Frontiers in Built Environment, explores the economic losses associated with the secondary effects of earthquakes. [...]

In the aftermath of disaster, social media helps build a sense of community

August 25, 2016

— By K.E.D. Coan Social media can disseminate critical information as well as unite disaster victims during their recovery efforts, suggests a study published in [...]