Evacuation and displacement

This report highlights, that areas like Los Angeles—designated Community Disaster Resilience Zones by FEMA—face disproportionate risks due to economic, environmental, and social vulnerabilities.

Computer simulations could help save lives and avoid evacuation chaos

Computer models can help emergency crews understand where bottlenecks are likely to occur along evacuation routes and help fire managers understand where neighborhoods may need to be notified faster or need more help evacuating.

Australia: More displaced by floods, fires and cyclones as cities grow

This article reports that around 23,000 Australians are displaced annually by floods, fires, and cyclones. The risk grows as urban areas expand, especially affecting disadvantaged communities who struggle to relocate or rebuild. Action is urgently needed.

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel algorithm that significantly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of evacuation planning in areas affected by forest fires.

This study investigated the 519 most destructive wildfires in the contiguous U.S. between 1999 and 2020, examining direct and indirect pathways of wildfire-driven impacts on human migration.

USA:

Rivers of muddy water from heavy rainfall raced through city streets as thousands of people evacuated homes downhill from California’s wildfire burn scars amid atmospheric river storms drenching the state in early January 2023.

USA: A case for retreat in the age of fire

Wildfires in the U.S. are getting larger, more frequent and more severe. Despite adaptation efforts, it’s important to realize that we cannot simply design our way out of wildfire – some communities will need to begin planning a retreat.

This research on (in)visible communities confronting climate change and environmental injustice asks how climate-induced disasters intensify social inequities. This research shows that more equitable approaches to disaster preparation are possible.