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Risk identification and assessment

A qualitative or quantitative approach to determine the nature and extent of disaster risk by analysing potential hazards and evaluating existing conditions of exposure and vulnerability that together could harm people, property, services, livelihoods and the environment on which they depend. Performing risk, hazard and vulnerability assessments is a key disaster risk management activity.

This theme covers aspects related to hazard/vulnerability/climate risk assessment, disaster risk modelling and analysis.

Through UNICEF’s open-access GeoSight platform, decision-makers can visualise risk, compare layers, and identify priority areas for action.

Latest Risk identification and assessment additions in the Knowledge Base

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Documents and publications
A 12-target global framework for measuring drought resilience: Insights from a multi-country review

The research seeks to address the question, what are the potential global targets forevaluating proactive drought preparedness and resilience that can be standardized and monitored to improve coordination among countries and international organizations.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (Elsevier)
Case study
Africa Madagascar
Anticipatory action for drought in Southern Madagascar: Calibrating trigger systems with historical impact data
FAO combined historic losses and damages with forecasts, drought indicators, and vulnerability data to refine Madagascar’s drought triggers, enabling earlier, better‑targeted action that protected livelihoods.
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Africa
Using El Niño impact analysis to inform policy, early action and risk-informed planning in Southern Africa
FAO combined forecasts, market data, drought indicators, and historic agricultural losses and damages to map El Niño drought risk, enabling earlier, targeted action that protected food security across Southern Africa.
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Update
What do we know about Europe's early and intense heatwave in May 2026?

Western Europe experienced an unusually early and intense heatwave during the second half of May 2026, mainly between 21 and 30 May.

Copernicus Climate Change Service
Coastal homes in Carolina Beach, NC, USA facing the Atlantic Ocean.
Research briefs
Human-caused sea level rise drives rapid global increase in extreme water levels during 21st century, research finds

Climate Central-led paper finds climate change tripled the number of days with extreme water-levels at worldwide locations since the 1970s.

Climate Central
Automatic sentiment analysis of citizen comments: the case of the Albania earthquake
Documents and publications
Automatic sentiment analysis of citizen comments: the case of the Albania earthquake

This study investigates how crowdsourced user comments collected through the LastQuake app can be used to improve situational awareness following an earthquake.

GeoHazards (MDPI)
Inundated street with parked cars in the background
Research briefs
Study shows land shifts, sea level rise occur more rapidly than previously thought

A recent study including UCF researcher Thomas Wahl reveals that sinking ground levels and rising sea levels are occurring more rapidly than previously understood, often worsening flooding in coastal communities.

University of Central Florida
A look inside the abandoned six-flags of New Orleans destroyed by Hurricane Katrina
Research briefs
Sea-level rise has increased frequency of extreme coastal flooding worldwide, study finds

Human-caused sea-level rise has significantly increased the frequency of extreme coastal flooding worldwide, according to a new study led by a Tulane University researcher.

Tulane University
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