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Taiwan's preparedness was demonstrated on Saturday as Typhoon Nesat tore across the island. Local media was able to inform the public about the typhoon days earlier, followed by early warnings for heavy rain and mudslides. By Sunday, a majority of those who lost their electricity had it restored and most evacuees were out of shelters.

While the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 calls for improving the prediction of tornadoes beyond one hour, research suggests that lead times in the one hour range may make the public less likely to respond with the same sense of urgency.

As climate change causes more potentially catastrophic flooding across the globe, the need to predict what areas are the most vulnerable becomes more urgent. To do this, Cloud to Street is combining big data analysis, crowd sourced information, and satellite imagery to create an analysis of which communities are most vulnerable due to underlying social conditions.

'Strengthening our Nation’s resilience to disasters is a shared responsibility, with all community members contributing their unique skills and perspectives,' the Senior Advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer, National Security Council and the Homeland Security Department said. And technology could play an important role...

Matt Grager, Director of Disaster Preparedness Programs at Give2Asia, presents two approaches as key to long-term resilience, which would involve the private sector to prioritize funding disaster preparedness and risk reduction in addition to relief, and community-based approaches to begin to replace the top-down models put forth by governments and other international organizations...

'While every organization has unique characteristics and requirements, the goal must always be to create a robust plan that effectively reduces disaster risk. That plan must be multi-faceted, involving both senior management and departments...

Very low-tech adaptation and mitigation strategies for farmers is essential in adapting to climate change, according to researchers at CGIAR. In fact, many of the methods farmers can use to adapt to increased variability will also make their farm more resilient...

'There is an intimate link between efforts to achieve sustainable development and those required to meet the climate change challenge. Sustainable development can reduce vulnerability to climate change, and climate change could impede nations' abilities to achieve sustainable development pathways,' says RK Pachauri...