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Displaying 15 of about 118 resultsThis simulation game from the UNISDR involves five scenarios requiring players to save lives by building upon an established community and providing defences and upgraded housing to prepare for an inevitable disaster. Each scenario can be played on easy, medium or hard difficulty levels, and takes between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on the disaster and…
BEIRUT/GENEVA, 21 October 2011 – UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlstrom, today welcomed the news that both the Lebanese Army and the National Institute of Administration, the country’s civil service, are to make disaster risk reduction a core element of staff training.
She said: “This is a welcome signal from the new government of the importance it attaches…
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The idea sprouted, and Efseaff and other members of the community now hope to build a ribbon of public parkland devoid of homes that would encircle and protect Paradise, its land managed to reduce the risk of fire. Known as a "wildfire-risk reduction buffer", this landscape would be managed so the trees are far apart, with less brush in the under…
Once they have a foothold, severe wildfires can quickly overwhelm a community, particularly one that is densely packed. To shield houses against such a fierce threat, a thorough defense is key.
Establishing a deep and multifaceted defense in and around homes is the basis of a new report that offers direction for safeguarding residences from external fi…
Background
Hazards have been historically localized in Timor-Leste. They include floods and landslides, and prolonged dry spells , which impact food availability, insect infestations and diseases, and increase community vulnerabilities. Rainfall patterns are influenced by regional and cyclical climate events such as El Niño and La Niña. Furthermore, t…
A tornado cut a 270-kilometre path through Kentucky in mid-December 2021, killing 80 people, many in their homes or workplaces, and rendering thousands homeless. The incident prompted David Prevatt, a professor of structural engineering at the University of Florida, to write an opinion piece for the Washington Post, reminding Americans that ne…
Recent high-profile building fires involving highly-combustible external cladding panels in
Australia as well as Dubai, China, and the United Kingdom have created a heightened awareness by
the public, government, and commercial entities to act on the risks associated with non-compliant
building structures. In this paper, a database of fire events inv…
The preparation of this Local Progress Report has been undertaken within the framework of the biennial 2011-2013 Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) Monitoring and Progress Review process, facilitated by UNISDR and the ISDR partnership.The progress report mainly assesses the trans-boundary issues and the status and progress in the implementation of disast…
The guideline identifies a suite of best practice building and landscaping measures, using tailored, site-specific solutions to adapt buildings for bushfire resilience. The guideline is based on extensive research into the attack mechanisms of bushfires and the different ways that buildings and gardens may be vulnerable to these attacks.
To help combat…
This guideline was developed with an aim to promote best practices of prevention, preparedness and response that will reduce fire-related hazards among the residents of informal settlements, residential and non-residential buildings in Lebanon, and promote the development of long-term, harmonized cross-sectoral strategies of fire hazard reduction that w…
This report examines the impacts on the built environment of increased intensities in weather-related natural hazard events, in order to identify the possibilities of using the regulatory mechanisms of building construction, housing insurance and planning in climate change adaptation. The research findings are restricted to these three aspects of the bu…
This article, from a Professor of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, assesses the impacts of the recent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, highlighting the success of the seismic damage mitigation efforts through strong building codes.
It describes: (i) the earthquake; (ii) the tsunami; and (iii) the related fires that oc…
As I write this, Hurricane Sandy’s devastation is felt all over the US east coast, all the way to Canada. More than 40 people died, thousands have been evacuated. Cities look like props in an apocalyptic movie. The New York stock exchange was closed for two days in a row – the first time this has happened due to weather since 1888!
But behind the bad…
By Martin Freney, Lecturer in Industrial and Sustainable Design, University of South Australia
Recent disastrous bushfires have rebooted debate about how to (re)build in the Australian bush. Questions are being asked about building standards, whether a fire-proof home is possible, the value of fire bunkers when it’s too la…
In June 2009, not long after Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires claimed 173 lives and destroyed more than 2000 houses, a group of architects came together to help those who had been affected, reports the Guardian.
As part of the Victorian bushfire reconstruction and recovery authority’s We will Rebuild initiative, they offered free consultations and 1…