Tag - disasters

 
 

DISASTERS

A woman collects debris on a partly flooded street after Super Typhoon Yagi hit Hai Phong, Vietnam, on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 8, 2024
Super Typhoon Yagi toll rises to 9 in Vietnam after landslide
Yagi, which has devastated infrastructure and uprooted trees, made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday, packing winds exceeding 149 kilometers per hour.
Self-Defense Force soldiers search for survivors after a landslide swept through a residential area in Asaminami Ward, in the city of Hiroshima, in August 2014. Despite the nation’s numerous natural disasters, the government needs better contingency planning.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 28, 2024
Is Japan ready for the worst-case scenario?
Is the nation ready for massive disasters? Based on my studies of Japan’s crisis management system, I say “no” and unfortunately not.
In Australia, past El Nino events have led to destructive fire seasons, including the catastrophic Black Summer of 2019-2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2023
Australia hoped to dodge wildfires. El Nino has other plans.
The 1983, 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2015 fire seasons, some of the most damaging in the country’s history, all occurred during El Nino.
While the pace of deploying clean-energy solutions is faster than it has ever been, with climate change, the world overall is racing in the wrong direction.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2023
What the climate fight is really about
Now that a future of higher average global temperatures is inevitable, managing the problem well requires that we cut off the tail end of the extreme-weather distribution.
Officials closed the gates of the Forbidden City due to heavy rain in Beijing on Sunday.
WORLD
Jul 30, 2023
China upgrades flood alert for Beijing, other northern areas
China’s central government warned areas around Beijing and the north to be prepared to deal with floods brought on by remnants of Typhoon Doksuri.
An extreme heat warning in Death Valley, California, on July 15
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023
Our civilization was built for a climate that’s vanishing
Weather disasters linked to climate change like those unfolding across the northern hemisphere will affect more and more of us.
The Hamaoka nuclear power station in the city of Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, is one of the areas that could be at risk if there is a major earthquake in the Nankai Trough.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 18, 2023
Time for a Nankai Trough earthquake warning system
Edited A total of 707 municipal governments in 29 prefectures are considered at risk of major quakes in this region. The at-risk population is nearly 60 million.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 24, 2023
After cyclones leave many homeless, Vanuatu takes climate plea to world stage
More than 3,000 people are still in evacuation centers three weeks after two category-four cyclones hit Vanuatu, which has a population of 319,000 spread across 80 islands.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 3, 2022
Giant sequoias are built to withstand fire, but not these fires
Infernos rampaging through the American West are so hot, they're killing trees that have thrived on fire for thousands of years.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 30, 2022
Nearly 1 in 4 globally at risk from severe flooding, study finds
Inundations from heavy rainfall and storm surges affect millions of people every year and cause billions of dollars of damage to homes, infrastructure and economies.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 24, 2022
Afghanistan seeks help for earthquake survivors as aftershock kills five
Authorities earlier ended a search in remote southeastern mountains for survivors of the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck early on Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2022
Megaquake in Tokyo would likely leave 4.53 million stranded, report shows
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been working to secure facilities that would serve as temporary shelters for stranded people.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 14, 2022
Climate change risks exacerbating security issues in Asia-Pacific
As sea levels continue to rise, small islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans as well as coastal megacities in China and South and Southeast Asia are already at risk.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 27, 2022
Australia's 'climate wars' truce leaves flood victims in election no-man's land
Climate change is struggling to get much traction as an issue ahead of Australia's general election on May 21.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 9, 2022
Raging river: Tracing the Arakawa, Japan’s most dangerous water source
While supplying Tokyoites with drinking water, the river has also been prone to deadly floods over the centuries — risks that are now being escalated by climate change.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 8, 2022
The tsunami could kill thousands. Can they build an escape?
Along many stretches of the Northwest coast of the U.S., there are no bluffs or high buildings to climb — nowhere to go.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 29, 2022
Tsunami models underestimated shockwave from Tonga eruption
Forecasting models and warning systems, designed primarily to assess earthquake-triggered waves, did not account for the boosting effects of the shockwave.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2022
In volcano’s wake, an agonizing wait for news from Tonga
Footage shared moments before the internet connection was cut showed people running inland, searching for higher ground in a very flat country.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 17, 2022
Drinking water and ash big concern as Tonga assesses tsunami damage
The eruption and resulting tsunami cut off phone and internet lines for the entire island, as well as damage to an undersea cable, which could take more than a week to restore.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 17, 2022
Shrouded by ash, Tonga's fate remains unclear after powerful volcano erupts
As reports of the volcano's effect trickled in from far-flung countries Sunday there was little word from Tonga, the island nation just 40 miles from the site of the extraordinary explosion.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji