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This Happened

This Happened — August 29: Hurricane Katrina Makes Landfall

Updated July 23, 2024 at 11:50 a.m. Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. on this day in 2005. What was Hurricane Katrina? Hurricane Katrina was a Category 3 hurricane at the time of its landfall, with sustained winds of around 125 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour). It was […]

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This Happened

This Happened—November 8: When A ‘Super’ Typhoon Hit The Philippines

Updated Nov. 8, 2023 at 12 p.m. One of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of southeast Asia in 2013 and mainly landed in the Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people. Why was Haiyan so devastating? It is the second deadliest typhoon– after 1881’s Haiphong claimed around 20,000 lives – […]

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In The News

Climate Change Is Real, But Don’t Blame It For Every Flood Or Fire

A closer look at the science shows there are many factors that contribute to weather-related emergencies. It is important to raise climate change awareness, but there’s a risk in overstating its role in every natural disaster.

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In The News

The Latest: Spiral In Gaza, Bill Gates Probe, No To Homophobia

Welcome to Monday, where Gaza shelling intensifies, Bill Gates is under fire for a relationship with staffer and the Titanic is spotted in China. We also ask why Italy lags behind others in Europe in protecting LGBTQ from violence. • Israeli air strikes hit Gaza as calls for ceasefire intensify: Israel conducted dozens of air […]

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Geopolitics

Vanuatu Combines Old And New Techniques For Disaster Prep

The death toll after Cyclone Pam hit the South Pacific nation was notably low thanks to new warning systems and ancient shelters. But saving the local economy may be harder than saving lives.

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Future Geopolitics

Haiyan And Global Warming: Is New Class Of Cyclones Needed?

Does the classification of tropical storms need changing? With sustained winds of 195 miles per hour, and gusts close to 235 mph, the super typhoon Haiyan, which left a trail of destruction in the Philippines and beyond, was the most powerful cyclone to make landfall in recent history. So much so in fact that some […]

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Geopolitics

Boat Carrying Rohingya Muslims Capsizes Off Burmese Coast

AL JAZEERA (Qatar), REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS Worldcrunch SITTWE – Rescuers were searching for survivors Tuesday after a boat carrying up to 200 Rohingya Muslims capsized off the western Burmese coast. Many are feared drowned among the oft-persecuted minority, who were being evacuated late Monday from low-lying regions of Burma (also referred to as Myanmar) ahead […]

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Geopolitics

Bangladesh’s Losing Battle Against Climate Change

SATKHIRA – In the district of Padmapukur, a few dozen kilometers from the Bay of Bengal, tin shacks balance delicately on scraps of land coming out of the sea, like makeshift boats lost in the middle of the ocean. Only children, women, old people and the severly handicapped still live in the homes scattered along […]

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Geopolitics

What Countries Are Most Exposed To Disasters? Depends On Sea Level, Smart Planning

DIE WELT (Germany) Worldcrunch Predicting earthquakes, floods, droughts and other assorted disasters is hardly an exact science. Still, as the just published 2012 WorldRiskReport notes, just how badly natural catastrophes hit comes down to how well prepared is the country’s government to respond. In a risk index that includes 173 countries, experts of the Bonn-based […]

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