In remarkable demonstration of effectiveness of adequate preparedness, the disaster resilient villages of Aceh province reported zero casualties when the latest deadly earthquake struck this year.   Earthquakes and other natural disasters are a feature of Indonesia’s mountainous northernmost province. The December 2004 earthquake and resultant tsunami caused 230,000 deaths in Indonesia with majority in... Read More

The Parisians in addition to air pollution are fighting severe infestation by rats. Who would have thought that a famed metropolis like Paris would be fighting the ancient scourge of rats in the modern day 2016? It is one of the most visited cities by tourists in the world and the pride of the French.... Read More

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, 1984 was a catastrophe that had no parallel in the world’s industrial history. In the early morning hours of December 3, 1984, a rolling wind carried a poisonous grey cloud from the Union Carbide Plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (India). Forty tons of toxic gas (Methy-Iso-Cyanate, MIC) was accidentally released from... Read More

On the other hand cyclone Nada was a welcoming gift for people of Tamil Nadu who hadn’t witnessed good rains for quite some time and dealing with water shortages. Cyclonic Storm Nada though a relatively weak tropical storm, yet caused severe flooding in Tamil Nadu.  By 1st December it had moved quite close to Tamil... Read More

On 27th November 2016, a low pressure area formed north of Sumatra over northeast Bay of Bengal . It rapidly strengthened drifting northwest and was classified as a depression on 28th November by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).   On 29th November, the storm reached cyclonic storm intensity, and was assigned the name Nada, the... Read More

Amateur Radio volunteers or so called ‘Ham Radio Operators’ provided crucial communication support to the American Red Cross and independent shelters in Sevier County, Tennessee in USA ; which recently suffered heavily from ravages of fire. The authorities effectively used the services of these volunteers to maintain essential communication links.     Maintaining stable and... Read More

A sudden outbreak of “thunderstorm asthma”, on Monday night (21st November 2016), saw 8500 people treated in hospitals across Melbourne. Four deaths have been reported after suffering asthma attacks. The unprecedented   freak emergency pushed Melbourne’s hospital system to its limits, and it is possible some other deaths are yet to be linked to ‘thunderstorm asthma’.... Read More

Many of the impacts of the 2011 disaster are hidden away in private spaces of everyday life. The tragedy has put enormous strains on family relationships. Traditionally three generations or more of family units were living together in the close knit rural village societies of Fukushima region. Relocation to cramped temporary housing meant separation for... Read More

The 9.0 magnitude typhoon of 11th March 2011 caused a 15 M tsunami that travelled as much as 10 meters inland.  The impact of disaster was enormous.   There were 15,890 deaths and 2,590 missing and presumed deaths; and 6,152 injuries in 12 Japanese prefectures. The tsunami also caused one death in Papua, Indonesia and... Read More