Newsblog

Heavy rainfall has caused flooding and landslides on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. Several people have been reported missing. Media reports showed houses, shops and vehicles submerged under about a metre of water, with swollen rivers sweeping away houses and vehicles. Train services and power supplies were also affected, left around 6,000 households without […]

A strong earthquake shook Turkey on Sunday evening. According to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake had a magnitude of 6.0, while the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported a magnitude of 6.1. The epicentre was near the town of Sındırgıin in the province of Balıkesir. The quake was also felt in […]

In California, on Thursday, 7 August 2025 (local time), the so-called “Canyon Fire” broke out about 60 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles [1, 2, 3, 4]. It spread rapidly within a few hours and burned almost 22 square kilometres of hilly terrain by Sunday [1]. The authorities evacuated parts of Los Angeles and Ventura. By […]

The German Weather Service (DWD) has opened its new AI centre in Offenbach to make targeted use of artificial intelligence for weather and climate applications. The centre combines internal and external expertise and is developing, among other things, a modular AI structure supported by the FRAIM (Framework for Artificial Intelligence in Meteorology) methodology toolkit. Other […]

France is currently experiencing its largest wildfire in more than 75 years. The fire spread rapidly in the south of the country in the mountainous Corbières region, affecting more than 16,000 hectares [1,2]. A total of 15 municipalities have been affected, numerous roads have been closed and people have been evacuated from their homes or […]

Sudden and heavy rain caused landslides and flash floods in the Himalayas. The weather service had earlier issued a severe weather warning [1,2,3]. The village of Dharali in the state of Uttarakhand, located in the foothills of the Himalayas in north-eastern India and situated in a tourist region, was particularly affected. It was hit by […]

The july issue of the Disasters Avoided Newsletter focuses on the central role of financing and insurance solutions in proactively reducing disaster risks. The newsletter features an interview with Cherie Gray, Global Lead of Sustainability & Market Development at Swiss Re, and an archive article with Guillermo Franco, Managing Director & Global Head of Cat […]

On 13 August 2025, the Metop-SGA1 satellite from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) will launch from Kourou (French Guiana). On board is the METimage multispectral camera, a high-tech measuring instrument designed to significantly improve weather forecasts in Europe and worldwide. The development and construction were coordinated by the German Space […]

The German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1950, the organization has been active in a wide range of civil protection and disaster relief areas – from small daily operations to flood relief and foreign aid to logistical tasks like during a pandemic. Around […]