UCL Warning Research Centre

We're excited to announce that WRC Director and founder Prof Carina Fearnley was recently included on the The London Standard #Standard100 for 2024! The list names the top 100 people currently shaping London across a wide number of categories; Carina was selected as one of just 6 people in the Science & Medicine category, and is the sole representative of UCL in this category. On being included in the 2024 list, Carina noted that 'it is a great honour and privilege to be selected in the Standard 100 people shaping London. UCL is London’s global university and is world leading due to the vibrant and diverse communities in London, that have led and challenged the way things have been done for centuries. The Warning Research Centre is the only centre of its type globally and it is wonderful to be recognised for the work we have put into trying to raise the importance of warnings in both natural and human-made threats'. Read more about the list and UCL WRC now: https://lnkd.in/ed5_K2zy

Our hearts go out to those in Valencia and Southern Spain affected by the devastating flash floods, including our colleagues on the The HuT Nexus Project and Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). With over 1 years rainfall in 8 hours, the impacts are only just unfolding. We wish safety to everyone. https://lnkd.in/eE2-EsnT

Amazing work by Maryam Rokhideh, Ph.D. on The HuT Nexus Project:

NOAA's "Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters" database https://lnkd.in/eS-FeNnr continues to generate discussion. Earlier this year, a Roger Pielke Jr. paper critiqued the material https://lnkd.in/eNWeKAQS with NOAA's response at https://lnkd.in/ejmBc5jz and https://lnkd.in/eam3axZt A super, just-published analysis "The real reason billion-dollar disasters like Hurricane Helene are growing more common" https://lnkd.in/eixd3qUa was followed by an excellent Andrew Revkin conversation https://lnkd.in/eyhH28T4 with Harry Stevens and Jessica Weinkle. My thoughts: 1. NOAA's approach conflates hazard and disaster, even referring to "disaster events", rather than to disasters as societal processes. 2. "Billion dollar" is an arbitrary threshold and an arbitrary metric. Poor people can lose everything they own, yet these catastrophic material losses (often uninsured) might be limited in total monetary value. 3. Reporting a subset of hazards skews the analysis without identifying the causes of disasters and disaster trends - and how to redress those causes. Rather than just criticising, a suggestion for analysing disaster trends https://lnkd.in/d_znp7BW #BillionDollarDisasters #HurricaneHelene #HurricaneMilton #DRR #DisastersAreNotNatural #NoNaturalDisasters (avoid the phrases #NaturalDisaster #NaturalDisasters) #DisasterRiskReduction #DisasterRiskManagement #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency

UCL #humanitarianism #DRR UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR)

We are so delighted to see The Pocket Guide and the Essential Research Guide to Disaster Risk Reduction Communication published. The Pocket Guide was produced by BBC Media Action led by the wonderful Lisa Robinson as part of the Risk Communication for Early Action (RiCA) project, which we were able to contribute towards. Please take a look at both report here - they are incredibly useful with some brilliant graphics: https://lnkd.in/dDquqRGJ UCL Science and Technology Studies (STS) UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR) Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP) Climate Risk & Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative World Meteorological Organization World Health Organization National Preparedness Commission Everbridge Medici con l'Africa Cuamm/ Doctors with Africa CUAMM Practical Action Plan International

Today is International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction #IDDRR2024 with a theme of Empowering the next generation for a resilient future. With the focus this year on the role of education in protecting and empowering youth for a disaster-free future, we at the UCL WRC we are working hard to empower future generations of warning experts, with us now teaching our first ever dedicated module on warnings, titled 'Warnings For All', for second year undergraduate students across UCL, and an MSc module titled ‘Warnings for Hazards and Threats’. By Spring 2025 that will be another 120 people with insights into the complexities of warnings, with many hoping to make a difference. We also teach CPD programs on warnings, and training materials because we firmly believe that with knowledge, and working across various disciplines and sectors, we can develop warnings that can contribute to fewer disasters. Education remains the cheapest and most effective form of DRR. #DRRday #AreYouReady24 UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR) UCL STS - Science and Technology Studies UCL

As part of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction The HuT Nexus Project featured Ilan Kelman on the role of education in building resilient futures.

For those interested in science communication, policy, governance, and issues around ethics, trust, and technology, please do follow the LinkedIn account for the Department of UCL STS - Science and Technology Studies one of our founding joint partners. You can also see more abut what we do here: https://lnkd.in/eZV9P4e4

New Natural Hazard Review Special Issue on 'The Legacy of Dennis S. Mileti and the Future of Public Alert and Warning Research' reviewing his work & examining technologies, practices, & policies to improve the access & efficiency of warnings. See more: https://lnkd.in/db2UQXdc Natural Hazards Center