Read all posts for ‘natural disasters’

From curfews, security-checks to being thrust into a tourism circus, the people of Batticaloa just welcome everything with that embracing smile.

In January 2011, after weeks of rain, I was filled with dread upon hearing that the biggest flood in over 35 years was expected to hit my hometown of Brisbane. On January 13 my fears were realised, as the Brisbane River peaked at 4.46m above sea level, flooding more than […]

One week before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires the state of Victoria cooked like never before.  On three consecutive days in late January the temperature exceeded 43 °C / 109 °F, scorching an already desiccated land and laying the foundations for the worst bushfires in Australian history.  On the fateful day […]

In the turmoil that follows a natural disaster, extreme forms of governance can flourish. But, says Muhammad Farhan, effective democracy is the best route back to stability.

Does the occurrence of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, volcanic eruption, tsunami, flood, hurricane, epidemic, heat wave, and ⁄ or plague increase the risk of violent civil conflict in a society? This study uses available data for 187 political units for the period 1950–2000 to systematically explore this question […]