Evaluating the R4 rural resilience initiative Q1 report

On July 20th, Oxfam America (OA) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) released the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative report for the first quarter of 2017. R4 is a joint undertaking between the two organizations, designed in 2011 as a response to increased climate volatility and its malignant effect on rural agriculture. The term "R4" refers to a combination of four strategies aimed at increasing resilience in food insecure communities: “risk reduction”, including implementation of Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) programs and development of resilient infrastructure, “risk transfer” through insurance and training, as well as “prudent risk taking” in the form of microcredit and diversification of livelihoods, and “risk reserves” or savings.

Wildfires in southwestern U.S. blaze a path for flooding in their wake

Several southwestern states have been ravaged by 18 wildfires in past weeks, the products of drought and extreme heat that dried out vegetation and increased the speed at which the fires spread.  However, as the rainy season approaches, some communities find themselves struggling instead with the recent onset of extreme rainfall. The widespread and severe storms, coupled with the conditions left behind in fire-damaged areas, have resulted in flash floods.

Pacific Northwest endures historic heat wave while smoke from B.C. wildfires pollutes the region

The Pacific Northwest region of the United States is in the midst of a heat wave that has come close to breaking previous temperature records. In the past 123 years, triple-digit temperatures have only been recorded on three days in Seattle -- and though the city remained below triple digits last week, the high reached 94 degrees, hitting a daily record. Meanwhile, Portland experienced even higher temperatures, reaching a high of 105 degrees on Thursday. This was just shy of the warmest temperature ever recorded in Portland, which was 107 degrees.

Powerful earthquake hits China’s Sichuan region for the second time in a decade

On the evening of August 8, 2017, an earthquake shook the mountainous region of northwest Sichuan, China. A popular tourist destination in China, the Jiuzhaigou nature reserve receives 5 million visitors per year; just days before the earthquake they welcomed 41,000 people. Two weeks after the quake, there are still conflicting reports on the size and magnitude of this earthquake. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported the earthquake was measured at a 6.5 magnitude, west southwest from the epicenter in Yongle. Whereas Xinhua, a Chinese news agency, announced the earthquake hit a 7.0 magnitude, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center as their source.

Adm. Peter Neffenger visits Northeastern’s Marine Science Center, for cross-institute tour

Representatives from two Northeastern University institutes dedicated to sustainability and resilience welcomed Admiral Peter Neffenger (USCG Ret.), to the Marine Science Center in Nahant. Admiral Neffenger, a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Global Resilience Institute (GRI) and the former Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), was briefed on Northeastern’s Coastal Sustainability Institute (CSI) and on the research efforts underway in the Nahant labs.

Heat waves: The biggest health concerns & what precautions cities can take, to protect the vulnerable – News@Northeastern

Heat waves have dominated the headlines this summer, with record-breaking temperatures in the U.S. Pacific Northwest for a third year running, and dangerously high temperatures sweeping across Europe, in a heatwave nicknamed "Lucifer." This trend is expected to become "more intense, more frequent and longer lasting over the next century," said heat justice expert Sharon Harlan. Harlan, a professor of health sciences and sociology at Northeastern and a Faculty Affiliate of the Global Resilience Institute (GRI), spoke with News@Northeastern reporter Allie Nicodemo about heat-related health concerns, what precautions cities should take, and which populations are the most vulnerable to heat waves.

The Global Resilience Institute moves to 177 Huntington Avenue

The Global Resilience Institute has moved to a new location! Formerly housed inside 1135 Tremont Street, GRI is now located on the third floor of 177 Huntington Avenue*, between the Prudential and Symphony "T" stops. The iconic building was designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and constructed in 1972 as the Administration Building of the Christian Science Center. The 26-story, 200,000-square-foot structure was revitalized by Beacon Capital Partners in 2014.

With time running out, thousands flee Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey intensified as it steered toward the Texas coast on Friday, with forecasters saying it had strengthened to a Category 2 storm with the potential to swamp communities more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) inland. The slow-moving hurricane could be the fiercest such storm to hit the United States in almost a dozen years. Forecasters labeled Harvey a "life-threatening storm" that posed a "grave risk" as millions of people braced for a prolonged battering. The storm has the potential to produce winds hitting 125 mph (201 kph) and storm surges of 12 feet (4 meters).

Battered by Harvey, Houston braces for even more flooding

Officials released more water from Houston-area reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey early Monday in a move aimed at protecting the city's downtown from devastating floods but that could still endanger thousands of homes, even as the nation's fourth-largest city braced for more rain. Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain as a tropical storm, sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday. The rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.