National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre

20/09/2026

Communiqué - Solidarity with the Seychelles Defence Forces

19/09/2026

🏔️ What looks like one disaster can actually be a cascade of risks

Along the Nepal–China border, the collapse of a massive rock wall and glacier ice triggered a rock–ice avalanche that rapidly transformed into a destructive debris flood.

But behind that cascade was a complex risk landscape:
🌡️ Warming and permafrost degradation may have weakened the rock wall and ice-filled fractures.
🏔️ Glacier retreat can alter the stability of surrounding slopes.
⚠️ Past earthquakes may have left the rock mass weakened over time.
🌊 Exposure along constrained river valleys shaped the immediate impacts.
👥 Socioeconomic vulnerability is likely to shape recovery and longer-term impacts.

Importantly, researchers describe climate change as a destabilising factor acting on an already geologically complex landscape. Rapid warming is increasing the likelihood and severity of these kinds of hazards across the Himalayas.

🚨 And there is another difficult lesson: not every disaster can be solved by better warnings alone. Nepal's early warning systems have saved lives during more conventional, forecastable floods, but researchers conclude that the speed, magnitude, and complexity of this event exceeded the predictive limits of existing systems. The debris flood reached the Rasuwagadhi border, 22 km downstream, in just seven minutes.

One hazard can trigger another, creating impacts far beyond the initial event. Understanding these connections is critical to managing cascading risk➡️ https://ow.ly/wtPT50ZPbQl

18/09/2026

17/09/2026

17/09/2026

🗣️ False claims, impersonation, scams... harmful information can take many forms during a disaster.

Identifying it is the first step, but does it need a response? 🤔

Not necessarily. Responding to every rumour can sometimes give it more attention and amplify its reach.

The UNDRR Harmful Information in Disasters guidance recommends first looking at:
📡 Reach: Is it spreading across communities or platforms?
⚠️ Risk: Could it affect safety, response operations or trust?
💬 Resonance: Is it tapping into existing fears or tensions?

The goal is to act where harmful information can put people and response efforts at risk. Learn how to spot, assess and respond to harmful information with the guidance ➡️ https://ow.ly/NbYS50ZNVB1

15/09/2026

11/09/2026

📢 Trusted communication in disasters can save lives.

Developing trusted and effective public risk communication is a complex process – yet the disaster risk communication loop acts as a guiding model.

♾️ The proposed loop is a dynamic process, not a linear one. This means that the development of disaster risk communication may cycle between its four phases – understanding, improving, planning and doing – as the approach is continuously adjusted and refined.

This is because communication can always be improved. 💪

The model is underlain by key principles of:
🤝 Collaboration across sectors, breaking down silos
🧩 Creativity in problem solving
📚 Learning for continuous development

Communication is a dynamic process, and is most effective when it can adapt and respond to changing situations.

Explore UNDRR’s Disaster Risk Communication Hub for other vital aspects of public risk communication 👉 https://ow.ly/G2sV50Yn0SS