Natural Disasters – Fusion Nepal

As earthquake waves ripple out from a volatile fault line to the heart of a city, mere seconds of knowledge that the shakes are coming can save lives.

That’s according to the City of Los Angeles and experts who say that an earthquake early warning (EEW) system, which monitors seismic waves and notifies people when it detects that an earthquake is on the way, is a powerful way to mitigate harm.

“We’ve previously talked about earthquakes as no warning events,” Dr. Lori Peek, the director of the natural hazards center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told Mashable over the phone. “In an earthquake, if you know what to do, and if you have a few seconds, you may be able to drop, cover, and hold on. And that really can make the difference between who lives, who is injured, and who dies.” Read more…

More about Los Angeles, Earthquakes, Natural Disasters, New Apps, and Tech

Crisis can bring people together in unprecedented ways. That’s the theme of Rising, a new short film directed by Game of Thrones’ David Nutter and written by Lena Waithe, creator of The Chi.

The film, which is the latest installment of the popular Ad Council “Love Has No Labels” PSA campaign, imagines how a massive storm and flood affects a group of neighbors who at first glance have little in common.

A white man stares menacingly at his neighbor, an American teen from an Indian Muslim family. Two women, who are a couple, run down the block and take note of the scene. Other residents, who are people of color, watch the white neighbor’s intimidation with disapproval. Then disaster strikes and everyone becomes essential to the block’s collective survival. The film was created pro bono by the ad agency R/GA and is designed to make viewers remember how vital people are to each other — even when political and cultural polarization threatens to tear America apart. Read more…

More about Politics, Psa, Natural Disasters, Ad Council, and Social Good