In the Kahramanmaraş earthquake on February 6, 2023, which was described as the most severe earthquake on land worldwide and the disaster of century, the loss of life and material losses reached serious levels. In this study, it was aimed to examine the experiences of 21 individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake by interviewing their families regarding this process. Fifteen parents of one/more children diagnosed with intellectual disability/autism spectrum disorder participated in this study, which was conducted with a phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research designs. These themes are (a) the impact of the earthquake on the child with autism spectrum disorder/intellectual disability, (b) the impact of the earthquake on the parents, (c) difficulties experienced and (d) requirements. When the themes are examined, parents state that their children face serious physical, psychological and educational harm, their behavioral problems increase due to trauma they experience.

Preparedness for natural disasters is crucial for people living in high-risk areas along the Ring of Fire, such as people in Indonesia. Although Spatial Disaster Learning using Geospatial Technology (SDL-GeoTech) has been developed, its effectiveness in enhancing students' preparedness remains unproven. This study examines the impact of SDL-GeoTech on junior high school students' readiness using a quasi-experimental, time-series, single-group pre-post-test design. The research involved students from three schools: SMA 1 Grati Pasuruan (flood-prone), SMA 1 Puncu Kediri (volcanic eruption-prone), and SMA 3 Mataram Lombok (earthquake-prone). Data were collected through tests on knowledge, skills, and attitudes, followed by -test analysis at a 0.05 significance level. The results of this study show SDL-GeoTech was significantly able to improve students' preparedness, including their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These findings highlight SDL-GeoTech as an innovative tool for disaster education, with the potential to enhance curricula and teaching strategies, especially in vulnerable areas.

: On 6 February 2023, an earthquake with a 7.8 magnitude wreaked destruction in northern Syria to add a new emergency status in the country. This study aims to evaluate the mental health status of the Syrian population in the immediate phase of the earthquake.: This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in Syria from 17 February to 6 April. Data were collected on socio-demographics, trauma exposure characteristics, and levels of acute stress, depression, and anxiety. The NSESSS Checklist for the APA was used to assess ASD symptoms, PHQ-9 for depression, and GAD-7 for anxiety. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to identify predictive factors while accounting for governorate as a random effect and time elapsed as a fixed factor.: The rate of probable ASD symptoms was significant, with 55.3% of participants exhibiting these symptoms, including 10.3% reporting severe-to-extreme levels of severity. Similarly, 71.6% of participants exhibited symptoms of depression and 59.1% showed symptoms of anxiety. Furthermore, 40.4% of participants displayed a co-occurrence of ASD along with anxiety and depression. Linear mixed effects models indicated that symptoms were predicted by female sex, displacement, poor economic status, and a positive mental health history time elapsed, physical trauma, belief in the ongoing risk of earthquakes, feelings of dizziness, recurrent night-time fear arousal, and a continued sensation of seismic activity.: This study demonstrated the high rates of symptoms of ASD, anxiety, and depression across the Syrian population during the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. High portions of people may acquire co-occurring symptoms represented by different mental health problems. These findings highlight the need for immediate actions to enhance mental health support in Syria.

On February 6, 2023, a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. Over 50 000 people were confirmed dead, and nearly 130 000 were injured. The Turkish government was leading the response there through coordination by the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD). A massive search and rescue operation continued, and humanitarian partners were rapidly ramping up efforts to provide life-saving assistance. Over 53 000 Turkish emergency workers were deployed to the regions affected by the earthquakes. More than 100 nations and international organizations mounted a massive, unprecedented response. Among them, the State of Israel dispatched 2 missions, with the first on the ground the same day as the earthquake. Under guidance of the local health authorities, it was determined that the most effective approach would be to support an existing medical facility rather than establishing a standalone field operation. Teams responding to disaster zones should arrive only after a formal request and deploy after full coordination with the local country. The devastated country understands best what is really needed. Deploying in full collaboration has an advantage of better cultural understanding and long-term effect in restoring the local needs.

On January 1, 2024, an earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of 7 struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, causing significant casualties and displacement. The Noto Peninsula has a high aging rate, with 49.5% of its population aged 65 or older. This case study focuses on a 68-year-old woman who developed aspiration pneumonia after being admitted to a welfare shelter. The case highlights the challenges of managing chronic medical care during disasters, particularly for the elderly.

Fukushima Medical University (FMU) organizes annual International Symposiums on the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) to share up-to-date Survey findings.　In response to radiation released from the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the FHMS was established with the aim of providing long-term follow-up for the physical and mental health of Fukushima residents, and maintaining and improving their health into the future.　This year, the sixth annual symposium was convened in Tokyo on Saturday, March 2, 2024, with the theme, "3.11:Sharing Lessons of Fukushima with Japan and the World."

The Mesilau Stream Toad (Ansonia guibei) is a species of bufonid endemic to Sabah, Borneo, and restricted to a single mountainous location above 1600m in elevation. The species is only known from the type locality, the Mesilau watershed on Mount Kinabalu. An earthquake in 2015 resulted in massive landslides, causing extensive damage to the species' habitat at Mesilau. This event was expected to have caused significant population declines of at least 80% or even the potential extinction of the species. A survey in 2017 at Mesilau failed to locate any individuals, which resulted in it being listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Surveys in late 2023 to reassess the status of the species and its habitat resulted in the rediscovery of a single subadult specimen of A. guibei. Tadpoles of the species were recorded in the main Mesilau River and one additional tributary, which indicates the species survives and is breeding. Studies are ongoing to collect more ecological data on the species and determine its current distribution. The data gathered will be used to construct a robust conservation plan for the species. Nevertheless, these preliminary observations bode well for the future of the species as it demonstrates that it is resilient and capable of recovering from the damages caused by the earthquake.

Seasonal agricultural migration leads to both economic hardship and humanitarian challenges. Individuals involved in this migration face severe poverty and deprivation, with mothers critical participants in agrarian work, being especially vulnerable due to challenging conditions and family responsibilities. This study explores the experiences of migratory seasonal agricultural worker mothers and their children, particularly how the earthquake in Turkey impacted them on February 6, 2023.

The mountainous region, which holds a diverse ecosystem providing services of global importance, is fragile owing to the varied topography and continuous human pressure. The risk from natural hazards in mountainous regions is substantial posing significant challenges and causing causalities. Northwestern Himalayas being located in the junction of the Eurasian and Indo-Australian plates are delicate and face the brunt of vagaries from multiple hazards as well as anthropogenic pressure. Against this backdrop, the present study investigates multi-hazard risk assessment integrating both multi-hazard susceptibility and social vulnerability to look into possible high-risk-prone areas. The study makes use of frequency ratio in an ensemble with the Shannon entropy method to accomplish multi-hazard susceptibility (earthquake, floods, landslide, drought and forest fire), and for social vulnerability (a total of 13 indicators and 33 variables considered), Shannon information entropy model is utilized. The findings indicate that 58.40% area is highly and very highly susceptible to multi-hazard spanning across central, southeastern, northeastern and northwestern parts of the study area, whereas 40.59% area is highly vulnerable to multi-hazard covering western, northwestern, southwestern and southeastern parts of the study area. The results for multi-hazard risk indicated that southwestern, western and southeastern parts are highly risk prone areas accounting for 36.27% of the total geographical area. The study will be beneficial for the stakeholders in developing and putting into practice efficient strategies for disaster risk reduction. The study also recommends local adaptation strategies like Dhajji Diwari and surface excavation for more awareness and effective risk management.

Earthquakes have serious psychosocial and emotional effects on children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents. The limited number of studies investigating the earthquake experience of children with ASD and their parents indicates a need to improve existing research in this area. The aim of this study was to assess parents' experiences with their children after the earthquake and their reactions to the earthquake.