NYU GPH Journal of Public Health Disasters
A student-led journal driven by the latest research in public health disaster preparedness and management.
On January 1, 2026, a fire at Le Constellation resulted in 40 deaths and 116 injuries during New Years Celebration in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Crenas-Montana, Valais. The fire broke out shortly after 1:26 a.m. when the venue was crowded with patrons marking the holiday.
Continue reading “Fire in Swiss Alpine Bar Leaves 40 Dead”
This is a developing story.
On January 18, at 7:45 p.m., a derailment and collision of two high-speed trains near the Spanish town of Adamuz resulted in 40 deaths and over 120 injured passengers. The death toll has not been finalized, and the number of unaccounted passengers remains unclear.
Continue reading “Train Crash in Spain Leaves 40 Dead”
A devastating flash flood hit Central Texas over the July 4 weekend, killing at least 135 people, including nearly 40 children. The majority of the destruction is in Kerr County, located within the Texas Hill Country — an area home to multiple summer camps. Many of the dead include young campers and staff members from Camp Mystic. In response to the flooding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have activated disaster response and recovery resources, but many feel that the state did not do enough to prepare for a disaster of this magnitude.
Continue reading “Devastating Texas Floods Highlight Emergency Response Failures”
During the last days of June, much of the East Coast experienced an extreme heatwave, bringing some of the highest temperatures felt in a decade. Over 150 million people were under heat warnings, including those in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, where temperatures reached over 100 degrees. The oppressive high temperatures can cause a dangerous heat dome, which occurs when a large area of high pressure builds over a region for several days. This heatwave is expected to be one of many facing much of the U.S. this summer, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
Continue reading “June East Coast Heat Wave Forewarns of Extreme Summer Temperatures”
As early summer wildfires break out in Western Canada, the United States is facing poor air quality, leading the National Weather Service to issue alerts in several regions. On June 4, a concentrated cloud of smoke hit Iowa and Illinois, extending into Wisconsin. Air quality alerts were issued in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut, warning residents that air quality levels have reached hazardous levels.
Continue reading “Canadian Wildfires Cause Dangerous Air Quality in the U.S. “
In February, the first measles death in the United States in a decade was reported. Since then, outbreaks have grown across the country, leading to another death from the infection. As of June 5, cases in the U.S. have grown to nearly 1,200. Behind Texas, New Mexico, and Kansas report the highest incidences. Only 2% of infections have occurred in vaccinated individuals, prompting public health officials to credit vaccine hesitancy for the increase in outbreaks.
Continue reading “As Measles Cases Grow, Experts Push for Childhood Vaccination”
On Earth Day, April 22, 2025, environmentalist, author, and journalist Bill McKibben delivered a powerful speech on climate change and the environmental movement at New York University’s School of Global Public Health. Bill McKibben, who founded 350.org and Third Act and serves as the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, used his extensive activism during the event, which served as the beginning of a five-year global series that will alternate between New York and Shanghai.
Continue reading “Reflections on Bill McKibben’s Earth Day Lecture, “Our Changing Climate””
The United Nations (UN) has called attention to the growing Haitian population, a record 5.7 million people, who are projected to experience acute food insecurity through June. Of this number, which is more than half of Haiti’s population, over two million are projected to face emergency-level hunger. Around 8,400 are going to face catastrophic food insecurity, where people face severe acute malnutrition and risk of death.
Continue reading “Hunger in Haiti Reaches Record Levels”
Between September 6, 2024, and February 28, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported four laboratory-confirmed Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Two of the infections were deadly, which underscores the virus’s elevated mortality rate of 36%.
Continue reading “New MERS-CoV Cases Raise Public Health Concerns Amid Ongoing Vaccine Efforts”
Between March and April 2025, wildfires intensified across the southeastern United States, fueled by a convergence of drought, hurricane debris, and persistent winds. Since the start of the year, the National Interagency Fire Center documented 14,800 wildfires, which have burned over 1,100 square miles, a number that surpasses the 10-year average.
Continue reading “Unrelenting Wildfires Sweep Across the U.S.”