Mississippi Failed its Residents During a Crisis, So They Helped Themselves

While some parts of the United States struggle with drought, others are faced with more water than they know what to do with. Minnesota reconstructs roads and drainage systems in order to be more prepared for the large amounts of rain fall they have received, largely due to climate change.

Geography and climate change challenge the viability of sea-level cities in Vietnam, but architects, researchers, and urban planners work together to find creative solutions. One architect in Ho Chi Minh City designed green roofs to absorb the rainwater that causes floods.

Louisiana and Vietnam both need affordable solutions to rising sea levels. Leaders from Vietnam visited Louisiana to compare ideas.

Oxfam is working to prevent a drought in Ethiopa by insuring crops of farmers, causing them to have a greater desire to work in the agricultural market.

Bangladesh is fighting rising sea levels due to climate change. It's doing so with the help of foreign money and Dutch-inspired engineering.

Rising saltwater caused by climate change is shrinking Bangladesh’s arable land, especially concerning in places with dense populations. But a simple approach of planting crops in vertical containers shows surprising success.

In a lot of places, food is available and the market is working but people are too poor to buy it, so cash donations are more effective than food. Previously U.S. aid laws did not allow cash donations but a new proposal could change that.

In war zones, people have a difficult time finding clean water and safe areas to inhabit. Social media, smart phones, and technology applications are aiding in people’s survival. In Aleppo, Syria, the International Committee of the Red Cross posted a map on Facebook to show alternative sources of clean drinking water that reached approximately 140,000 people.

In a country of limited resources — and perhaps for that very reason — preparing for natural disasters is top of the agenda in Bangladesh. Various grassroots, collaborative programs have been put in place over the years to help address many facets of the calamities caused by cyclones, from improved emergency shelters to long-term support for those who lose their livelihoods in the storms.

The 2004 tsunami that hit Asia caused significant damage in the islands of the Seychelles, destroying roads, homes, and shoreline. A teacher determined to restore her home through tangible action took a lead role in helping her students take conservation into their own hands by working to restore the mangroves that can protect their island from future storms.