What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, January 5
Here’s what we’re watching for the week of Jan. 5, 2026.
New or Emerging Disasters
Bomb Cyclone – Great Lakes, Midwest, Northeast: With wind speeds of up to 116 mph in New Hampshire, several feet of snow in Michigan and tornadoes across the Midwest, the bomb cyclone that began on Dec. 28 brought extreme weather across the U.S.
More than 220,000 customers lost power across the Northeast. Hundreds of car crashes and multiple pileups were reported in Minnesota and Michigan, where snowfall was particularly extreme. And in the Midwest, multiple tornadoes downed trees and damaged roofs.
Atmospheric river – California: On Dec. 24, 2025, an atmospheric river moved through Southern California, causing damage throughout the region. Flash flooding trapped motorists on the San Fernando Highway, and mudslides rendered multiple mountain highways impassable. Flooding was particularly extreme in the burn scars from the Eaton Fire in LA.
Flooding – Afghanistan: At least 17 people died, and 11 others were injured after heavy rain and snow caused flooding in Afghanistan. The winter storm ended a prolonged dry spell, but worsened living conditions for approximately 1,800 families in both rural and urban communities.
The floods killed livestock and damaged infrastructure. The United Nations warned that Afghanistan is expected to remain one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026.
Previous/Ongoing Disasters
Flooding – Indonesia: Grassroots volunteers, community kitchens and small businesses across Indonesia have rapidly mobilized to support survivors of the deadly floods and landslides in Aceh, West Sumatra and North Sumatra, which killed more than 1,100 people and displaced many more in early December.
Despite facing overwhelming need, these local efforts are coordinating the delivery of ready-to-eat food and critical supplies into hard-to-reach areas. In disaster-stricken areas, raw food has become largely unusable, potable water is scarce and cooking equipment is unavailable, making these meals a lifeline for survivors.
Complex Humanitarian Emergencies – Syria
Many places worldwide are experiencing conflict, climate change, drought, famine, economic challenges and other conditions which, when combined, create complex humanitarian emergencies (CHEs). CDP maintains complete profiles on several CHEs that are highlighted here weekly to build awareness and philanthropic response.
With the worst drought in over three decades, continued economic freefall and violent political conflict, humanitarian needs in Syria are expected to remain extremely high in 2026. Conflict, drought and damaged infrastructure keep millions of people dependent on aid for food, water, health care and basic services in one of the world’s most severe and protracted humanitarian emergencies.
Key facts:
- About 16.5–16.7 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance, the highest figure recorded since the conflict began in 2011.
- Nearly 7.4 million people are internally displaced in Syria.
- Hunger has reached unprecedented levels, with about 14.5 million people food insecure, including 9.1 million acutely food insecure and 1.3 million severely food insecure.
- Severe economic crisis, high prices and a historic drought are undermining food production and access to clean water.
- Some families are leaving displacement camps to live in tents on top of their collapsed homes.
- More than 2.4 million children are out of school, with one in three schools still unusable, creating a “loss of education-generation.”
- Often, Syrians have access to only two hours of electricity per day due to the overload of the national grid.
- Protection risks remain acute from shelling, arbitrary detention, unexploded ordnance and gender-based violence. Children account for nearly one-third of all victims of unexploded ordnance.
Without a substantial increase in funding and more reliable humanitarian access, aid agencies warn of deeper cuts to food, health and protection programs, heightening the risk of further displacement, malnutrition and preventable deaths among the most vulnerable Syrians.
What We’re Reading
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How Nonprofit Jargon Ignores Real Fears of Violence – The Chronicle of Philanthropy
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2025’s extreme weather brought intense flash flooding, but no hurricane landfalls in the US – the jet stream is a big reason why – The Conversation
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Exclusive: DHS begins slashing FEMA disaster response staff as 2026 begins – CNN
A moment of hope… Abandoned oil refinery sites in Essex, UK, and West Coyote Hills near Fullerton, California, have regenerated into rich habitats, hosting more than 3,200 species at Canvey Wick and over 500 acres of coastal sage scrub in California. As a result, gnatcatchers, a threatened species of bird in California, have begun proliferating, and in the UK, the number of nightingales rose by 61% last year.
In Fullerton, public pressure led the city to buy 24 acres next to an existing preserve. The successful regeneration of these sites underscores how former industrial “wastelands” can become vital wildlife refuges.
Gina DeLuca
Content Development Associate