What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, July 14
We know all too well that disaster can strike anytime, anywhere in the world. Some disasters make headlines; others do not. Here at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), we monitor the status of disasters worldwide and compile a list of the ones we’re tracking weekly, along with relevant disaster-related media coverage.
Here’s what we’re watching for the week of July 14, 2025.
New or Emerging Disasters
Flooding – New Mexico, Rio Ruidoso: On July 8, extreme flooding caused by monsoon rains killed three people in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a neighborhood hard hit by wildfires in 2024. Approximately 65 people required water rescue during the storm. At least 200 homes were damaged, trees and tree limbs littered the town, and vehicles were crushed in the debris flow.
The burn scars from the wildfires in 2024 have made the area more susceptible to such devastating floods.
Flooding – Spain: On July 12, dangerous flash flooding turned roads into rivers in the northeast region of Spain. Two people are missing, buildings sustained damage, and cars floated away in the surge. A hospital evacuated 71 patients after the rain cut power.
The storm was caused by a High-Level Isolated Depression (DANA), which causes shifts in weather and can bring storms within minutes. This event follows a recent devastating heat wave in Spain that killed 1,180 people.
Earthquakes – Guatemala: More than 150 earthquakes and aftershocks have been reported in Guatemala since July 8. Landslides have blocked roads, walls have crumbled, and at least four people have died. Families slept outside as the tremors made the foundations of buildings unstable. Residents of Santa Maria de Jesus still lack electricity and potable water.
Wildfire – Grand Canyon: Lightning ignited a wildfire in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on July 4, destroying 50 to 80 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The fire spread rapidly due to low humidity and strong winds, burning 63 square miles with 0% containment as of July 13.
Previous or Ongoing Disasters
Flooding – Texas: Heavy rains and flash flood watches have hindered rescue and recovery efforts, following the catastrophic floods in Texas. At least 132 people have died, including 36 children, and 160 people are still missing. Search efforts will continue this week, with dry weather forecasted.
Complex Humanitarian Emergencies – Haiti
When a country experiences political conflict, climate shocks, famine, economic challenges or other conditions, it may suffer a complex humanitarian emergency (CHE). CDP maintains complete profiles on several CHEs. Every week, we highlight these and other CHEs hoping to build awareness and philanthropic response.
Armed groups have tightened their control over Haiti’s capital and beyond, resulting in nearly 1.3 million people —about 11% of the population—facing internal displacement as of June 2025. The country suffers from escalating gang violence, increasing food insecurity and worsening humanitarian conditions.
Key facts:
- Between January and May 2025, 2,700 people were killed in Haiti.
- From January to June, 121,300 people have been forcibly returned to Haiti.
- Roughly 50% of the population is food insecure, with 8,400 people facing starvation.
- Haiti is one of five countries most affected by food insecurity.
- Haiti is also one of five countries with the highest number of child victims of sexual violence.
Basic services in Haiti have been severely curtailed, and shelters are overwhelmed with those who have been deported from other countries as well as those fleeing violence. Disease is rampant in overcrowded shelters and camps, and health services are near collapse. Haiti’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan seeks $908.2 million USD, with only 8% funded as of June 2025.
What We’re Reading
- Lessons from Texas: Recreational vehicles are an understudied dimension of housing and disaster risk – Place + Resilience
- When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer: A rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recover – The Conversation
- To stay or go? The dilemma confronting Uganda’s climate displaced – The New Humanitarian
A moment of hope… Hope Crisis Response Network (HCRN) is a nonprofit organization that assists individuals, families, and communities affected by disasters across the United States.
CDP awarded HCRN a $401,200 grant from the California Wildfire Recovery Fund to hire new construction managers to repair and rebuild homes for uninsured and underinsured survivors of the 2025 Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. Through volunteer labor and disaster case management, HCRN aims to support vulnerable households— especially low-income families and seniors—in safely returning home and rebuilding stability.
Gina DeLuca
Content Development Associate