Is there a stream of disasters rolling out?

​Have you noticed the news these days is filled with disasters?
​What is striking is the relentless combination of natural calamities and man-made mishaps. Many are left wondering whether we are witnessing a tragic streak of misfortune or simply the harsh hand of fate. From aviation accidents and geopolitical escalations to climate-driven weather events, news headlines in early September 2026 have felt overwhelming.
​Whether it truly feels like there are 'too many' disasters right now often comes down to two factors: an actual rise in climate-driven extreme events and the amplified reach of modern real-time media. On September 6 alone, the world watched reports of a deadly building collapse in Delhi and a major cargo plane overrun at Miami International Airport that resulted in tragic fatalities.
​What is driving this surge? The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) points to a rapidly intensifying El Niño event altering global atmospheric patterns — exacerbating flooding in some regions while driving severe heatwaves and drought in others. Climate watchers note that record-high sea surface temperatures are intensifying seasonal monsoons, wildland fires, and tropical storms, causing them to strike with shorter intervals between events.
​The world gasps as hazards hit simultaneously: the Nepal disaster due to glacier collapse, monsoon flooding across South Asia, volcanic eruptions like Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau sending ash plumes up to 50,000 feet, and prolonged wildfires scorching hundreds of thousands of hectares across Greece, Spain, Southern Europe, and North America.
So what has been going on?
North America and Europe have been experiencing compound heatwaves, prolonged wildfires, and localised urban flash flooding, and the cause could be the extreme summer temperatures combined with dry atmospheric conditions. South and Southeast Asia has also been going through severe monsoon flooding, riverbank erosion, and intense heat spells, and the reasons, expert says could be heavy rainfall anomalies linked to tropical ocean warming and El Niño shifts. Latin America and the Horn of Africa have been going through severe regional droughts alongside major seismic events, and there have been prolonged dry seasons combined with tectonic activity in vulnerable regions. Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, the active island volcano, initiated a continuous 25-hour eruptive phase, halting all activities. Meanwhile, the wildfire disrupted normalcy as well.
Active blazes in Greece — such as the major Konitsa wildfire in Epirus near Vikos-Aoos National Park — have burned into early September.
In the ​Iberian Peninsula, Spain faced historic blazes (including major fires in Ávila), scorching hundreds of thousands of hectares.
Moving onto Southern ​and Eastern Europe, significant fire activity hit Southern France, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and the Balkans.
In the ​United States, dozens of large wildfires remained active across the Pacific Northwest. Canada, too, had its problem.
​Glued to real-time updates and social media reels, local catastrophes instantly become global. We carry the collective weight and helplessness of communities in distress thousands of miles away. Maybe this is what is called disaster fatigue.
​Back home here in Oman, that anxiety takes on a very personal form. Many of us now feel uneasy the moment we see a flatbed trailer truck transporting heavy industrial steel coils, haunted by the tragedy that recently occurred in Samayil. Just a few days ago, I watched a truck driver at a red light step down from his seat simply to recheck that his cargo was well secured. We worry about these massive vehicles on our roads or parked nearby, even while acknowledging that these very drivers ensure goods reach our communities every day.
​The reality is that our collective mind is tired, and beneath that fatigue lies fear. When a problem arises, our instinct is to look for solutions — or someone to blame. But what do we do when the force behind it is nature itself?
​Realising the scale of these disasters forces us to confront how vulnerable we truly are. Logically, we tell ourselves, 'We can plan better safety measures.' But as human beings, our memories carry deep layers of emotion — and in the face of so much loss, we can only hope that we heal progressively.