Update info

Updated every Friday.

Friday, December 18, 2015

December 18, 2015

What happened this week?

United States. Texas (TX) and Louisiana (LA). Severe storms produced locally heavy rain and preliminary reports of storm damage and possible tornado touchdowns. Preliminary reports of 3 possible tornado touchdowns in TX on December 12: One confirmed near Lindale(Smith County): one home was destroyed; up to 50 homes and outbuildings damaged, Lindale Mayor declared a disaster for the city; One near Willis (Montgomery County): several recreational vehicles (RVs), one local business damaged; One near Kellerville (Gray County). Twenty high wind reports on December 13, primarily in LA; downed trees and power lines reported. No significant power outages remain in effect. One shelter is opened in TX with no occupants. No fatalities or injuries reported... Read more

Peru. Anta Province, Ancash Region. Heavy rain and hail has caused the loss of crops in various communities the Huarondo district in the province of Anta and affected about 700 families. The serious weather also affected several homes and killed farm animals. In addition, about five homes were damaged... Read more

Brazil.  
  • 20 municipalities in Mato Grosso do Sul are under an emergency due to a flood that hit Fatima do Sul near Campo Grande. The Civil Defense has said that to date, more than 40 bridges were destroyed and 27 roads impassable... Read more
  • An emergency has been declared for municipalities in the states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, Paraná, and Sergipe. The National Integration Ministry declared state of emergency in 19 municipalities of Minas Gerais, one in Bahia, one in Parana, and one in Sergipe. The causes are drought, dam collapse/break, and flooding. The federal government may extend the measures to assist the affected areas... Read more

Colombia. Coast of Choco of San Juan. An indigenous population was displaced as a result of pressure from an armed group. The indigenous group, of the Wounaan ethnicity from the community of Taparalito, have been moved to the municipal head of Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca). Another 150 families (460 are children) remain in the territory, specifically in the area at risk... Read more

Paraguay. Asuncion. The number of homeless people in the capital rose to 54,670 (10,934 families). The Paraguay River reached 7.09 meters and it is feared that it will reach the same level it did in 2014, when the waters reached 7.38 meters. Of the total families affected, 8,234 are in 88 shelters set up by the district capital in conjunction with the Secretariat for National Emergencies (SEN). The 2,700 remaining families have taken refuge in the homes of friends or relatives. The population of Alberdi is isolated by land due to the rise of the Paraguay River. 6,000 people live there... Read more

Peru. San Martin. 7.76 tons of humanitarian aid will be distributed among 12,096 people affected by the rise of rivers due to heavy rains, INDECI reported. As a result of six rivers overflowing 42 homes have been destroyed, 58 are inhabitable, and 2,366 have been affected. In addition, 22 educational institutions, 8 health centers, 3 temples, and other public areas have suffered damages. Three pedestrian bridges were destroyed, and roads have been damaged. Also, 1,806 farm animals have been affected; 50 hectares of crops have been destroyed. Electricity, drainage, and drinking water were also affected... Read more

Interesting Facts

Satellites Find Sustainable Energy in Cities. Researchers have now developed a new method to find underground heat islands: They estimate groundwater temperature from surface temperatures and building densities measured by satellites... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Paris Agreement shows political will to reduce disaster risk. The dust is beginning to settle after the breakthrough adoption of the Paris Agreement at the U.N. climate change summit... Read more

New steps for disaster risk awareness. An international conference has agreed to step up efforts to increase public awareness of how to curb the impact of natural and man-made hazards, spurring the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction... Read more





Friday, December 11, 2015

December 11, 2015

What happened this week?

Paraguay. In Asunción about 1,500 families were evacuated due to the flooding of the Paraguay River. Evacuees have been placed in 57 shelters throughout the Paraguayan capital... Read more

Honduras. Floods in the Department of Atlántida, Tela. 127 families have been affected due to heavy rain in the area on Saturday, caused by the overflowing of the Lean River. A total of 18 families were housed in shelters, COPECO provided humanitarian aid to 57 families of the Marion community affected by the flooding of the San Alejo River... Read more

Mexico. School activities in the municipalities of Cardenas, Comalcalco, and Paraiso, in the state of Tabasco, were cancelled due to heavy rains... Read more

Interesting Facts

First Code Improvements Adopted Based on National Institute of Standards and Technology Joplin Tornado Study. Protecting schools and their associated high-occupancy buildings from the most violent tornadoes is the goal of the first approved building code changes based on recommendations from the National Institute of Standards and Technology technical investigation into the impacts of the deadly tornado that struck Joplin, Mo., on May 22, 2011... Read more

Great Barrier Reef protecting against landslides, tsunamis. The world-famous Australian reef is providing an effective barrier against landslide-induced tsunamis, new research shows... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Finacing for change. There is rising anxiety amongst island nations as the effects of the continuous warming of the earth become more evident on our physical environment. The negative impacts arising from changes in weather patterns due to global warming include rising temperatures, prolonged periods of drought, sea level rise (SLR) as well as an increase in frequency and intensity of storms, consequently affecting services, infrastructure and principle revenue generating sectors; which are largely service-oriented and resource-based... Read more

New earthquake early warning drive launched. The United Nations scientific body has launched a new drive to develop earthquake early warning systems, marking a key contribution to implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction... Read more

Korean cities take Sendai forward. One hundred and fifty-six Korean municipalities have agreed to promote city-to-city learning to strengthen implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction... Read more 



Friday, December 4, 2015

December 4, 2015

What happened this week?

Peru. Floods in San Martin region, provinces of Bellavista, Moyobamba, Rioja, Huallaga, and Picota Mariscal Caceres: There are 179 families that have been directly affected, 962 that have been indirectly affected, 4 people were injured, and 119 homes have collapsed.  The rains and overflowing rivers have also affected a health center, a public building, 250 levees, 6 drinking water systems, 6 energy plants. One footbridge has been destroyed... Read more

Mexico. The Colima Volcano erupted ash 2,500 meters above the crater, in addition, a landslide occurred northbound. Civil Protection and Fire unit in Jalisco urged people in the communities surrounding the volcano to stay alert of any ash fall... Read more

Dominican Republic.  Flooding caused by rains has displaced about 410 people; 137 homes were affected and three communities are isolated in Santo Domingo and five other districts... Read more

Bolivia. Rains in the municipality of Tomina and the province of Padilla. Five homes have been affected and the rains have caused considerable damage to crops... Read more

Interesting Facts

Scientists develop 'Shazam for earthquakes'. An algorithm inspired by a popular song-matching app is helping Stanford scientists find previously overlooked earthquakes in large databases of ground motion measurements... Read more

Discovery of hidden earthquake presents challenge to earthquake early-warning systems. Seismologists at the University of Liverpool studying the 2011 Chile earthquake have discovered a previously undetected earthquake which took place seconds after the initial rupture... Read more

Planning for Future Droughts. Nine experts covered a range of topics, including the state of our water infrastructure and management systems and options for improving water security as our climate becomes warmer... Read more

Stretchy slabs found in the deep Earth. A new study suggests that the common belief that the Earth's rigid tectonic plates stay strong when they slide under another plate, known as subduction, may not be universal... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Lawmakers link global development agenda. Hundreds of legislators from around the world have gathered on the sidelines of the COP21 climate summit to focus on harnessing low carbon development to eradicate poverty and better protect people against disasters... Read more

Resilience in focus at COP21. Delegates at the COP21 global climate summit have thrown the spotlight on resilience, a central issue in international efforts to reduce the risk of disasters and face up to growing environmental challenges... Read more

Viet Nam: VNRC seeks to enhance disaster risk management skills. The Viet Nam Red Cross Society (VNRC) launched a project for enhancing its capacity to handle disaster risk management and first aid at a ceremony in Ha Noi... Read more