June 28, 2013

What happened this week?

In Argentina, floods expected in four provinces
Misiones, Corrientes, Chaco and Santa Fe are in state of alert and evacuations are imminent... Read more

In Brazil, heavy rains in Parana affect 53 municipalities, eight declare state of emergency
Heavy rains in the state of Paraná, since last Thursday June 20, affected 53 municipalities and flooded more than 6,700 houses. The cities of Irati, Santa Tereza, São João, Itapejara do Oeste, Bituruna, Imbituva, Sulina and Teixeira Soares declared state of emergency... Read more

In Paraguay, more families are affected by the Parana river
About 4,000 people are affected by the flood caused by the overflow of the Paraná in Ayolas, Misiones. So far, about 804 families were evacuated... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Disaster recovery: How it works in Alberta
Disaster recovery programs are a safety net for citizens who incurred uninsurable loss and damage during a disaster -- key for southern Albertans, since overland flood insurance is not provided in Canada... Read more

Paraguayan government implements early warning system for natural disasters
The government of Paraguay and the Ministry of Strategic Communication for Development (SICOM) has started a journey throughout the country with the aim of raising awareness and disseminating information through workshops on environmental protection issues and natural disasters... Read more

Norway Praises Cuban Humanitarian Aid to Haiti
HAVANA, Cuba, June 27 (acn) Norway’s deputy foreign affairs minister Gry Larsen stressed the humanitarian work carried out in Haiti by the Cuban medical brigade, a mission that was reinforced following the January 2010 earthquake that ravaged the homeland of Toussaint Louverture... Read more

Central American Heads of State call for new regional instrument on disaster cooperation
n June 27, at the 41st Summit of Heads of State and Government of the member states of the Central American Integration System (SICA) in San Jose, the top leaders of eight countries took an important step forward in the development of disaster law in the region... Read more

June 21, 2013

What happened this week?

Bolivia declares national emergency due to a drought that affects four regions of the country
The Bolivian government declared a state of national emergency due to a drought that affects almost 17,000 families in four of the nine departments of the country... Read more


Ecuador: Drought DREF operation nº MDREC007
Ecuador’s southern region has gone for four months without rain.... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Climate change threatens trouble in the near future, World Bank says
The World Bank is beginning to commit billions of dollars to flood prevention, water management and other projects to help major Asian cities avoid the expected impact of climate change, a dramatic example of how short the horizon has become to alleviate the effects of global warming... Read more

The World Bank's estimate for the 2011 Thailand flood, which began at the end of July triggered by the landfall of Tropical Storm Nock-ten, ranked that disaster as the world's fourth costliest, as it was surpassed only by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the 1995 Kobe earthquake, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.... Read more

June 14, 2013

What happened this week?

Residents hope for best, brace for worst as wildfire sizzles near Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado (CNN) - As early Saturday, 473 homes had been destroyed, with at least 15 others suffering partial damage. This is the second time in a year that the Colorado Springs area has faced a mammoth wildfire. Last summer's Waldo Canyon Fire burned down about 350 homes and 18,000 acres. ... Read more


Interesting Facts

Earthquake acoustics could warn of impending tsunami

Stanford scientists have identified key acoustic characteristics of the 2011 Japan earthquake that indicated it would cause a large tsunami, and suggested that the technique could be applied worldwide to create an early warning system for massive tsunamis... Read more

B.C. due for mega-earthquake along coast
The last massive earthquake that shook the south coast of British Columbia took place on Jan. 26, 1700, say researchers who have been able to use sediment samples taken from the sea floor off the coast of Vancouver Island to reveal the Pacific coast's seismic history.... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Risk Management: Fixed & Mobile Enterprise Adoption Trends

Risk management practices related to telecommunications management have evolved as cloud computing and mobility have broadened the span of accessibility to business information. In this regard, the emphasis of risk management is primarily focused on information security and technical integrity... Read more

June 07, 2013

What happened this week?

Tropical Storm Andrea drenches Florida's west coast
Heavy rains and 60 mph winds pounded the west coast of south Florida from the Keys to the Tampa area Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported... Read more


Interesting Facts

NOAA predicts active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season

“This year, oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the Atlantic basin are expected to produce more and stronger hurricanes,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “These conditions include weaker wind shear, warmer Atlantic waters and conducive winds patterns coming from Africa."... Read more

Hurricane Statistics Fast Facts
Here's a look at some hurricane statistics, as the 2013 hurricane season kicks off... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

New action plan launched in South America to promote resilience, risk reduction, and preparedness towards disasters
After Asia, the Americas are the region in the world most prone to disasters, but suffering the highest economic losses globally resulting from disasters. There is much to gain from preparing better. A recent study conducted in Ecuador shows that each dollar spent on disaster preparedness to floods saved 9 dollars in subsequent relief response and rehabilitation... Read more