August 22, 2014

What happened this week?

México: State of Sonora, Cananea. Potential water contamination due to a sulfuric acid spill in the Sonora river after a structural failure in a copper mine, caused by heavy rains in the area.   According to press reports nearly 40,000 cubic meters of sulfuric acid were spilled. As a security measure, CONAGUA suspended water supply to 20,000 people in the region and is carrying out sampling in different points of the river... Read More

Panama: Province of Chiriquí. SINAPROC confirmed yesterday the death of nine people and the destruction of over 20 houses. Temporary shelters have been set up. 400 people affected. The President has declared a state of emergency, and the removal of debris has restarted... Read More

Oklahoma: 4.2-magnitude quake shakes central Oklahoma... Read More

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Central America braces for drought-linked food crisis. Low rainfall linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon has led to drought in parts of Central America, causing widespread damage to crops, shortages and rising prices of food, and worsening hunger among the region’s poor... Read More

ODPEM, CDEMA discuss ways to integrate climate risk into disaster risk management. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in collaboration with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)  convened the first of a two-day Climate Smarting workshop intended to incorporate climate risk considerations into national disaster risk management planning... Read More