June 19, 2015

What happened this week?

Mexico: Guerrero state Civil Protection the Port Authority reported that Hurricane Carlos had damaged 37 vessels, 14 of which are stranded, 11 which sunk, and 12 that are adrift. 55 homes were damaged, mostly due to falling roofs and flooding... Read More

Nicaragua, Prinzapolka:  Rains have caused flooding in 25 communities. Prinzapolka authorities have provided shelter to about seven families (21 people) in Alamikamba whose homes have been flooded... Read More

Paraguay: Floods. The National Emergency Agency (SEN) reported that around 9,602 families (about 48,000 people) were affected by the flooding of the Paraguay river. In Asuncion, about 6,000 families received assistance from the SEN, which coordinates actions with the Asuncion Municipal Council of Emergencies and Disasters (Comueda... Read More

United States:

• Puerto Rico. Drought: Despite plans to conserve water, the Carraizo and La Plata reservoirs have not managed to reduce the daily rate of decline. It is predicted that rationing could occur first in July and and second in August. The United States Drought Monitor has declared a severe drought in 13 villages in this central area and moderate drought for the rest of the Eastern Townships... Read More
• Ardmore, Oklahoma: Tropical storm Bill has claimed at least one life and another is still being investigated in Pottawatomie County. Oklahoma was hit the hardest by bill receiving over ten inches of rainfall between Wednesday and Thursday. A rockslide, due to the rain, forced interstate 38 to be closed for some time... Read More

Interesting Facts

Earthquake research points to future. Australian researchers could mean evidence from millennia old earthquakes may be used to help predict how the ground will respond during modern seismic shifts... Read More

Team finds 'unprecedented' earthquake evidence in Africa 25,000 years ago. Researcher used innovative methods to examine the ground  where a large earthquake occurred some 25,000 years ago... Read More

How strong was the earthquake in Nepal? Enough to actually shove Mount Everest.

Mount Everest as seen from an aircraft over Nepal. Chinese state media reported that the April 12 earthquake in Nepal moved the peak by 1.2 inches... Read More

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

FEMA Launches Innovative National Volunteer Program to Enhance Disaster Response and Recovery Efforts Nationwide. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with seven technology organizations to provide state, local, tribal and territorial governments with technology resources during a disaster to expedite response and recovery... Read More

Disaster Risk Reduction In Theory And Practice.They are still young, yet they are well worth discussing: the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the “New Ten Essentials”, which facilitate implementation of the framework... Read More

Mapping data will elevate flood risk knowledge. LIDAR  (Light Detection & Ranging) uses a laser to scan and map the landscape from above and is widely considered to be the best method for collecting very dense and accurate elevation data across the landscape... Read More