April 29, 2016

What happened this week?

Ecuador. Earthquake flash appeal and situation update: The Government of Ecuador and the United Nations are launching an urgent appeal to respond to the 7.8 MW earthquake that struck the coastal provinces of north-western Ecuador on April 16, 2016. The appeal requests $72.2 million in funding to kick-start life-saving assistance, protection services, and early recovery support to assist approximately 350,000 people over the next three months.

General Data (as of April 26, 2016):

• 17,638 people have received health care (4,605 received it within the first 72 hours)
• 29,067 people are in shelters
• 41 people are missing
• 655 people are dead... Read more

Nicaragua. 35 families affected by tornado in villages and communities of Malpasillo: On April 26, 2016, a tornado followed by heavy rains partially damaged 35 homes and one building in community of Malpasillo, in Leon Department, in the western part of the country. Families are receiving assistance... Read more

Honduras. Heavy rains and winds damage some 40 houses in Olancho and El Paraiso: On April 26, heavy rains that struck across the country caused damage in several regions. One of the worst affected areas was Dulce Nombre de Culmí, Olancho, where storms caused damage to at least 40 homes. COPECO reported serious damages to dozens of homes and that they are still conducting evaluations to provide assistance to those injured in the eastern department of Olancho... Read more

Paraguay. Flood Emergency Situation: On April 27, according to OCHA-Paraguay situation report through April 20, there were a total of 7 departments affected, 82,605 people in temporary shelters and 186 active shelters. The Paraguay Red Cross has distributed 1,521 shelter tool kits. UNICEF, ADRA, PLAN PY and MEC are supporting the Ministry of Education and have established 52 mobile classrooms in 10 departments to provide educational services to 4,633 students affected. Family hygiene kits have been distributed to 2,390 families and 28 portable restrooms with showers have been installed in some shelters... Read more

Guatemala. Hailstorm in Totonicapán causes damage: Rains accompanied by hail affected six communities in Totonicapán, leaving 186 people affected and 31 homes with mild and moderate damage according to the CONRED... Read more

Haiti. Heavy rains kill six in Haiti: Heavy rains in Haiti killed six people over the weekend when a house collapsed due to flooding. The rain also sparked flooding in the Caribbean country, with authorities saying water mixed with waste seeped into 4,612 houses in the communities of Port-au-Prince, Cite Soleil and Cabaret, located north of the capital... Read more

Peru. Hurricane-force winds and rains cause damage in city of Pucallpa and Ucayali: On April 27, 2016, strong winds and rains affected the city of Pucallpa, damaging homes. In addition, the municipality of Manantay reported significant damages however; Civil Defense authorities have reported no injuries. In the province of Coronel Portillo in Ucayali, homes and boats in the port of Pucallpa were affected. INDECI performed a damage assessment and needs analysis... Read more

Colombia. Landslide kills nine in Choco department: According to official reports, at least nine people were killed by a landslide that occurred on a road between the departments of Risaralada and Chocó in the western region of Colombia... Read more

Argentina. More than 50,000 people affected by floods: The province of Corrientes in the northeast region has been the hardest-hit area affecting a total of 20,903 people, 2,700 of whom had to leave their homes. In addition, at least four people are dead and one missing from the floods in the northern province of Misiones, where the storm caused rivers to overflow, damaged homes and caused power outages in many cities... Read more

Interesting Facts

Rainwater may play an important role in process that triggers earthquakes. Rainwater may play an important role in the process that triggers earthquakes, according to new research. Researchers have identified the sources and fluxes of the geothermal fluids and mineral veins from the Southern Alps of New Zealand where the Pacific and Australian Plates collide along the Alpine Fault...  Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

One Year On: Learning From the Nepal Earthquake. A month after a new global plan was adopted to reduce disaster losses at a UN Conference in Japan last year, the 7.8 magnitude Nepal earthquake struck, reminding the world again why action on reducing disaster losses is so critical for sustainable development in low-income countries... Read more