May 13, 2016

Conference: OAS Mechanisms for Disaster Relief, Response and Management

This event was convened within the framework of the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR) chaired by the Secretary General of the OAS, and whose ultimate goal is to coordinate the work of the agencies of the inter-American System and to advance a common strategic thinking in the Americas. In addition to the Secretary General of the OAS, membership of the Committee is completed with the Chair of the Permanent Council, the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the Director General of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Secretary General of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH), the President of the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Director General of the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD), the Chair of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), and the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM)... Read more

What happened this week?

Haiti. Flooding affects 215 homes in the department of Nippes: Heavy rainfall and storms have affected Haiti as of May 9, 2016, in particular the departments of Great North, Artibonite, Nippes, West, Center, and Gand-Anse. Many of the rivers have overflowed and the center of Baradère (Nippes) was flooded, affecting 215 homes and two other buildings. Due to the continuous rains, saturated soil increases the risk of flooding and landslides. As of May 3, The DPC (Civil Protection Agency) has reported that over 6,500 homes have been flooded. Assessment teams are evaluating the needs and damages of the population all across the country... Read more

Dominican Republic. 3,500 people displaced due to heavy rains: As of May 11, 2016, about 3,500 people had been evacuated in the Dominican Republic due to the floods caused by heavy rains during the last days. According to the COE about 3,430 people had been displaced, 675 homes have been affected and 11 homes have been destroyed. Due to the chances of more flooding and landslides, the COE maintains an alert for 24 provinces. No deaths have been reported... Read more

Interesting Facts

Chile quake at epicenter of expanding disaster, failure data repository. A research team has made available a comprehensive set of data from the 2010 Chile earthquake to provide researchers, engineers, codemakers and others in quake-prone areas worldwide a powerful tool to help them improve resilience to future seismic events... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Mexico's big switch to Sendai. The President of Mexico, Mr. Enrique Peña Nieto, re-committed his country to implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction as he paid tribute to the National System for Civil Protection on the 30th anniversary of its founding... Read more