November 12, 2016

What happened this week?

Dominican Republic. Rainfall continues to affect the region: As of November 11, 2016, 1021 houses have been affected and 27 have been destroyed. Approximately 5, 105 people are displaced, but are taking shelter with families. 9 communities are unreachable, 7 bridges have been affected, and 10 provinces remain on alert (2 yellow and 8 green). Two troughs are affecting the region, one located northeast of Puerto Rico and the other located southeast of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Sea. Both are causing heavy rainfall and winds... Read more

Colombia. Red alert at the national level due to increase in winter weather. A red alert has been declared in the lower part of the Cauca River in the Mojana sector, due to the increase in the levels of the Magdalena, Atrato, San Jorge and Cauca Rivers as heavy rain fall has been occurring. The authorities indicated that there is a likelihood of landslides in the Andean region and in the north of the country. The rains may increase Sunday and Monday in the departments of Antioquia, Eje Cafetero, Santander, Valle, Cauca, Meta and Casanare... Read more

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. A trough system has been affecting this country. Since November 9, a trough system has been affecting St Vincent and the Grenadines, which caused heavy rainfall, flash flooding, landslides and damage to more than 35 homes in the mainland. The National Emergency Council (NEC) of NEMO activated the National Emergency Operation Centre (EOC). Schools were closed; two temporary shelters provided refuge to more than 50 people. One person death, one injured and one missing have been reported. The Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA) reported broken pipelines and blockages to intakes and water supply in all areas will be interrupted until further notice. There are reports of road blockages and landslides, the airport was flooded and remains closed until further notice, while the clean-up operations continue. At the moment, NEMO does not have immediate needs... Read more

Ecuador. State of Emergency declared in Galapagos due to drought: The Committee of Emergency Operations (COE) in Galapagos declared a state of emergency for the island province due to prolonged drought that has affected the sector since the beginning of the year. The decision was made to promptly meet the most affected groups and allocate resources and perform actions that diminish the impact of this water deficit... Read more

Haiti. Strong rains cause flooding in northern Haiti: In the northern area of Haiti, 10 deaths were reported, among them 3 children, after the strong rains over the weekend in the communes of Cabo Haitiano, Port de Paix, Ouanaminthe, Caracol and Ferrier... Read more

Interesting Facts

Safest locations for wastewater injection. New maps of the geologic forces contributing to earthquakes in Texas and Oklahoma could help reduce the likelihood of humanmade temblors associated with wastewater injection, say investigators... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Singapore and UNISDR boost developing countries' Sendai capacity. Singapore and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) have renewed their partnership to strengthen the disaster risk management capacity of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other developing countries that are vulnerable to natural disasters... Read more