November 25, 2016

What happened this week?

Costa Rica. Tropical Storm Otto kills at least 9 in Costa Rica: The death toll from Tropical Storm Otto, downgraded from hurricane status, is rising. In Costa Rica, the storm killed at least nine people in the communities of Bagaces and Upala and forced 6,000 people into shelters, authorities said Friday... Read more

Bolivia. National state of emergency declared due to drought: Bolivia’s government declared a state of emergency on Monday, November 21, due to water shortages in large areas of the country due to the worst drought see in 25 years, making funds available to aid the crisis which has affected families and the agricultural sector. Bolivia’s Civil Defense estimated that the drought has affected 125,000 families and threatened 290,000 hectares (726,605 acres) of agricultural land, and 360,000 heads of cattle. The national state of emergency comes after 172 of the country’s 339 municipalities declared their own emergencies related to the drought... Read more

Dominican Republic. Civil Defense maintains preventive evacuations in different provinces: 1385 were affected (275 homes flooded), 45 families were displaced to shelters due to the drain of the Taveras dam and the overflowing of Yaque del Norte River, as well as the closure of the Yaque del Norte River bridge, Castenuelas municipality... Read more

Panama. Strong rains causing damage have been reported: The National Civil Defense System (SINAPROC) reported that strong rains have affected more than 700 people, causing 4 deaths and 3 missing people, flooding, traffic accidents and damages to dozens of houses. More than 20 responders were deployed to search for missing persons, while others perform water sanitation activities... Read more

Peru. Wildfire has affected more than a thousand hectares of land: A new wildfire was registered in the area of Querocoto, Chota province that has not been controlled yet. The Mayor has informed that more than 1000 hectares has been affected by the fire, and that electricity and telephone lines have been affected, so the area is isolated. Furthermore, two deaths due to respiratory problems have been reported. The local authorities have requested aid from the regional and central government to control the emergency since the wild fire is 10 km away from an urban area... Read more

United States. Several wild fires affecting areas of North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee: Wildfires in North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky are threatening more than 2000 people, and more than 800 homes in total.  Two shelters are in place in North Carolina and Tennessee for displaced families.  No injuries or fatalities have been reported in any of the states. The EOC in the three states have been partially activated in order to respond to these wildfires... Read more

Interesting Facts

Earth’s gravity offers earlier earthquake warnings. Tiny gravity changes can be picked up much faster than seismic waves... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Technology: the future of disaster risk reduction? Fast-paced developments in technology have the potential to help the world rein in the impact of natural and human-induced hazards, notably when it comes to tackling urban risk... Read more