Update info

Updated every Friday.

Friday, November 17, 2017

November 17

What happened this week?

A week of severe weather across North, Central and South America.
On Nov 13, media reported wind storms on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, and on Nov 12, powerful winds and rain affecting the greater Seattle area, Bellevue, Tacoma, Bremerton, and Olympia in the state of Washington, United States.

Read more on severe weather in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras and Uruguay 

Earthquake in Central America. As of Nov 15, the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies had  registered 373 earthquakes in Central America within the past 10 days. The earthquakes have been recorded in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. On Nov 14, the Costa Rica National Seismological Network reported 147 aftershocks related to the earthquake that occurred near Jacó, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica on  Nov 12.
 
Interesting Facts

Trees older than dinosaurs are found in Antarctica. These trees might have disappeared due to a massive increase of green house gasses in the atmosphere. Are we paying enough attention to paleoclimate? ... Read more

Archeology and El Niño: Paleoclimate records and lessons learned. Dr. Ana Cecilia Mauricio of the Pontific Catholic University of Peru explains the geoarcheological evidence about El Niño at the special panel on Climate Change during the VIII Regional Meeting on International Humanitarian Assistance Mechanisms in LAC. ... Read more

Peru fans celebrated 2018 World Cup finals qualification so wildly that earthquake alerts were sparked. When Jefferson Farfan opened the scoring in Lima on 28 minutes the party started with such force that seismic-measuring apps sent out warnings. ... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

The case for linking disaster response to community resilience. With companies from Walmart to DHL stating their commitment to the welfare of the communities they serve, there is an opportunity for the private sector to lead the way in increasing small-business and community resilience during and after disaster events. ... Read more

New research could predict La Nina drought years in advance. Two new studies from the University of Texas at Austin have significantly improved scientists' ability to predict the strength and duration of droughts caused by La Niña - a recurrent cooling pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean. ... Read more

UN, Stakeholders Launch Initiatives to Promote Risk Management and Transfer, Climate Insurance. Risk management and transfer-related initiatives announced at the UN Climate Change Conference include a risk transfer information hub, a climate insurance initiative and a programme to help investors better manage climate risks. ... Read more

 

 
 

Friday, November 3, 2017

November 3

HURRICANE SEASON 2017
New and Updates
from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs


What happened this week?

Day of the Dead: Juchitan remembers earthquake victims. At least 37 people were killed in the massive tremor, and one out of three homes were left uninhabitable in the city of 75,000. ... Read more

 
Interesting Facts

FEMA: Disaster Relief Costing $200M Each Day. At a meeting with Congress Tuesday, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said the cost of the multiple disasters are putting a strain on government resources. ... Read more

Sonoma County fire now tied for costliest in California history. The Tubbs Fire that ripped through Sonoma County caused just under $2.8 billion in losses, state officials said Tuesday, making it one of the two costliest blazes in California history. ... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

What Happens to the Internet After a Disaster? The first challenge to communications in a major storm is power outages. Cell towers don’t do much when you can’t turn them on. Next is damage to the network infrastructure itself. ... Read more

Community input sought for natural disaster plan. Having an emergency plan helps the region secure funding before and after natural disasters hit, saving lives. ... Read more

10 ways to secure your business before disaster strikes. Natural disasters can ravage homes, cities, and communities. Businesses too are at risk, not just from Mother Nature, but from digital breaches, break-ins, even burglary. ... Read more