Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα natural disasters. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα natural disasters. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Σάββατο 5 Αυγούστου 2017
North Korea at high risk for humanitarian crisis
Τρίτη 13 Ιανουαρίου 2015
Haiti marks fifth earthquake anniversary
Five years after the unprecedented category seven quake killed at least 300,000 people and left more that a million homeless, the nation paused for a "Day of Reflection and Commemoration" on Tuesday.
President Michel Martelly led the official tributes, calling for unity to better prepare Haiti for its next challenge.
Laying flowers at a monument in Place St Christophe in the still damaged capital, he paid tribute to the sacrifice of Haitian and foreign rescuers who flocked to Port-au-Prince in 2010.
"Five years later, are we ready to face other catastrophes that could strike Haiti?" he asked.
Haiti's most immediate challenge is not another natural disaster, however, but institutional breakdown combined with persistent poverty.
As of Monday, parliament's mandate ended with no date set for a new election, raising the prospect that Martelly might be left ruling by decree like the country's former dictators.
A last-minute accord signed on Sunday to resolve the institutional impasse was not ratified by parliament before its authority expired, creating a political and institutional vacuum.
Martelly's supporters have blamed the opposition for failing to pass an electoral law that would allow voting, but his opponents accuse him of provoking a stalemate in order to rule alone.
aljazeera.com
13/1/15
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Παρασκευή 2 Ιανουαρίου 2015
Eco Geoplasm and Ydrodrom World News (January 2015 - B)
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Les catastrophes naturelles en 2014 ont coûté nettement moins de vies humaines et causé moins de dégâts matériels que celles de 2013, selon une étude publiée mercredi par Munich Re .Le géant allemand de la réassurance, dont l’étude annuelle fait référence en la matière, estime à 110 milliards de dollars (93 milliards d’euros) les coûts cumulés des catastrophes de l’an dernier, moins que l’année précédente (140 milliards de dollars) et que la moyenne des dix et même des 30 dernières années....................Le coût des catastrophes naturelles a reculé en 2014
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January 2015 a
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Πέμπτη 1 Ιανουαρίου 2015
Eco Isotop and Geo Introspect Flash News (January 2015 - A)
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Les pertes économiques liées aux désastres et catastrophes naturelles sont évaluées à 113 milliards de dollars (90,7 milliards d’euros) en 2014, en recul de 16% par rapport à 2013 - où ce montant atteignait 135 milliards de dollars - selon une première estimation du groupe suisse de réassurance Swiss Re publiée mercredi......................Dans l’ordre, les pertes les plus importantes ont été causées par les tempêtes de neige au Japon en février dernier---
Τετάρτη 31 Δεκεμβρίου 2014
Death toll from tropical storm rises to 35 in Philippines
Jangmi also left 26 others injured and eight missing, while forcing more than 5,000 families to live in 79 evacuation centers, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in a report issued Wednesday morning.
The tropical storm maintained its strength as it moves closer to the Palawan Island in the western part of the country, packing peak winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 80 kph.
Due to bad weather, 17,656 passengers have been stranded at ports, 14 domestic flights have been canceled, 43 roads and 22 bridges are not passable in Visayas and Mindanao regions. Some provinces in central Philippines are experiencing power or water interruption, the agency said.
Source: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
31/12/14
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Σάββατο 27 Δεκεμβρίου 2014
Severe flooding hits southeast Asia (Malaysia and Thailand among countries affected)
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Severe flooding has killed 13 people and left at least 180,000 displaced in Malaysia and neighbouring Thailand, officials said.In Malaysia, rescue teams on Saturday were struggling to reach inundated areas in the northeast as victims accused the government of being slow to provide aid and assistance after the country's worst flooding in decades.
Malaysians have vented their anger at Prime Minister Najib Razak after the release of photos which went viral on social media showing him playing golf with US President Barack Obama during the storms.
The number of people forced to flee their homes climbed past 120,000 with weather forecasters warning of no respite for the northeastern states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.
The under-fire-Najib was expected to arrive in Kelantan on Saturday to lead the national flood response after cutting short his vacation in Hawaii, his aide Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad told the AFP news agency.
The government has allocated about $14m to manage relief centres. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin admitted rescuers were facing challenges with power outages and roads being washed away by the floods.
"I admit the situation is challenging to the rescue workers and we are trying our best to make sure that the food arrives to the victims depending on the flood situation," he was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.
Military helicopters and trucks were seen in Kota Bharu area, which is near the border with southern Thailand, but rescue efforts were being hampered by fast rising waters and strong currents while roads to hard-hit areas were impassable.
"The severity and scale of the floods had taken the authorities completely by surprise as it was worse than anticipated, overwhelming all disaster management plans and preparations," Lim Kit Siang, veteran opposition MP with the Democratic Action Party said in a statement on Saturday.
Muddy lake
Kelantan, one of the worst-affected areas, is led by the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and is one of the poorest states in the country.
From the air, parts of the state capital Kota Bharu resembled a vast, muddy lake, with row after row of rooftops peeking out of the murky waters.
Tempers flared among people sheltering at a crowded relief centre just outside Kota Bharu, with fears the situation would worsen as it continued to rain in surrounding areas.
"I am angry with them [the government]. We don't care about their politics. We just want the government to do what they should do and help us," 23-year-old Farhana Suhada, who works for a courier service, told AFP.
Neighbouring Thailand's disaster prevention and mitigation department on Friday declared disaster zones in eight of its southern provinces after floods killed at least 13 people.
The zones are in Surat Thani, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Pattalung, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Songkhla and also Trang, which has been flooded since mid-December.
More than 184,000 households have been affected by the floods and nearly 8,000 displaced, according to the department.
Although the water level is receding in Nakorn Sri Thammarat and Surat Thani provinces, authorities are monitoring the situation around the clock
[aljazeera.com]
27/12/14
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Δευτέρα 8 Δεκεμβρίου 2014
Israel's Greatest Ecological Catastrophe Unfolding in Arava Desert
"The volume of crude oil that spilled into the Arava Desert last week is 60 percent larger than the amount that was originally reported, the company responsible for the pipeline acknowledged on Sunday night," Haaretz, the Israeli news agency reported.
Although the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC) initially reported of a spill between one million and 1.5 million liters, it later revised its calculation to three million liters. However, the company reported on Sunday a report issued by the company on Sunday has revealed that some five million liters of crude oil spilled out of the pipeline last Thursday, December 4.
"We were skeptical about the figures provided by the company from the start," a ministry official said on December 8, as cited by Haaretz.
Meanwhile damage control teams have already removed 13,000 tons of polluted soil in order to reduce the impact of the pipeline leak.
The Times of Israel notes that according to weather forecasts heavy rainfall is expected in the region later this week. It has sparked concerns among ministry officials over the possibility of further contamination of the area, including the Gulf of Eilat, home to rare coral reefs, which could be damaged by the leak, the media outlet stresses.
Haaretz notes, however, that dams are being erected in order to prevent the oil flowing into this area.
"It's the biggest ecological disaster Israel has seen. This is because of the material itself, crude oil, which is particularly hard to flush out, and the location of the spill [on the reserve]," Gilad Golub of Israel's Environmental Services Company told Agence France Presse.
The Times of Israel notes that Eilat residents have already filed a lawsuit against the pipeline operators referring to the tremendous environmental damage caused through negligence.
"Mellish is demanding NIS 220 million ($55m) to rehabilitate the environment in coordination with the Environment Minster and the Israel Nature and Parks authority, as well as another NIS 180 million ($45m) for the 48,000 residents of Eilat for damage to their health and discomfort caused by the ecological disaster," the media outlet reports.
More than 80 people on both sides of the Israel-Jordan border have complained about health problems caused by the spill.
[sputniknews.com]
8/12/14
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Πέμπτη 4 Δεκεμβρίου 2014
Oil pipeline bursts near Israel-Jordan border.(the reason for the spill was under investigation)
The spill was "a couple of kilometres long", according to an Israeli environment ministry spokeswoman who was unable to give more specific information.
She said it was unclear whether there was any foul play and environmental authorities would open an investigation. "They have forces on the ground that prevented it from spreading to Jordan," she added.
The leak involved a 245km pipeline carrying crude oil from the southern port city of Ashkelon on Israel's Mediterranean coast to Eilat.
Ronen Moshe, spokesman for the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC), said the spill happened at 12.45 am on Thursday in a new section of the pipeline.
"The leak has been stopped," he said, adding that the reason for the spill was under investigation. "There are dozens of people in the field taking care of the aftermath," he said, indicating there had been no impact on supply. According to the company's website, the EAPC was founded in 1968 and serves as a land bridge for transporting crude oil between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
- AFP/el
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/oil-pipeline-bursts-near/1510182.html
4/12/14
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Δευτέρα 22 Σεπτεμβρίου 2014
Night flight operations in N. Philippine airport halted due to typhoon damage
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said that it has informed the airline operators that arrival and departure of their aircraft were temporarily halted from sunset to sunrise at the Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte province.
It cited the breakdown of the airport's runway edge light after the heavy rains spawned by Fung-Wong inundated the runway, grounding electrical connections.
"Airlines are only allowed to operate during day time from 6 a. m. to 6 p.m. until the grounded portion of runway are fixed," CAAP said.
Technical personnel were already deployed in the area to fix the problem, it added.
As of Monday, Fung-Wong has left 11 people dead, 12 injured and two missing.
- Of the 258,976 families affected in 1,126 villages in 27 provinces in northern part of the Philippines, including Metro Manila, 30,266 families or 129,676 individuals were being assisted at 324 evacuation centers.
22/9/14
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Powerful Storm Blows Through Taiwan, Hits China
Taiwan has begun cleanup efforts after Tropical Storm Fung-Wong pounded the island with massive downpours, while China braced for the onslaught of the upgraded Typhoon Fung-Wong.
The powerful storm arrived in Taiwan Sunday, pounding the north and south of the island but causing only limited damage. It blew into the South China Sea Monday morning, leaving at least one person dead and four injured.
East China's Zhejiang Province faced a strengthened storm as Fung-Wong made landfall Monday afternoon.
Authorities say more than 157,000 people have been evacuated from coastal areas.
Fung-Wong, which means "phoenix" in Chinese, caused severe damage when it moved through the Philippines Friday and Saturday, killing at least five people.http://www.voanews.com/content/powerful-storm-blows-through-taiwan-hits-china/2457819.html
22/9/14
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The powerful storm arrived in Taiwan Sunday, pounding the north and south of the island but causing only limited damage. It blew into the South China Sea Monday morning, leaving at least one person dead and four injured.
East China's Zhejiang Province faced a strengthened storm as Fung-Wong made landfall Monday afternoon.
Authorities say more than 157,000 people have been evacuated from coastal areas.
Fung-Wong, which means "phoenix" in Chinese, caused severe damage when it moved through the Philippines Friday and Saturday, killing at least five people.http://www.voanews.com/content/powerful-storm-blows-through-taiwan-hits-china/2457819.html
22/9/14
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Σάββατο 20 Σεπτεμβρίου 2014
Death toll in Typhoon Fung-Wong climbs to 7 in Philippines. (A total 118,839 families or 530,438 persons were affected by the storm)
In its 8:00 a.m. report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that six other people were injured, while one was missing.
Of those who died, two were female and the rest were male, who were either drowned, electrocuted or hit by falling objects.
A 55-year old male was reported missing in Quezon City, Metro Manila.
- A total 118,839 families or 530,438 persons were affected by the storm, of which 23,581 families or 93,062 individuals were inside 181 evacuation centers.
Some areas in the provinces of Apayao, Abra, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Laguna and Occidental Mindoro were experiencing power interruption.
A total of 2,400 passengers, 15 vessels, 254 rolling cargoes were stranded in central region of Visayas due to rough sea condition.
Meanwhile, 46 flgihts, six international and 40 domestic, were diverted or canceled.
An estimated 87 roads and five bridges are still not passable in the capital region of Metro Manila and southern Luzon island.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
20/9/14
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VIDEO. Philippines : Haiyan, "le typhon le plus puissant jamais connu"./Officials say death toll in Leyte province expected to be as high as 10,000
Vers des cyclones plus violents et pluvieux .
Typhoon Rammasun leaves at least 27 dead in Philippines
Σάββατο 19 Ιουλίου 2014
Typhoon Rammasun strikes South China
According to the National Meteorological Center, the typhoon landed in Wenchang packing rainstorms and winds of up to 60 meters per second and the lowest central atmospheric pressure dropped to 910 hectopascals.
The meteorological center forecast that some of the coastal areas in Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region would have to sustain gales and heavy rainstorms until Sunday. The rainfall is expected to surpass 600 millimeters in some of the regions.
The center is warning against possible geological disasters including landslides and mudslides in Yunnan Province and Hainan, and water logging in farmland as well as in-city surface water logging in Hainan, southwestern Guangdong and southern Guangxi.
Although more than 198,000 fishermen and residents in areas in possible danger in Hainan had been evacuated by 8 am Friday, around 1,300 people were trapped in rural Wenchang soon after the typhoon landed, according to the Hainan provincial command center for flood prevention, drought control and typhoon response. At least one person died in Wenchang, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Hainan provincial tourism authority issued an urgent circular on Friday and Guangdong provincial authorities put their emergency response system at the highest level.
Typhoon Rammasun is expected to land in Guangxi early on Saturday morning. "This is possibly the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Guangxi since 1949," said Zhang Ling, chief forecaster at the Typhoon and Marine Forecast Center of the China Meteorological Administration.
The typhoon had killed 64 and injured another 100-plus in the Philippines by Friday since it made landfall there Tuesday night.
By Ni Dandan Source:Global Times
19/7/14
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Τετάρτη 2 Ιουλίου 2014
UN initiative strengthens drought monitoring and early warning in Asia-Pacific
“Over the past three decades, it is estimated that droughts in the region have affected more than 1.3 billion people and caused damages of over $53 billion,” Shamika Sirimanne, Director of ESCAP’s Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division, said today in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The meeting, organized by ESCAP and the Sri Lanka Ministry of Technology and Research, drew senior Government representatives, regional experts and UN agencies to exchange good practices and discuss strategies to reduce the impacts of agricultural drought and help save lives.
Ms. Sirimanne emphasized that efforts to reduce the impacts of drought require timely access to satellite-derived data. “Signs of drought can be observed from space long before they are visible to the human eye. Advances in space technology allow us to monitor the condition of crops, or the availability of water, from satellite images, and sharing this information through regional cooperation will save lives and protect livelihoods.”
However, despite significant progress in monitoring agricultural drought, access to satellite-derived data and knowledge for improving early warning remains a challenge for many countries in Asia and the Pacific.
In 2013, ESCAP launched the Regional Drought Mechanism – a platform providing timely and free satellite-based data; products; and training to regional drought-prone countries – to enhance the capacity of Governments for agricultural monitoring and early warning. When combined with information collected on the ground, the data leads to more effective detection of potential drought conditions.
“For example, satellite images can detect the onset of drought in specific areas or provinces, allowing time for local authorities to take immediate action, such as informing farmers to switch to more drought-resistant crops or implementing water management strategies,” Ms. Sirimanne elaborated.
The Sri Lankan Minister of Technology and Research, Patali Champika Ranawaka warned, “This year may witness the beginning of another El Niño period affecting Sri Lanka – possibly with serious implications for agriculture, one of the most important sectors for the country.”
“We have great hope that ESCAP’s Regional Drought Mechanism will help Sri Lanka address this issue by expanding our options for monitoring and responding to agricultural drought, in the meantime effectively harnessing the potential of space technology applications towards this end,” he added
Currently, the Mechanism is being piloted in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Its initial work in Mongolia and Sri Lanka – supported by two regional service nodes – demonstrates clearly the efficiency and effectiveness of the initiative.
Supported by China and India, the regional service nodes were established under the Regional Drought Mechanism to provide the pilot countries with satellite imagery, services, expert training and capacity development.
Though several of the pilot countries already experience severe drought conditions due to regular climate oscillations, including El Niño and La Niña, climate change projections indicate that drought is likely to become more frequent and severe in the future.
Given these challenges, forum participants recognized the importance of coordination and cooperation across the relevant ministries and initiatives in the region and looked at practical ways to improve early warning through enhanced integration with climate change trends, and new scientific modelling techniques.
Recommendations from the forum will provide guidance for strengthening the effectiveness of the Regional Cooperative Mechanism and will feed into the national disaster management plans of the pilot countries.
Participating countries benefit from: enhanced access to space-based data; capacity building in preparedness and response; strengthened institutional coordination and policies at the country level; and Regional and South-South cooperation and support networks.
[un.org]
1/7/14
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Σάββατο 18 Ιανουαρίου 2014
Climate catastrophe? Weather anomalies to double in 20 years – expert
Director of the Climate and Energy Programme of the World Wildlife Fund, Alexei Kokorin, believes that weather extremes will grow increasingly frequent in the next few decades due to the ongoing climate change. Weather freaks on all continents stem from one process and are related to atmospheric and ocean physics.
"Meridional air mass circulation has gained in intensity, so instead of enjoying the same usual kind of weather during summer or winter we have to endure, for example, a month of very cold weather followed by a month-long heat wave".
Kokorin points out that some weather extremes may be prompted by the planet’s natural climate fluctuations. But the anthropogenic factor, of human influence, plays the key role in atmospheric pollution and in boosting the greenhouse effect. According to weather forecasts, we shall see and have to cope with the effects of natural disasters increasingly often in the next few years.
"The number of natural disasters has doubled over the past 15 years. 2012 saw a record high number of natural calamities, while the number of those in 2013 was only slightly lower. But in 2011, natural disasters were at a record low in recent years. We should realize, of course, that the number of dangerous phenomena will most likely double in a matter of 20 years".
The expert feels, however, that one need expect no global climate catastrophe in the coming centuries and should concentrate instead on some burning problems, of which the gravest is the continuing sea level rise, making prospects for littoral areas look bleak. Fresh water shortages are likely to become another global problem. Countries from Portugal to China’s western border, as well as some areas of Africa, South and North America, and Australia may suffer water shortages. Water resources deficit may result in a forced migration of up to one billion people worldwide and consequently in a major change in the economy of regions.
Σάββατο 11 Ιανουαρίου 2014
Ban calls on world for more resources to end conflicts, spur development, counter climate change
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10 January 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the international community to provide “more political attention, more resources, more support” for the United Nations as it faces “an overflowing inbox of conflicts and disasters of growing severity, frequency and complexity.” “The situations in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic have gone from bad to worse,” he said in his first news conference of the new year, highlighting not only the immediate need to end the fighting in those countries but also the larger imperatives of 2014 in the run-up to reaching the UN’s anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and achieving a global accord to counter climate change.
The year 2015 is the deadline for attaining both targets.
Mr. Ban stressed that the UN is doing its utmost to ease the suffering and provide life-saving aid in all three strife-torn countries, staying and delivering assistance wherever it can even as people continue to flee their homes and countries.
“These are avoidable tragedies in which millions of civilians are paying an unconscionable price,” he said. “I am especially alarmed by the spread of sectarian animosity, and by the dangerous regional and global spillover effects. Years of development are at stake. A generation of young people is at risk.”
Mr. Ban said UN personnel are all showing “tremendous courage and professionalism in volatile conditions” in all three countries, “but humanitarian assistance, vital as it is, can be only part of our response.
“The international community must pull together to help these countries find the path of peace. Together, we must send a strong message that there will be accountability for the killing, raping, chemical weapons attacks and other atrocious crimes that have been committed,” he added.
On Syria, where well over 100,000 people have been killed and 8 million others driven from their homes, 2 million of them as refugees in neighbouring countries, since conflict erupted almost three years ago between the Government and various groups seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, Mr. Ban called for an immediate end to all violence, including the Government’s use of barrel bombs and other heavy weapons that kill and maim indiscriminately.
“All parties must improve humanitarian access to people in besieged areas,” he stressed. “The situation in Eastern Ghouta (near Damascus) is shocking: 160,000 people have gone without aid for more than a year. The United Nations is prepared to enter the area assistance, but we need the full cooperation of the Syrian Government.”
He called for strengthening strengthen the African-led peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), where thousands of people are estimated to have been killed, nearly 1 million driven from their homes, and 2.2 million, about half the population, need humanitarian aid in a conflict which erupted when mainly Muslim rebels launched attacks a year ago and has taken on increasingly sectarian overtones as mainly Christian militias have taken up arms.
And he demanded that there be no further delays in ceasing hostilities in South Sudan, where well over 1,000 people have been killed and some 300,000 others driven from their home since fighting erupted between Government and opposition forces less than a month ago. He noted that he called President Salva Kiir yesterday and urged him to immediately release political prisoners.
“In each of these crises, humanitarian needs are escalating and funding is falling short,” Mr. Ban said. “I urge all donors to show their solidarity, including at the humanitarian pledging conference for Syria and the affected neighbours that I will chair next Wednesday in Kuwait.”
Turning to other current and former world hotspots he pledged UN support for the people of Afghanistan at a time of transition with the withdrawal of the International Assistance Force (ISAF) by the end of the year, and he called on Israelis and Palestinians to “make decisive progress in resolving their conflict and drawing back from a perilous status quo.”
He also called on the Government and opposition in Thailand to resolve their differences, voicing fears that the situation could escalate.
On a more positive note, he noted that 2014 marks a milestone in Sierra Leone, the West African country once submerged by a vicious civil war and horrendous human rights abuses, as the UN mission prepares to close – “a measure of the tremendous distance the country has travelled since the years of conflict” over a decade ago.
“The long engagement of the United Nations in Sierra Leone demonstrates the value of staying the course through the hard process of keeping, consolidating and building peace,” Mr. Ban said.
Other tasks facing the UN this year include preparing for the crucial 2015 deadline for the MDGs and making “clear progress” on the post-2015 development agenda by setting sustainable targets and providing the financial means to attain them.
“And if we are to adopt a new global agreement on climate change in 2015, we need to arrive in Lima (Peru) in December of this year with a solid draft for negotiation. The climate summit I will host (in New York) in September aims to advance bold action on the ground and mobilize political will for an ambitious agreement.”
Mr. Ban concluded by stressing that last year’s use of chemical attacks in Syria recalled the horrors of the “fields of Flanders” during World War I. “In this year that marks the 100th anniversary of the First World War, we will strive to push the boundaries of diplomacy and collective action.
“Despite crises and concerns, 2014 also brings major opportunities to build a safer, more just and prosperous world. I am determined to make this a year of progress for people and the planet.”
un.org
10/1/14
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Related:
Climate finance is essential to addressing climate change, Ban tells ministers in Warsaw.
UN urged to recognize benefits derived from mountain regions as essential for sustainable development
Ban welcomes deal at UN-led climate change talks as step towards 2015 treaty
Κυριακή 10 Νοεμβρίου 2013
VIDEO. Philippines : Haiyan, "le typhon le plus puissant jamais connu"./Officials say death toll in Leyte province expected to be as high as 10,000
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La Croix-Rouge philippine parle d'au moins 1 200 morts. 15 000 soldats sont dépêchés vers les zones les plus touchées...La Croix-Rouge philippine a déclaré, samedi 9 novembre, avoir reçu des informations laissant penser que le super typhon Haiyan avait fait au moins 1 000 morts à Tacloban et 200 autres dans la province de Samar. Le bilan officiel provisoire, communiqué dans la matinée, n'est encore que d'au moins 100 morts. Il ne concerne que Tacloban, une ville de 220 000 habitants sur la trajectoire du typhon. De nombreuses villes sont injoignables pour le moment dans cette région où vivent 4 millions de personnes.
"On peut voir flotter plus de 1.000 corps à Tacloban, selon nos équipes de la Croix-Rouge", a déclaré le secrétaire général de la Croix-Rouge philippine. "A Samar, il y a autour de 200 morts. Les vérifications sont en cours."
Le typhon le plus puissant de l'Histoire ?
Le gouvernement a dépêché, samedi matin, 15 000 soldats vers les zones les plus touchées par Haiyan. Il a notamment envoyé des avions chargés de matériel de secours et de communication, des hélicoptères et des unités d'infanterie par camion et à pied.
Le typhon, doté d'un front de 600 km, a frappé les provinces orientales de Leyte et Samar, avec des vents atteignant des pointes de 315 km/heure, devenant ainsi le typhon le plus violent enregistré cette année sur la planète. C'est aussi l'un des plus forts à avoir atteint les terres depuis des décennies. Il devrait toucher les côtes vietnamiennes dimanche.
Jeff Masters, météorologue américain chez Weather Underground, une entreprise privée de météorologie, a indiqué cette semaine que Haiyan était "le plus puissant cyclone à toucher terre de l'Histoire". Il a été classé en catégorie 5, la plus élevée, avant d'être rétrogradé en catégorie 4. Le typhon le plus violent de 2012, Bopha, avait frappé les Philippines, laissant quelque 2 000 personnes mortes ou disparues sur Mindanao, une île du sud du pays.
francetvinfo.fr
9/11/13
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- As super typhoon Haiyan hits Philippines, UN and partners prepare to provide support
8 November 2013 – The United Nations and its partners are supporting the Government of the Philippines in assessing the damage caused by super typhoon Haiyan, which made landfall this morning in Guiuan on Samar Island and is currently making its way across the country.
“We are working closely in support of Government and local authorities to assess the life-saving needs of the people affected by this typhoon,” said Julie Hall, acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines.
The super typhoon, known locally as Yolanda, has ripped roofs off housing, uprooted trees and affected businesses, but the full extent of the damage will not be known until the storm has passed.
According to media reports, it is one of the strongest storms ever recorded, with sustained winds of 295 kilometres per hour (kph), placing it above the 252 kph threshold for a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Three people have reportedly died, and seven others have been injured.
Haiyan is expected to travel over eastern, central and western Visayas, Bicol and Southern Tagalog, which have a combined population of 29.4 million people. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) described the typhoon as “violent” but said it is expected to weaken slightly on a trajectory towards Viet Nam.
The Government has taken preventative steps to save lives by moving people from coastal and low-lying areas known to be prone to flash flooding and landslides. The UN Humanitarian Country Team and partners have complemented these efforts by pre-positioning stocks to respond to life-saving needs of affected people.
Click on map to download PDF version (846.38 KB)“The Humanitarian Country Team and partners are fully prepared to support and assist the Government in response to this latest typhoon,” said Ms. Hall. “We will continue to support their efforts as we wait to see exactly the extent of the damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan.”
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 2.5 million people will require immediate assistance in the aftermath of the typhoon, and said it would participate in the Government-led assessment.
Haiyan is the third major crisis to hit the Philippines in just two months. In October, the Bohol earthquake affected more than 3 million people, triggering landslides engulfing entire homes, ripping apart bridges and tearing down centuries-old churches. Seven cities in three different provinces were initially affected. In September, tens of thousands were forcibly displaced by armed clashes in Zamboanga City in the southern part of the country.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46448&Cr=Philippines&Cr1=#.Un5ZSCeIzJc
8/11/13
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- Regional officials say that the death toll after Super Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines could reach as high as 10,000.
Tacloban city administrator Tecson Lim said the death toll in that city alone "could go up to 10,000".
Soria said that as much as 80 percent of the area in the path of Haiyan in Leyte province was destroyed.
"Imagine a strip one kilometre deep inland from the shore, and all the shanties, everything, destroyed," Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said after visiting coastal towns in Leyte, which was one of the worst-hit provinces in the east of the archipelago.
Earlier, the Philippines Red Cross estimated that more than 1,000 people had been killed in Tacloban and at least 200 in hard-hit Samar province when one of the strongest typhoons in history slammed into the country.
Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, said on Saturday that those numbers came from preliminary reports by Red Cross teams in Tacloban and Samar, among the most devastated areas hit by Typhoon Haiyan on Friday.
"An estimated more than 1,000 bodies were seen floating in Tacloban as reported by our Red Cross teams," she told Reuters. "In Samar, about 200 deaths. Validation is ongoing."
She said she expected a more exact number to emerge after a more precise counting of bodies on the ground in those regions.Communications cut off
The Philippines has yet to resume communications with officials in Tacloban, a city of about 220,000 that suffered the worst of the typhoon. Reports say the sea flooded the entire city.
It was a similar situation in the town of Palo, further south. It was said to be under three and a half metres of water.
One UN official said the damage was similar to the devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
The 'category five' storm weakened after hitting six spots in the Philippines and has been downgraded to 'category four', though forecasters said it could strengthen again over the South China Sea on its course to hit Vietnam.
More than 500,000 people have been evacuated in central and northern Vietnam as forecasters predict the typhoon will make landfall there on Monday morning.
According to Vietnam's national Television station, VTV, heavy rain and floods triggered from the typhoon have already killed six people in central provinces.
An average of 20 typhoons strike the Philippines every year, and Haiyan was the 24th in 2013.
Last year, Typhoon Bopha flattened three towns in southern Mindanao, killing 1,100 people and causing damage of more than $1bn.
aljazeera.com
10/11/13
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