Inclusion

Hurricane Irma has so far caused eight confirmed deaths and left Puerto Rico without electricity. 90 percent of dwellings were levelled on dual-island nation Antigua and Barbuda and 95 percent of the island of Saint Martin has been destroyed. The Category 5 storm is sweeping through Caribbean islands and is headed toward the US state of Florida.

More than half of the inundation caused by Hurricane Harvey happened outside mapped flood zones. Except for showing the severity of the storm, it also highlights inadequacies in U.S. federal flood risk assessments. Flood maps are based on historical patterns and do not consider shifting climate change conditions and the expected increasing severity of storms.

This report details the field testing of an existing organisational preparedness tool, the Resilient Community Organisations (RCO) toolkit from the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS), for disability inclusive disaster preparedness.

With the

This report details the field testing of the Individual Self-Assessment Tool – Emergency Preparedness (ISAT-EP), as part of the Disabilty Inclusive Disaster Preparedness project in New South Wales, Australia. This field test aimed to evaluate the utility

More investment in long-term projects such as irrigation, rural financial institutions, and health services can help prevent future droughts from turning into disasters. Strengthening preparedness and providing farmers with knowledge and tools to safeguard themselves and their livelihoods are essential.

WMO and Global Water Partnership have joined with other partners to launch an online HelpDesk for the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), designed to provide guidance to drought-impacted populations around the world. The Programme contributes to the global coordination of drought-related efforts of existing organizations and agencies.

Technological advancements, such as open data, drones, and early warning systems, can play a critical role during and after disasters like Hurricane Harvey. These technologies can significantly counteract the impact of natural disasters by providing up-to-date information about flood levels and shelter locations.

The disaster following Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston has left emergency disaster officials aware of their own emergency plans, with their own flaws. The main lesson from Houston is that even the best emergency plans might not be sufficient, and at a national level, people ask themselves if they are ready for when a disaster strikes.