Press release

“What is happening in Switzerland and in Central Europe is a reminder that we are all vulnerable to natural disasters and that we should be constantly prepared to face them. Floods do not only happen in India or Sierra Leone, Europe can be badly affected

More than 140,000 hectares of forest and farmland have been destroyed in Portugal since the beginning of the summer affecting many households. The fires compelled the Portuguese Government to call on the European Union for help.

Bombay and the surrounding region of Maharashtra have been hit by unprecedented flash floods that have already caused the death of hundreds of people. Half of the victims perished in Mumbai. Many people drowned or were electrocuted, but a lot of them died

The 3rd International Early Warning Conference (EWCIII) will be convened by the Government of Germany under the auspices of the United Nations from 27 to 29 March in Bonn, Germany. It follows the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan

“Mexico is a good example of hurricane preparedness. Mexican authorities immediately identified populations at risk and reacted accordingly. They are able to organise large-scale evacuation. They relocated tourists and local inhabitants, evacuated workers

It was no coincidence that the recent G8 Summit in Gleneagles specifically addressed the future of disaster risk reduction, and undertook to call for greater support for a more effective International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, with strong

“Nearly six months after the tsunami tragedy in the Indian Ocean, one of the main achievements so far has been the rapid progress on a regional tsunami early warning system for the region. If another tsunami would happen today in the region, people will

The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction secretariat is starting a new collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), a professional association of 102 radio and television broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific region. The purpose of

The UNISDR is taking the opportunity of The International Year of Microcredit to organise a number of events around the world to stimulate a debate on how safety nets and micro insurance can contribute to disaster risk reduction.

Representatives from Indian Ocean countries affected by the 26 December 2004 tsunami and other countries and experts on early warning systems will gather in Mauritius for the Second International Coordination Meeting for the Development of a Tsunami