Update

Malteser International's expert for disaster risk reduction, Ria Hidajat, is available for interviews on today's earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific region. She has been advising the organisation's disaster preparedness project team in West Papua...

As tsunami warnings go out across the Pacific in the wake of the massive earthquake in Japan, the latest information on the disaster and its effects is appearing in real time on www.hewsweb.org, a comprehensive humanitarian early warning web platform which has just gone live...

A recent seismic study by scientists of CICESE, an Ensenada-based investigatory group, based on six quake-modelling scenarios and utilizing software developed by the United Nations, determined that an earthquake measuring greater than 6 on the Richter scale would cause significant damage to Tijuana and outlying areas of the city, reports Frontera...

'Whatever the extent of the death and destruction, it would be much worse if not for Japan's hard-earned culture of preparedness' reports Emily Rauhala for Time, further to today's massive earthquake and tsunami in the country...

'Japan puts considerable effort into preparing its response systems, its infrastructure and its citizens for potential disasters,' says Philippa Fogarty in a report for BBC news, further to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country...

Gales and high winds now feature on the World Meteorological Organization Severe Weather Information Centre website as part of the continuing drive to improve public weather forecasts and reduce risks from natural hazards...

'Women are grounded in local socioeconomic and risk realities, they are able to mobilize their community to develop disaster risk reduction solutions that are innovative and dynamic, and could better ensure that local authorities and civil society actors become partners in sustainable development' highlights a study, part of the Mid-Term Review of the Hyogo Framework for Action launched this week in Rome...

'In Niue we understand the importance of ensuring we can build our resilience through climate change mitigation and adaptation, but we are also working to ensure that we can build our economic resilience and sustain our own developments over the long term,' said Niue’s Premiere, Mr. Toke Talagi...

'National action must lead the way in delivering clear results on the ground,' stressed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a message to the Ministerial Regional Conference on Climate Change in the Pacific, welcoming efforts by some Pacific Island States to strengthen resilience and reduce disaster risk...

The United Nations office assisting countries with disaster risk reduction is calling for more coordinated and coherent action across different sectors of government to reduce setbacks caused by hazards such as droughts, earthquakes and hurricanes...