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Displaying 60 of about 526 resultsFollowing the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince two years ago, the Directorate of Civil Protection has evolved into a model among the similar organizations in the region for dealing with prevention and risk management of disasters.
"The Haitian Directorate of Civil Protection is really a success. We have developed our knowledge and structures i…
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has created a computer model to demonstrate how Tongatapu would be affected by a tsunami created by a magnitude 8.7 earthquake, reports Islands Business.
Geoscience Australia also helped in the development of the programme which was financed by AusAID. Leveni ‘Aho, Director of Tonga’s National Disaster Man…
In her article for the Financial Times, Helen Clark, administrator of the UN Development Programme and former prime minister of New Zealand, praises Haiti's efforts to build back a more resilient country with 'urban ingenuity.' Talking about a UNDP and Haiti government initiative which has registered around 20,000 people, with 5,000 are being trained in…
This report examines the national legal and regulatory frameworks with regard to disaster risk reduction in Haiti. It analyses the extent to which legal frameworks in Haiti support national and local efforts towards disaster-risk reduction (DRR).
The study covers a broad scope of law and regulation relevant to DRR for natural hazards, including issues…
The Government of Australia signed an agreement last Friday with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to facilitate the handing over of an initial AUS$1 million for humanitarian assistance to earthquake ravaged Haiti. This was done during a visit to the Coordinating Unit by Australian High Commissioner, Mr. Philip Kentwell where he…
The World Bank, supported by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), announced today that it has mobilized scientists and technical experts around the world to help assess the impacts of the earthquake in Haiti. The initiative, called Operation GEO-CAN – which stands for Global Earth Observation – Catastrophe Assessment Network,…
Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps based in Portland asks the question 'How many lives would have been spared [in Haiti] if proven disaster risk reduction measures had been enacted?'
He adds that the Haitians need to be empowered so as to advocate for protection against future hazards, including effective building codes and appropriate legislation and…
The earthquake which rocked Padang, western Sumatra in September last year killing more than 1000 people was not the ‘great earthquake’ which earth scientists are waiting for. In fact, it may have made the next massive earthquake more likely, according to Ulster expert Professor John McCloskey.
That is the key conclusion of a paper published today in t…
'Rebuilding a country and the lives of its people is a formidable task that can take decades' writes Suryatapa Bhattacharya on lessons learnt from previous disasters. Like Turkey, Haiti sits on a fault line and will require government effort to impose strict building codes.
Some aid agencies, such as ActionAid focus on trauma counselling for children.…
Earthquakes like the one that hit the capital of Haiti, are hard to predict, but that does not mean we cannot be prepared for them, says the Director of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Many poor countries have made advances in disaster preparedness, including Bangladesh, Cuba and Mozambique, and Salvano Briceňo told UN Radio's Patr…
Cities around the world are at risk every day.
The Caribbean faces particular vulnerabilities which the Dominica Red Cross seeks to address through building resilience in communities. With this in mind, the Dominica Red Cross acknowledges the United Nations’ International Day for Disaster Reduction which takes place on Wednesday 13th October, 2010, by…
More investment and better planning is required in order to save lives and cut the cost of recovery from the increasing number of 'natural' disasters, said a senior UN official Margareta Walhstöm, on the international day for disaster reduction.
"Today's urban planning demands foresight and much more attention to disaster risk," she said.
Geologists from GNS Science will spend the next six months collecting information on buildings and infrastructure in Pacific Island countries to measure vulnerability and risk from earthquakes and cyclones in the southwest Pacific.
The project is part of a joint initiative involving the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank Regional Partnership for…
The Wall Street Journal's Gautam Naik reports on the massive earthquake that hit Chile last weekend and asks why it caused less destruction than the less powerful Jan 12 earthquake in Haiti.
"Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings kill people" says David Wald of the National Earthquake Information Center of the USGS.
Press Release - Earthquake tragedy can be turned into opportunity to invest in better future, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says at launch of revised flash appeal for Haiti.
Thank you for your patience, and I regret the delay. I know it has caused much inconvenience to all of you. I hope you will understand.
Let me begin, as we gather this afternoo…