News and announcements

The National Disaster Management Authority conducted a meeting with seventeen heat wave-prone states to review their preparedness and mitigation measures in view of the recent incidents of thunderstorm and lightning. The NDMA invited the states to run public awareness on mitigating heat wave and lightning impacts.

The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has been developing a disaster risk assessment map to mitigate the impact of natural disaster and improve responsiveness to such events. With limited data availability, assessments rely on the findings of research conducted by international organisations.

Newtok, a small Alaskan village on the shores of the Ningliq River, has been fighting erosion exacerbated by climate change for decades. As the river is creeping 70 feet closer every year, the community has finally secured $15 million to begin relocating houses to higher ground.

Unlike earthquakes, cyclones, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters that are observed in real time by worldwide networks of satellites and sensors, landslides and other types of mass movement are not consistently monitored on a global scale. A new system - Landslide Hazard Assessment for Situational Awareness (LHASA) model - generates near-real-time estimates of potential rainfall-triggered landslide activity.

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre and representatives from the Governments of Italy and Saint Lucia held meetings this week to discuss the development of an early warning system for the island. The system would forecast the potential effects of national disasters, and provide flood mapping and other necessary information to aid decision-making.

Planning literature about smart cities frequently asserts that a smart city is a safe city but remains silent on the inclusion of women in urban planning, despite ample evidence of gender-based violence and vulnerability. If policymakers are committed to urban resilience, it is critical to include women and LGBTIQ members of all ages in urban policy implementation.

The Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting considered proposals for a new financing facility for resilient infrastructure, and a climate insurance facility to protect against the effects of climate change. These mechanisms would strengthen financial resilience and insure slow-onset and extreme weather events not covered by existing instruments.

Costa Rican farmers are enjoying the benefits of a rainwater harvest system, which captures and stores water for subsequent use when water is scarce. But these systems are still in their infancy in the country due to financial constraints and regulations, which need to be overcome for this drought resilience solution to gain more widespread use.