In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95 billion. The year 2024 was marked by extreme temperature events in Asia that caused thousands of deaths, severe droughts in Africa affecting over 25 …
Indonesia launched a new hi-tech system on Tuesday aimed at detecting a potential tsunami and providing faster alerts in a region battered by frequent earthquakes. The sprawling archipelago of some 17,000 islands, which lies in the seismically-active "Pacific Ring of Fire", was hit by a devastating tsunami about four years …
A MASSIVE INDIAN Ocean tsunami, similar in size to the behemoth that claimed a quarter of a million lives in December 2004, smashed into Thailand and Indonesia around 600 years ago, scientists believe. The evidence comes from deposits of sand washed inland by colossal waves and preserved under layers of …
Poor people suffered the most from the tsunami as their fragile homes, built along the coasts, were washed away. Many of them also are heavily dependent on coastal nature for their livelihoods and for their safety. Mangroves, coral reefs and other coastal ecosystems provide a range of benefits and resources …
Tamil Nadu to undo plantations to save Olive Ridley turtles THE Tamil Nadu revenue department has sanctioned money to uproot casuarinas planted with World Bank fund along the coast because they were affecting the nesting of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles. In January, Chennai-based Students
An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted Indonesia's north Sulawesi island on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, the meteorology agency said. The quake struck at a depth of 32 km (20 miles), and the epicentre was 91 km (56 miles) southwest of …
G Babu Jayakumar | ENS Chennai, CAN you believe that about Rs 30 crore of the Rs 157 crore that came through public contributions to the Chief Minister
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is mandated to provide the nation with best possible services in forecasting the monsoons and other weather/climate parameters, ocean state, earthquakes, tsunamis and other phenomena related to earth systems through well integrated programmes. The Ministry also deals with science and technology for exploration and …
The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) will implement a countrywide programme to upgrade the psychological and educational development of tsunami affected children. The main objective is assisting tsunami affected children to grow up as normal citizens in a healthy environment. The guardianship of all tsunami affected children have been granted …
Sanjeev Ramachandran / Colachel July 09, 2008, 0:15 IST Coca-Cola recently handed over 41 houses to Tsunami survivors in this part of South India. This gesture was not an isolated one. It has been followed by two other projects providing livelihood to thousands of fishermen in tsunami-hit zones. These measures …
Scientists have predicted more destruction and calamity in India if it is hit by another tsunami. The reason: India's natural barriers against tsunami have been badly damaged in the 2004 tsunami and it will take more than a decade for them to heal. Scientists in a recent study warned that …
Authors of a report (April 19) on post-tsunami shelter and settlement strategy of the Tamil Nadu government respond to a rejoinder by C V Sankar (May 17), officer on special duty for relief and rehabilitation.
The enhancement and diversification of fisheries livelihoods in coastal communities is a critical global concern of governments and supporting organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This challenge became even more critical following the devastation caused by the tsunami. It has been at the …
This document presents a simple approach to elaborate a scenario regarding the potential impacts of a tsunami in a city exposed to such a hazard. The approach has been tailored to span eleven typical development sectorswhich are present in every city such as health,education,housing, life-lines, transportation, telecommunications, industry, government, etc.
The United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) is trying to convince army-ruled Myanmar not to place at least 2,000 youngsters orphaned by this month's cyclone into state-run homes, a senior official said on Monday. "We should try and place children within family environments as a priority, and not in institutions," Anne-Claire …
Asia's worst natural disasters since 2004 tsunami Hundreds of aftershocks have rattled China's Sichuan province following last Monday's devastating quake which killed nearly 32,500, state news agency Xinhua said. Early on Sunday, another 6.1 magnitude tremor caused thousands to flee as buildings swayed in the provincial capital, Chengdu. Here are …
With a parliamentary panel finding misutilisation and diversion of tsunami relief funds, an empowered group of ministers (e-GOM) headed by union home minister Shivraj Patil has undertaken a review of the Rs 10,000 crore rehabilitation scheme. Since 2008-09 is the deadline for implementation of the rehabilitation scheme, the e-GoM issued …
The criticism of the government of Tamil Nadu's tsunami relief and rehabilitation programme (April 19, 2008) does not accurately reflect the situation on the ground and the progress made.
The tsunami at Goa (west coast of India) and Kavaratti Island (Lakshadweep archipelago) in the Arabian Sea, caused by the 12 September 2007 Sumatra earthquake, was reported from cellular-based sea-level gauges in real-time on the Internet designed and established by the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. The tsunami arrived at …
Sri Lanka has taken significant strides in disaster prevention and mitigation since the Boxing Day catastrophe in 2004, said Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe launching the seventh meeting of the regional Committee on Disaster Management yesterday. While calling the tsunami as an eye opener, the Minister noted …
