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 …
Gorai Creek is a big green shelter, a belt stretching above 5,000 acres of land covered with mangroves adjoining areas in different villages like Gorai, Malad and Dahisar. A tourist place heading towards the Mumbai's favorite picnic spot Essel World and Manori Beach. The mangroves are connected with small estuary, …
Dec 26 2004 TSUNAMI At least 230,000 people are killed and 43,000 are missing after a tsunami sparked by a magnitude 9.15 earthquake smashes into 13 Indian Ocean countries. More than half the victims are Indonesians, with Sri Lanka and India next worst hit. March 2005 INDONESIA Nearly 1,000 people …
Over three years after the tsunami nearly flattened parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, rehabilitation work is still on. Its progress seems slower than in other parts of the country. A scene from the picturesque Bamboo Flat permanent tenements is representative of the work in the entire archipelago. Completed …
UNICEF's post-tsunami three-year Re-Building with Children Recovery Plan, is fast nearing completion. Responding to a request of the Education Ministry, UNICEF committed to building 21 schools islandwide, to replace facilities damaged or destroyed by the tsunami. Fifteen schools have already been completed and six schools are due to be handed …
The world faces a "silent tsunami' of soaring food prices and more must be done to help secure future supply, the U.N. food agency said Tuesday as experts gathered in London for a special summit on the problem. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said an extra 100 million …
A regional forum under the Mangroves For the Future (MFF) project implemented in six countries in the tsunami aftermath will begin at Hotel Heritance, Ahungalle today. According to the country office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the five-day forum will present and discuss outcomes of the …
Muniyamma, 30, and her family survived the tragic Boxing Day of 2004. But its aftermath has left her a widow and her four children fatherless. Her husband Pazhanivel, 38, immolated himself as the district administration tried to evict tsunami refugees from a temporary shelter in Kadambadi, near Nagapattinam. Having lost …
The tsunami relief effort was based on the recognition that out of disaster an opportunity can be created to rebuild, expand and improve upon services, correct imbalances and meet the needs of vulnerable groups. But in housing, this case study from Tamil Nadu shows that even three years after the …
An enormous amount of funds (government, multilateral and non-government) flowed into the coastal areas hit by the tsunami of December 2004. But what has been the quality of rehabilitation and what lives do the survivors
Scientists are developing a tsunami warning system for the Mediterranean region which they said on Wednesday should be ready in 2011 and could save thousands of lives. The 40-50 million euro ($63.32 million) project started three years ago, shortly after the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people …
The US National Earthquake Conference will be held in Seattle from April 22 - 26. Earthquake experts from around the nation will convene to discuss the latest research on earthquakes and the generation of tsunamis. The conference will also focus on tsunami hazards, offering attendees and the media an opportunity …
We examine the predominant natural hazards in West Bengal, along with an analysis of the prevalent disaster mitigation and management perspectives. Pre-hazard activities towards its mitigation are emphasized and explicated. In cognizance with the existence of multiple hazards in the region, a composite vulnerability map is prepared through integration of …
More than three years after the devastating tsunami hit the Tamil Nadu coast, rehabilitation measures are still underway. District Collector Jyothi Nirmala announced Rs 112 crore as extension of revolving funds and loans for self-help groups (SHGs), industrial and entrepreneur training, upgrading basic amenities in tsunami-affected areas and construction of …
Beneficiaries of the scheme to replace houses vulnerable to natural calamities along the coast with disaster-resistant dwelling units are entitled for one-time shifting charges and reimbursement of monthly rent for 12 months. Enquiries reveal that Collectors of coastal districts, other than Chennai and Tiruvarur, had identified a total of 52,569 …
To be funded by Union government and World Bank INSPECTION: Collector Santosh K. Misra (right) inspecting the work of single-storeyed tenements construction at Karikattukuppam recently. A total of 426 dwelling units along the coast in Kancheepuram district have been identified as vulnerable to natural calamities and are to be replaced …
The 4th International General Assembly of the World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP) was held at Negombo, Sri Lanka. The Assembly delegates recognized that all peoples in historically traditional fishing communities had a right to basic human rights, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which included basic …
A cow for Rs 89,000, a pig for Rs 12,000 and a goat, Rs 19,000. These are not fictional prices dreamt up by some livestock dealer. These are the prices businessmen have quoted for supplying livestock to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Thunderstruck, the union territory administration has dropped its cattle-for-cattle …
A common assumption is that ecosystem services respond linearly to changes in habitat size. This assumption leads frequently to an "all or none" choice of either preserving coastal habitats or converting them to human use. However, the researchers survey of wave attenuation data from field studies of mangroves, salt marshes, …
