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Natural
Disaster Reduction
- News & Events
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| DRU
News & Events - August 2004 |
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| August
2004 |
| Un
House, Tokyo, Japan, 24-08-2004
Public Forum on the occasion of the Disaster Prevention
Day and the Disaster Prevention Week:
Recovery from Catastrophic Disasters - Towards a Safer World for
All -
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Negative impact of natural disasters is increasing. While human
losses are decreasing in the recent years, economic losses and
the number of events and people affected by disasters are increasing.
Disasters pose human suffering, loss of means of livelihood
and setbacks to social and economic development, therefore,
are a significant threat to achieve sustainable development,
in particular, in developing countries.
Recovery or reconstruction after disasters is an important stage
in building disaster-resilient communities, irrespective of
the magnitude or scale of the event but more so in major disasters.
At present numerous international and regional organizations
as well as NGOs are dealing with emergency response and immediate
relief. Disaster reduction activities are also promoted by various
organizations in various regions of the world. (...)
Full
Programme
Organised by : UNU,
Cabinet
Office of Japan, UN/ISDR,
UNDP, ADRC
Presentations :
• Sustainable
Post-Disaster Recovery - Turning Disasters into Opportunities
for Development by Andrew Maskrey, Head of UNDP-DRU
• Challenge
of Bam Earthquake - Role of the UN System in Recovery and Reconstruction
by Kamal Kishore, UNDP-DRU
• Disaster
Recovery: Faster, Better, Safer? by Japan
• Sustainable
Post-Disaster Recovery – Turning Disasters into Opportunities
for Development - Abstract by Andrew Maskrey, Head of UNDP-DRU
More information : UNDP
Tokio Liasion Office // WCDR
Website // UNDP &
WCDR
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| La
Habana, Cuba, 20-08-2004
“Speed up the recovery!” - Hurricane Charley
SITREP#5 |
 A
call to speed up the recovery efforts in the areas affected by
hurricane CHARLEY was issued on 17 August by top officials of
the Central Government of Cuba and of the territories most severely
affected by the powerful storm. Mr. Carlos Lage, Secretary of
the Executive Committree of the Cuban Council of Ministers, issued
this call in chairing the daily meeting that keeps track of the
recovery efforts in Western Cuba. 27,000 persons and 1,700 trucks,
fork lifts, cranes and other equipment are working in clean up
and recovery activites. Cuba’s Westernmost province, Pinar
del Rio, and ten counties in Havana province remained today without
electricity. In the City of Havana itself, service had been restored
in several areas, but 55 thousand homes were still without power.
In all, over one million persons lack electricity. (...)
Full
report - Report by the Resident Coordinator's Information
Unit - PDF 609KB - 5 pages
Huracán
Charley - Summary of Dammages - Excel file - Spanish version
only
More information: UNDP
Cuba Country Office // DRU
& Cuba
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| Dhaka,
Bangladesh, 20-08-2004
Aide Memoire on Bangladesh Floods |
 Bangladesh
is arguably the World’s most disaster prone country. Since
independence in 1971 it has endured almost 200 disaster events
that have caused more than 500,000 deaths and adversely affected
approximately 500,000,000 people – clearly many of its 140,000,000
people have suffered from multiple devastation. Bangladesh suffers
cyclones, storm surges, droughts, tornadoes, earthquakes, epidemics
and floods; whilst tropical cyclones are the biggest killers,
floods have by far the most widespread and prolonged effects.
Heavy monsoon rains lashed Bangladesh from late June. Persistent
and exceptionally heavy rainfall, torrential flows from India,
Nepal, China (Tibet) and Bhutan and snowmelt from the Himalayas
compounded the problem. The floods have been devastating. The
BCPR Team worked closely with UNDAC team to prepare the UN Flash
Appeal. Accordingly, the Appeal requests $ 213,000,000 for projects
in the specific sectors. The appeal has been launched on the 12th
of Aug. The UN’s governmental and NGO partners will implement
the proposals, supported by the UNCT, which has carefully assessed
the relevance and feasibility of the projects involved. (...)
Background
information - Source UNDP Bangladesh - PDF 82KB - 4 pages
// Pictures
and Maps - PPT - 2.2MB
More information: UNDP
Bangladesh Country Office // DRU
& Bangladesh |
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| Barbados,
The Caribbean, 17-08-2004
MoU signed by UNDP Barbados and the University of the
West Indies (UWI) to support a new Master of Science in Natural
Resources and Environmental Management |
 UNDP
Barbados and the OECS and the University of the West Indies (UWI)
signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 19 August 2004 for the
support of a Master of Science programme in Natural Resources
and Environmental Management, with a specialization in climate
change. Under the Memorandum, signed by UNDP Resident Representative
Rosina Wiltshire and Professor Wayne Hunte, Pro Vice Chancellor
Research of the UWI, UNDP will provide a grant of US$60,000.00
to support four scholarships in the Masters programme. (...)
Full
story - PDF - 1 page
More information: UNDP
Barbados Country Office // DRU
& Barbados |
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| La
Habana, Cuba, 17-08-2004
Support request for relief of recurrent crisis due to
drought and post hurricane recovery |
 Cuba
is currently facing two severe emergencies caused by two different
natural disasters. on one side, the Western Province of Havana
have just been hit by Hurricane Charley; on the other, the Eastern
provincies of Cuba are suffering a long and persistent drought
that has reduced water availability for human consuption and agricultural
production to its minimum levels. The UNDP Country Office is currently
orienting its team's efforts to support Government action related
to relief of damages by hurricane Category 2/3 charley, that affected
cuba on Friday 13th August 2004, mainly in Havana City and Province,
where than 25% of the population of Cuba resides.
At the same time, the impact of charley has not reduced the importance
of the drought problematic in the country. Cuba has been suffering
endemic drought conditions since 1997. this process has been particulary
acute in 2003 and 2004, jeopardizing availability of water for
human consumption, for cattle and for agriculture, and implying
significant losses for the country. In several parts of the eastern
region of the country rainfall are under 1% of the historical
averages. (...)
Propuesta
preliminar de actuación frente a crisis recurrentes provocadas
por sequías e inundaciones - Report by UNDP-Cuba -
PDF 426KB - 12 pages (Spanish
version only)
Annexo
a la propuesta - PDF 247KB - 15 pages - (Spanish version only)
More information: UNDP
Cuba Country Office // DRU
& Cuba |
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More DRU News -
2005
// 2004
// 2003 // 2002
- DRU
in the Press
// RDR Launch Press Book
// Tsunami Press Book // News
Archives // Earthquakes
& Tsunamis in Asia Special Coverage
- Latest news - |
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