1 2 3 » Officials From 39 Countries Meet To Discuss Disaster Risk Reduction Last Updated: Dec 3 2008 8:02AM Officials from 39 Asian countries are in Kuala Lumpur to discuss policies to help reduce the impact of disasters. The United Nations estimate that natural disasters cost Asian countries over US$2.95 billion in damages in the first six months of this year alone, with about 228 000 lives lost and over 109 million people affected. According to experts, the numbers affected could have been significantly reduced if risk reduction action plans had been put in place. They explain scientists have the tools to predict cyclones and earthquakes but the information is not disseminated quickly enough.   China’s Hu Attends the G-20, APEC, and Conducts Four State Visits Last Updated: Dec 2 2008 2:50PM Download here (.doc)   Freezing Pakistani Quake Survivors Wait For Aid Last Updated: Oct 30 2008 8:11AM Thousands of villagers in southwest Pakistan waited for aid in freezing conditions Thursday after a powerful earthquake that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 215 people. The 6.4-magnitude pre-dawn quake on Wednesday flattened mud-brick houses and triggered landslides in the impoverished province of Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan, killing or injuring their occupants as they slept. International and Pakistani agencies were struggling to get help to survivors who spent the night in the open, with rescuers discovering more victims as they reached remote villages that had still not seen any aid. "The total I had last night was 215 dead. This figure may go up as there were whole families who disappeared in the disaster," provincial revenue minister Zamarak Khan told AFP.   Australia Boosts Bio-Security Defenses Last Updated: Sep 16 2008 7:31AM Australia has opened a new National Center for Bio-Security to build its defenses against infectious diseases and biological weapons. Medical experts say it will help protect the country from threats such as SARS and bird flu as well as attacks by terrorists or rogue scientists. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports. The new bio-security center adds another layer to Australia's counterterrorism defenses. Its researchers will look at ways to combat biological warfare, naturally occurring diseases and the theft or misuse of sensitive research on micro-organisms. In addition, they will study the dangers posed by synthetic biology, where a virus or bacteria can be created from scratch. The center's work will concentrate on 22 bacteria, viruses and poisons that the Australian government considers "agents of concern".   World Food Program To Resume Aid Flights To Myanmar Last Updated: May 9 2008 9:12AM The World Food Program said that two relief flights will be sent to Myanmar on Saturday, just hours after suspending flights due to "unacceptable restrictions" by the government. "The World Food Program has decided to send in two relief flights as planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the government of Myanmar on the distribution of the food that was flown in today, and not released to WFP," Nancy Roman, WFP director of public policy and communications, said Friday. She added that enough high-energy biscuits to feed 21,000 people, which were airlifted on Thursday, have been delivered over the last 24 hours to some of the worst hit areas. Earlier Friday, the WFP suspended aid flights into Myanmar because of "unacceptable" restrictions imposed by the country's military rulers.   Aid Rushed To Cyclone-Hit Myanmar, Govt Says Referendum To Go Ahead Last Updated: May 5 2008 8:49AM Aid agencies Monday rushed emergency food and water into Myanmar after a cyclone tore into the southwest of the impoverished nation, killing more than 350 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. Despite the devastation wreaked by tropical cyclone Nargis, the military government vowed to press ahead with its controversial referendum this weekend on a new constitution, which critics say will entrench military rule. Nargis left at least 351 dead after making landfall at the weekend, packing winds of 190 kilometers per hour, wrecking thousands of buildings and knocking out power lines, state media reported. People of the main city, Yangon, were busy Monday clearing roads blocked by fallen trees and queuing to collect water from neighbors with private wells, as supplies were cut by the storm.   Floods Displace More Than 30,000 In East Sri Lanka Last Updated: Jan 10 2008 8:07AM Monsoon flooding has forced more than 30,000 people in eastern Sri Lanka from their homes, with many taking refuge in temporary shelters like huts, schools and mosques, officials said on Thursday. Flooding and ensuing mass displacement are common in Sri Lanka, fuelled by monsoon rains. In December, 175,000 people took refuge in welfare centers and temples in the eastern and central parts of the country following flash floods. The latest flooding hit the eastern district of Ampara, a largely flat agricultural area with a coastline that was hammered by the 2004 tsunami and where infrastructure has long been neglected because of a protracted war between the state and Tamil Tigers, after heavy rains began on Monday.   Bangladesh Seeks $2.2 Billion In Cyclone Aid Last Updated: Dec 13 2007 8:11AM Bangladesh is seeking $2.21 billion in assistance from overseas donors to help recover from damage by the November 15 cyclone that killed more than 3,200 people and made millions homeless, a senior official said on Thursday. The assistance is required to finance rebuilding infrastructure and for a long-term disaster protection program in the affected coastal areas. About 1.8 million tons of rice, a staple food, was destroyed by the cyclone and flooding earlier in the year, official estimates show.   Helping Rebuild Bangladesh In Wake Of Cyclone Sidr Last Updated: Dec 7 2007 9:38AM A Japanese team is being sent to Bangladesh to help assess that country’s rebuilding needs in the wake of November's Cyclone Sidr which killed more than 3,000 people, affected 8 million others and damaged some 1.45 million homes and other infrastructure. The team, comprising around 7 members including staff of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), flies to Bangladesh December 8 and will assess overall needs, particularly in the heavily damaged south-western areas of the country and debriefing local communities, government officials and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).   PNG Cyclone Victims Receive Aid Last Updated: Nov 30 2007 8:37AM The joint Papua New Guinea, Australian relief effort in PNG has delivered around 350 tons of humanitarian aid and supplies to the disaster zone in Oro province. Our Pacific correspondent, Campbell Cooney, says heavy flooding in the affected areas has left much of it accessible only by helicopter. It is estimated flooding and landslides caused by cyclone Guba are responsible for around 150 deaths, and have left up to 100,000 people homeless.   PNG Cyclone Victims Receive Aid Last Updated: Nov 30 2007 8:29AM The joint Papua New Guinea, Australian relief effort in PNG has delivered around 350 tons of humanitarian aid and supplies to the disaster zone in Oro province. Our Pacific correspondent, Campbell Cooney, says heavy flooding in the affected areas has left much of it accessible only by helicopter. It is estimated flooding and landslides caused by cyclone Guba are responsible for around 150 deaths, and have left up to 100,000 people homeless.   US Navy Brings Aid to Bangladesh Victims Last Updated: Nov 27 2007 9:15AM U.S. Navy helicopters on Tuesday resumed delivery of emergency supplies to survivors of a deadly cyclone along the southern coast of Bangladesh in a joint relief operation, officials said. Helicopters from the USS Kearsarge started airlifting 5,000 water containers on Monday to remote areas of Dublar Char, Bagherat and Barguna, the worst affected districts in the Nov. 15 cyclone that killed more than 3,200 people. Survivors of the storm, many of them without food, water or shelter, welcomed the aid.   Cyclone Sidr Strikes Bangladesh (Update 2) Last Updated: Nov 20 2007 4:53PM Download here (.doc)   Death Toll Rising In Bangladesh Disaster Last Updated: Nov 19 2007 9:39AM The official death toll in the cyclone disaster zone in Bangladesh has risen to 3,000. The Red Crescent Society says the toll will continue to rise and could reach 10,000. Three days after the start of the disaster, rescue workers are still trying to get to remote areas where entire villages on the coast of the Bay of Bengal have been destroyed by Cyclone Sidr. The death toll is expected to rise when emergency teams get to those regions cut off by damaged and blocked roads. There is also no word from the string of islands off the south coast which took the full impact of the storm.   Aid Agencies Rush Teams To Quake-Hit Sumatra Last Updated: Sep 13 2007 8:38AM International aid agencies have pledged cash and rushed teams to assess damage and help the injured after a major earthquake and a series of powerful aftershocks shook Indonesia's Sumatra island. The first quake measured 8.4 and it was feared it would cause considerable damage and a high death toll.   Food For Flood Victims In North Korea Last Updated: Aug 20 2007 8:53AM A UN aid agency was to start delivering emergency aid to North Korean flood victims on Monday after getting more reports of massive crop losses in a nation already chronically short of food. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it would start food aid for victims in areas where it already operates feeding programmes for children and mothers.   Japanese Mayor Orders Quake-Hit Nuclear Plant Shut For Now Last Updated: Jul 18 2007 8:51AM The city housing the world's largest nuclear power plant on Wednesday ordered the facility to stay closed until its safety is confirmed following an earthquake. "It is difficult to allow you to operate the plant in this situation under the fire laws. I order a ban on its use," Kashiwazaki Mayor Hiroshi Aida said. He summoned the president of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the world's biggest private power company which operates the gigantic complex.   Japanese Mayor Orders Quake-Hit Nuclear Plant Shut For Now Last Updated: Jul 18 2007 8:49AM The city housing the world's largest nuclear power plant on Wednesday ordered the facility to stay closed until its safety is confirmed following an earthquake. "It is difficult to allow you to operate the plant in this situation under the fire laws. I order a ban on its use," Kashiwazaki Mayor Hiroshi Aida said. He summoned the president of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the world's biggest private power company which operates the gigantic complex.   US To Donate $100,000 To Quake Victims Last Updated: Jul 17 2007 8:23AM The US Embassy in Japan says the United States will donate 100,000 dollars to help the people affected by the earthquake that hit Niigata and Nagano Prefectures on Monday. The embassy said in a statement on Tuesday that Ambassador Thomas Schieffer has sent a message of sympathy to the Japanese government.   US To Donate $100,000 To Quake Victims Last Updated: Jul 17 2007 8:22AM The US Embassy in Japan says the United States will donate 100,000 dollars to help the people affected by the earthquake that hit Niigata and Nagano Prefectures on Monday. The embassy said in a statement on Tuesday that Ambassador Thomas Schieffer has sent a message of sympathy to the Japanese government.   1 2 3 »