Natural disasters1 in 2012

In 2012, 310 natural disasters were recorded in the EM-DAT database. They claimed 9,930 lives, affected over 106 million others and caused economic damages of US$138 billion.

There were no mega-disasters in 2012 in terms of human impact.

The largest disaster of 2012 in terms of mortality was Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines that resulted in 1,901 deaths. It was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to hit the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and affected over 6 million persons.

Reports of peace from Afghanistan

Caritas staff Tara D’Sousa and Nick Borthwick recently visited Bamyan province in Afghanistan, where Caritas supports an education and rural development programme. Despite recent violence in northeast Bamyan, Tara and Nick say their biggest impression of the areas they visited (Shaidan Valley and Yakawlang) was one of peacefulness and harmony. ‘People are just going about their daily lives and making the most of their opportunities,’ says Nick.

Cooperatives and producer organizations will be increasingly important in efforts to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.

“FAO needs strong cooperatives and producer organizations as key partners in the effort to eliminate hunger for some 925 million people, and to respond to the many challenges that face our world today,” said Director-General José Graziano da Silva.