Global Estimates 2012 - People displaced by disasters

WMO Annual Climate Statement Confirms 2012 as Among Top Ten Warmest Years

GENEVA, 2 May 2013 (WMO) The World Meteorological Organization’s Statement on the Status of the Global Climate says that 2012 joined the ten previous years as one of the warmest — at ninth place — on record despite the cooling influence of a La Niña episode early in the year.

Release date: APRIL 23, 2013
Release Number: DR-4080-LA 225

BATON ROUGE, La. – The St. John Parish School Board will receive a $4.6 million federal grant to repair damages to Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School caused by Hurricane Isaac, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Tuesday.

Lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy are high on the agenda of a meeting convened by the World Meteorological Organization to review the 2012 tropical cyclone season in the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific and prepare for the forthcoming season.

The Hurricane Committee of WMO Regional Association IV (North and Central America and the Caribbean) meets in Curacao 8-12 April to discuss how to strengthen warning services and regional coordination to protect lives and property.

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.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

* Water has receded in most flood-affected areas of Balochistan, Punjab, and Sindh provinces, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). However, standing water in some areas of Jacobabad, Qamber Shahdadkot, and Dadu districts in Sindh Province continues to prevent returns and affect livelihoods.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
DEVELOPMENT AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

UPDATED EMERGENCY APPEAL:
SUPERSTORM SANDY 2012 (U.S.)
APPEAL # 627 W
APPEAL GOAL: $618,000
FUNDS RECEIVED AS OF 02/28/13: $588,290
March 20, 2013

PART ONE: CWS RESPONSE (See also Part Two - Additional Response by Denominations/Communions)

SITUATION: Response operations continue for Superstorm Sandy. Many homes still require debris removal and temporary repairs before they can be reoccupied. This work will continue throughout the spring and into early summer.

6 March 2013 – Early warning systems and cooperation among countries are some of the measures needed to increase resilience to water-related disasters, United Nations officials stressed today.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Humanitarian agencies provide assistance to populations affected by weather-related incidents, including severe cold and floods

• USAID/OFDA provides $3 million for countrywide nutrition and WASH support

• The U.S. Government (USG) has provided more than $38 million to date in FY 2013

KEY DEVELOPMENTS