In this Climate Update, highlights include:

· Between 9 and 11 named Tropical Cyclones were forecast for the 2012 / 2013 South Pacific tropical cyclone season. 3 named Tropical Cyclones have occurred in the South Pacific so far.

· 11 Tropical Depressions have formed in the South Pacific since the beginning of the Tropical Cyclone Season.

· In the South Pacific, one Tropical Depression increased in intensity to Category 3 (Tropical Cyclone Garry) and two to Category 4 (Tropical Cyclone Evan and Freda).

1. Philippines - TC Bopha (Pablo) struck the southern Philippines about 3 weeks ago. Nearly 834,000 people remain displaced, of whom almost 12,000 are in 43 evacuation centers. The rest are staying outside of the centers. As of 21 Dec, 1,050 people are reported as dead and another 838 are missing. A large international response is underway, in support of the government. Emergency Shelter is the highest priority need.
   Source: OCHA

An innovative Disaster Risk Management program developed by Caritas Australia has armed some of the most vulnerable people in our region with nursery rhymes and simple actions to minimise the damage in this year’s cyclone season.

The South Pacific cyclone season begins in November which sees our region exposed to more cyclones and floods until April 2013.

1. Myanmar - The total IDP caseload in Rakhine state is nearly 110,000 people. Violence in Oct caused 89 deaths and 136 injuries. Over 5,300 houses and religious buildings were burned or destroyed. The Gov requested international assistance to support the humanitarian response.
   Source: OCHA

Humanitarian aid organisation, CARE is helping thousands of people in Vanuatu to protect themselves from the constant threat of natural disasters such as earthquakes and cyclones.

As the world prepares to mark International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) on Saturday, Vanuatu in the South Pacific has today been named the country with the greatest disaster risk worldwide due to its high exposure to natural hazards, climate change and a range of other factors including vulnerable roads and poor erosion protection.

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.

Pacific Islands: Acting Today for Tomorrow will Save Lives and Reduce Economic Losses

Contact:

In Sydney:
Aleta Moriarty + 61 2 9235 6545, amoriarty@worldbank.org Laura Keenan, +61 2 9235 6547, lkeenan@worldbank.org

World Bank report looks at Building Climate and Disaster Resilience in One of World’s Most Vulnerable Regions