Sirajganj, Bangladesh─ When the rain-swollen Jamuna River breached its banks and inundated Sirajganj town 4 years ago, the streets were under knee-deep water, forcing shutdowns of businesses and schools. Even after the rain stopped, the floodwaters took more than 2 months to recede. Roads were ravaged and the town’s poor drainage system ceased to function. Residents returned to homes that were no longer fit to live in.

Today, through a bridge and road inauguration ceremony in Haripur VDC, Sunsari district, the U.S. Ambassador Scott H. DeLisi, representatives of USAID, local government, and media celebrated the accomplishments of USAID’s Flood Recovery Program. The program helped more than 800,000 people in eight flood-affected districts of the Terai.

Written by: Nita Bhalla

NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - As millions of Pakistanis struggle to survive the impact caused by this year's devastating floods, the country is also marking the fifth anniversary of a more deadly disaster on Friday -- a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the northwest of the country.

Pakistan is vulnerable to earthquakes, cyclones, droughts, floods, landslides and avalanches, as well as conflict-related crises or "complex emergencies" related to the presence of militant groups

Here is a list of humanitarian emergencies

Appeal target (current): CHF 14.1 million (USD 13.73 million or EUR 9.31 million);

Appeal coverage: 65%;

Appeal history:

- Operation update 17 extended this emergency appeal until 31 December 2010, only for the warehouse construction under the organizational development component.

- Operations update 15 extended this appeal until 31 December 2009 only for the activity under organizational development component.

- Operations update 13 signalled the

The Sphere Handbook is a tool for improving humanitarian response. It's a living document which is most widely recognized and used by the I/NGOs, United Nations agencies and different actors involved in humanitarian response. The first edition of the Handbook was published in year 2000 and the revised edition was in 2004. To make the Sphere Handbook remain relevant with the changing needs, field practices, technical innovations in the context of humanitarian work since 2004, the Sphere Board decided to revise the Sphere Project Handbook - Humanitarian Charter and Minimum

The December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off the coast of Indonesia triggered a massive tsunami that spread throughout the Indian Ocean, leaving nearly 230,000 dead or missing and devastating communities. In response, the international community provided assistance on an unprecedented scale, with in excess of USD 14 billion pledged for the relief and recovery of tsunami-affected countries - with over USD 5.5 billion of this coming from private sources, such as individuals and organisations1.

The tsunami caused immense social, economic

Speaking ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7 to 18, 2009, Richard Damania, World Bank Lead Environmental Economist for the South Asia Region said the region faces daunting climate-related development challenges. "Impacts ranging from of higher temperatures to more variable precipitation and more extreme weather events are already

From October 2009 to June 2010, Mercy-USA for Aid and Development is partnering with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to provide daily school lunches/snacks to approximately 6,200 children attending 8 elementary and preparatory schools in Gaza. This project is helping to improve the overall nutritional status of the children, as well as their academic performance.

The food items used to make the daily

Appeal target (current): CHF 14.1 million (=B1USD 13.73 million or =B1EUR 9.31 million)

Appeal coverage: 99%;

Appeal history:

- A Preliminary Emergency Appeal for Cyclone Yemyin/floods was launched on 4 July 2007 for CHF 10.38 million (USD 10 million or EUR 6.6 million) for six months to assist 98,000 beneficiaries (14,000 families)

- CHF 250,000 was allocated from the International Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 2 July 2007.

- A Revised Emergency Appeal was launched