Reference: IP/11/1365

Brussels, 17 November 2011 - Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, and W. Craig Fugate, Administrator of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, met today in Brussels to discuss the priorities for cooperation between the European Commission and FEMA in disaster management and emergency response.

Population growth, urbanization and climate change expose increasing numbers of people to natural hazards in urban areas. From New Orleans in 2005 to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 2010, recent urban disasters in developing and developed countries have drawn attention to challenges in post-disaster reconstruction of urban areas.

Cette année, les catastrophes liées aux crues en Australie, Colombie, Indonésie, Japon, Sri Lanka et aux États-Unis – pour n’en citer que quelques-unes – ont à nouveau démontré que toutes les nations sont exposées aux effets dévastateurs des fortes tempêtes et des crues. La croissance démographique, l'urbanisation et la dégradation de l'environnement dans les zones côtières associées aux incidences du changement climatique devraient encore accroître les risques.

Elizabeth Ferris, Co-Director, Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement

Abstract

Urban flooding is an increasingly important issue. Disaster statistics appear to show flood events are becoming more frequent, with medium-scale events increasing fastest. The impact of flooding is driven by a combination of natural and human-induced factors.

What we build: So much more than houses

Building and repairing homes has always been our identity. In fact, we are very grateful to all those who helped Habitat for Humanity serve almost 75,000 families worldwide last year-almost triple the number of five years ago. But the heart of Habitat is not bricks and sticks. It is the desire to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ by reaching out to help those in need of a better place to live. When we ask, "What will you build?" there are so many answers, because we build so much more than houses.

Five years ago, on Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina roared onto the U.S. Gulf Coast, launching a chain of natural and man-made catastrophes that killed more than 1,800 people and did $135 billion in property damages. More than 1 million people were displaced from their homes and livelihoods, setting in motion one of the largest mass migrations in the nation's history.

Less than a month after Katrina, Category

Marie Jose Poux is a hospice nurse in New Orleans, but she was born in Haiti. Ms. Poux was in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12 when the earthquake struck, and she spent the next two weeks lending what help she could to the ravaged city.

"My soul is not here [in New Orleans]. It remains doing what I was doing in Haiti," says Poux, who runs a charity, Hope for Haitian Children, from her home in New Orleans' Treme

In a new decade, humanitarian actors are facing immense challenges. The number of people affected by climate disasters will continue to rise, having a huge impact on migration and livelihoods of millions of people, as was reported in our latest issue of Coping with Crisis.

Furthermore, as of 2008, 16 major armed conflicts were active in 15 locations around the world, an increase from the year earlier. The Red Cross Red Crescent will be called upon to meet the challenges of a new decade, and in our efforts lie an opportunity for improved humanitarian action.