Petite Riviere de l'Artibonite, Haiti-It was nearing the end of another hot, sunny day near Petite Riviere in the northern department, or province, of Artibonite, and Arnold Alcimé stood on his two-acre plot of land and shook his head in frustration.

Life as a farmer has never been more difficult than it is now, said the octogenarian, recalling earlier times when credit and new equipment were easier to get and when the land itself seemed to suffer less.

Though this seemingly lush farmland often

The annual pre-hurricane season training prepares volunteers to qualify as shelter-management team members - and, if enlisted, they will work alongside designated officials in their respective districts in Grand Cayman.

Early in the training session, Shelter Operations Subcommittee Chairperson Deanna Look Loy made clear the purpose of providing shelter during a disaster.

Le 12 janvier 2010, Haïti, encore convalescente, a été secouée violemment. Le séisme a dévasté un pays qui se remettait encore des ravages des cyclones de 2008 et sa force tectonique immense n'est rien face à l'ampleur des souffrances physiques et émotionnelles du peuple haïtien.

Les chiffres sont accablants. Ils défient l'imagination : les victimes se comptent par centaines de milliers - tués, estropiés, sans-abri ou traumatisés ; les destructions - immeubles, bâtiments administratifs, archives, bibliothèques ou magasins - se comptent également

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Geneva, 9 February 2010 (WMO) - The World Meteorological Organization stresses the pressing need for operational meteorological services in Haiti to prevent further disasters. The rainy season with flood risk is due early April and the hurricane season begins early June. In order to prevent potential disasters related to the natural hazards, which the country is prone to the capacity of Haiti to produce and disseminate weather information and warnings needs to be developed

Programme purpose: The Latin Caribbean Regional Representation reflects the strategy outlined in the Federation of the Future and supports the three National Societies of Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the region to work towards the goals of the Federation's Global Agenda through scaling-up programmes, increasing Red Cross capacity and strengthening its role in civil society.

Programme(s) summary: During the first six months of 2009, the Latin Caribbean Regional Representation has

For the full story, please go to the WFP

What the world saw as a unique catastrophe in New Orleans in 2005 happened no less than 3 times in Haiti in 2008 when a devastating hurricane hit the Caribbeans. And the worst is, it will happen again.

Haiti is known for its vulnerability to natural hazards, regularly affected by landslides, flooding, tropical storms, earthquakes and tsunamis. In the last decade, it suffered an estimated =A3600 million in hurricane-related damages.

The bad news is climate models predict that these natural disasters are likely to become more intense and frequent

In 2004 and 2007 major hurricanes struck this mountainous region, devastating livestock and farms and causing extensive damage to already poor infrastructure and facilities.

A slow and limited response from the government left Mocho's people feeling powerless, and all the more vulnerable to future natural disasters.

However, in one community, over the last couple of years a DFID-backed initiative has tackled this feeling of powerlessness.

- Construction de 400 abris pour les familles vulnérables aux Gonaïves (Artibonite)
- Informer pour Prévenir : Stratégie de réduction des Risques et Désastres
- Le Projet d'assainissement aux Cayes (Sud)
- Sécheresse à Bombardopolis (Nord-Ouest)
- Inondation à Carriès et Williamson (Ouest)

I. Contexte

La saison cyclonique 2009 a connu à ce jour, quelques événements (manifestations) ayant trait à la formation de trois dépressions tropicales, Ana, Erika et Fred, et le cyclone Bill mais