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By Dizery Salim

Geneva, 21 May 2012 – Following a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked north-east Italy on Sunday morning, around 3,000 residents of San Filipe and surrounding areas are living “like refugees” advised not to re-enter their homes by the Italian civil protection service because of ongoing aftershocks.

By Denis McClean

GENEVA, 16 May 2012 - Over the last five years economic losses due to disasters reached over $800 billion worldwide and a new report, published this week, found that 81% of surveyed cities experienced an increase in natural hazards over the same period.

Overall, 79% of surveyed cities reported changes in temperature, precipitation, sea level or natural hazards that they attribute to climate change.

MANILA, 4 May: UNISDR joined forces with a leading university yesterday to urge Manila’s business community to reduce its disaster risk and to develop business continuity plans which take account of the capital city’s extreme exposure to earthquakes and typhoons. Disasters cost the country a record $615 million last year.

GENEVA, 3 May 2012 - UNISDR today backed a newly launched project from the European Commission, Adaptation Strategies for European Cities, designed to provide capacity building and support for European cities in developing and implementing an adaptation strategy for climate change.

Helena Molin-Valdes who leads UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient campaign urged campaign members in Europe to get involved in the project which is led by UNISDR partner ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) for the Directorate-General for Climate Action.

By Brigitte Leoni

BANGKOK, 30 April 2012 - Top UN disaster risk reduction official, Margareta Wahlström arrives in Manila Philippines tomorrow for five-day visit during which she will meet with donors, the private sector, mayors and government officials to further push for more concrete disaster reduction actions to protect more communities and assets from future disasters.

Wahlström, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction was last in Philippines in January when she visited Mindanao region which was ravaged by Typhoon Sendong.

By Brigitte Leoni

SREY SNAM, 26 April - Nineteen year old Ien Sophorn heads a children's council in Cambodia that works with the Srey Snam District Disaster Management Committee to raise awareness on climate change adaptation.

"Since the beginning of the programme we have been planting trees, acting out scenarios to alert our communities about disaster risks and requesting more wells to get clean water when our villages are flooded. We have a complete plan of action and we actively participate in disaster management processes," she said.