Coming so soon after Sunday’s tunnel collapse raised questions about Japan's infrastructure, the absence of major damage from today's quake shows Japan’s level of preparedness for them. Read the full...
Christian Science Monitor (CSMonitor) - Disaster Management Updates
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Checklist for disaster first-responders: food, blankets – and wi-fi
An Irish-based aid agency has developed a wi-fi system for use immediately after a natural disaster, when communications can be near-impossible. The US Navy is testing it this week. Read the full...
'Building Hope' in Haiti: New radio soap opera connects displaced to services
Haiti's 2010 earthquake sent some 1.5 million Haitians to live in tent cities. A new radio series follows a family living in a camp, educating listeners on everything from health to housing services. ...
Italy earthquake: modern buildings, not ancient ones, pose biggest threat
The Italy earthquake suggests that danger lies not so much in ancient monuments as in the many buildings constructed between the late 1940s and the early 1970s. Read the full article in the Christian...
Brazil + 1 more
Violence in Mexico and Brazil: How droughts play a role
No one will claim the recent massacre in Mexico was caused by a drought, but water shortages in the north of both Mexico and Brazil are aggravating already difficult situations, writes a blogger. ...
Thailand's blueprint to rein in fallout from floods and drought
Hundreds died and businesses lost billion in last year's floods, caused in part by overflow from dams filled to hedge against drought. This year, Thailand is testing different prevention measures. ...
Death toll from blasts in Congo Brazzaville reflects bad urban planning
This disaster could have been averted by shifting rural newcomers to Congo Brazzaville to safer neighborhoods, and away from a dangerous site like the arms depot that blew up Sunday. Read the full...
Ethiopia + 1 more
African droughts: Could insurance schemes help out?
Aid groups are appealing for proactive action, as Horn of Africa drought persists. Could insurance schemes for poor farmers and drought-prone nations provide the answer? By William Davison,...
Quake hits Indonesia again, but this time residents are better prepared
Six years and one month after a devastating earthquake rocked Banda Aceh and South East Asia, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck, causing tsunami warnings, but this time residents had escape routes...
Famine early warning system gives Africa a chance to prepare
By Hamilton Wende, correspondent US government system, using ground sensors and satellite imagery, helped to predict this year's drought in Horn of Africa, allowing aid groups and governments to...
Thailand flood defenses divide Bangkok
The Sam Wa canal breach highlights a growing divide over whether Thailand's flood defenses should be used to protect the heart of Bangkok at the expense of outer suburbs and towns to the north. An...
Thailand's worst floods in decades reach Bangkok as political fallout mounts
Some 40,000 Thai Army troops have been deployed to build flood walls, set up sandbags, and help evacuations, but citizens are beginning to express frustration with the government response. By...
Bali earthquake rattles, but does little substantial damage
Today's 6.1-magnitude Bali earthquake caused no deaths and only minor injuries, in part because of the better development standards the tourist industry has pushed, say observers. By Sara Schonhardt ...
Mobile phones help bring aid to remotest regions
Souktel's AidLink uses basic text messaging to help relief workers learn what's happening and give out information on where people can find aid. In her recent address before the International Food...
Ethiopia plans ambitious resettlement of people buffeted by East Africa drought
By William Davison, Contributor / August 1, 2011 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia In Ethiopia's rain-starved eastern badlands, livestock is the sole asset for most. Swaddled in robes, pastoralist families...
One year after its worst flooding, is Pakistan ready for monsoon season?
Pakistan’s record floods last year killed some 2,000 people and displaced 20 million. Many officials say the country is still not properly prepared to deal with this year's imminent monsoon season. ...