Australia: Floods - Dec 2010

Scott B. Power, Head of Climate Research/International Development Manager, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Brad Murphy, Manager, Climate Data Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Christine Chung, Research Scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
François Delage, Assistant scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Puzzled oceanographers who wondered where the sea level rise went for 18 months now have their answer – it went to Australia

Rain - in effect, evaporated ocean - fell in such colossal quantities during the Australian floods in 2010 and 2011 that the world's sea levels actually dropped by as much as 7mm.

Read the full report on the Guardian.

NATURAL DISASTERS IN 2012

After an intense year of natural disasters in 2011, countries in the Asia-Pacific region welcomed a reduction in the number of events in 2012. OCHA and the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters recorded 93 natural disaster events in 2012, in which over 3,200 people were killed and more than 75 million people were affected. China and the Philippines experienced the most disasters in 2012.

19 October 2012

Planning ahead is the key to being disaster ready and that's exactly what 29 National Emergency Management Program Projects worth $3.8million will do for communities around Australia.

Attorney-General and Minister for Emergency Management Nicola Roxon said being disaster ready is a key priority for the Gillard Government.

"We want to strengthen the capability of our communities and emergency management agencies to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters and emergency situations," Ms Roxon said.

This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2011 Programme outcome

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Asia Pacific zone office continues to support its regional and country offices as well as the 37 national societies in the zone in building stronger and more resilient communities, improving and assisting in preparedness, knowledge-sharing and response to disasters as well as health and care challenges.

This document is the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Queensland floods of 2010/2011, established following the flooding of historic proportions in Queensland in December 2010, stretching into January 2011. It embodies both likelihood of flooding and the consequences of flood when it comes.

Century Cities and Flooding: A Guide to Integrated Urban Flood Risk Management for the 21st Century provides forward-looking operational assistance to policy makers and technical specialists in the rapidly expanding cities and towns of the developing world on how best to manage the risk of floods. It takes a strategic approach, in which appropriate risk management measures are assessed, selected and integrated in a process that both informs and involves the full range of stakeholders.

For affected communities, the recovery challenge continues one year on from the Victorian floods

For many communities in northern and western Victoria this week marks the one year anniversary of the worst of the 2011 floods and the largest Red Cross relief and recovery program in Victoria since the Black Saturday bushfires.

Red Cross Executive Director Victoria, Toni Aslett, said many Victorians in flood affected communities were still doing it tough and had a long way to go in their recovery journey.

As residents of Queensland's Darling Downs and Lockyer Valley this week marked the first anniversary of the floods, Brisbane locals are today remembering what unfolded in their streets this time last year.

14-thousand homes and businesses were inundated. And while much of the physical evidence has gone, for many the hardship continues.

Presenter: Annie Guest
Don Ellwood, Brisbane business owner
Pastor Graeme Oxford

Listen: Windows Media

A year after the Queensland flood disaster, the man charged with leading the final phase of the recovery effort says reconstruction is on target and will be finished on time.

The good news comes as sombre memorial services are held across the state to reflect on the devastation caused by the once-in-a-lifetime event.

A monument marking the tenacity of the Ipswich community has been unveiled today after two commemorative services were held in the city.

DISASTER EVENTS IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC IN 2011

Asia and the Pacific continues to live up to its reputation as the world’s most natural-disaster-prone region. The International Disaster Database, EM-DAT, reports 89 natural-disaster events in the region in 2011. In terms of the number of events, China (14), Indonesia (6) and the Philippines (22) top the list. However, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand suffered the greatest number of lives lost.

Next week marks the one year anniversary of the worst of the floods that hit the Queensland in 2011.

For communities across Queensland, next week marks the one year anniversary of the worst of the floods that hit the state in 2011 and led to one of the largest ever Red Cross relief and recovery programs in Australia.

In brief

Programme outcome

Red Cross National Societies are community-based organizations. Providing support to improve the functioning of local Red Cross institutions, programmes and resulting services, which then have an impact on vulnerable people, is at the heart of the Pacific regional office’s mandate.

Programme activities include:

This report covers the period 1 January 2011 to 30 June 2011.

In brief

Summary:

The first half of 2011 saw major disaster events occurring in several countries including Australia,
Bangladesh, China, Japan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu. Many societies across the zone continue to maintain a high level of programming in several new disaster response operations and continued comprehensive post-disaster recovery activities, while others have started reviewing their development activities in line with IFRC’s newly adopted Strategy 2020.

A new study assessing the availability and stability of food supplies in 196 countries has rated the food security of Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo as lowest in the world, whilst countries in the drought stricken Horn of Africa are also at ‘extreme risk’.

In brief

Programme purpose

Red Cross National Societies are community-based organizations. Support to improving the functioning of local Red Cross institutions, programmes and the resulting services, which then have an impact on vulnerable people, is at the heart of the Pacific regional office’s mandate.

Executive summary

Date: 1 July 2011
Press Release No: G/27/2011

Bangkok (UN ESCAP Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section) – Asia-Pacific countries ended three days of talks at a United Nations forum here today, agreeing to work more closely together on disaster risk reduction and make this central to national development strategies.

More than 10,000 people remain isolated by floodwaters across the mid-north coast of New South Wales.

Several days of wild weather earlier this week brought flooding and storm damage across a huge area between Grafton and the Upper Hunter.

Most rivers peaked on Wednesday night but an estimated 14,000 people are still cut off.

Peter Floyd from the State Emergency Service says the situation is slowly improving for residents along the Macleay River.

But he says those living in some remote areas may remain isolated for as much as a fortnight.

Wahroonga, New South Wales — As flood waters continued to rise in northern NSW overnight, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) volunteers have been busy accommodating evacuees in six affected regions.

A broad low pressure system off the north-coast of NSW has resulted in flash flooding in over a large area including Kempsey, Nambucca, Taree and Port Macquarie. More than 150 evacuees called on ADRA to provide emergency accommodation frollowing continued heavy rainfalls overnight.