OCHA adds 500 free humanitarian symbols to communications tools and services
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA) has created a set of 500 freely available humanitarian icons to help relief workers present emergency and crisis-related information quickly and simply.
When a disaster strikes, it is vital that the humanitarian community can gather reliable data on the locations and needs of affected people and who is best placed to assist them. This often involves the need to present complex information in a way that everyone can understand.
Some of Asia’s most important growth economies have the highest financial risk from the threat of natural hazards, due to the high exposure of their cities and trading hubs to events such as flooding, earthquakes and tropical cyclones, according to the 2nd Natural Hazards Risk Atlas released by Maplecroft.
Bangladesh, the Philippines, Myanmar, India and Viet Nam are among the ten countries with the greatest proportion of their economic output exposed to natural hazards.
Over 80 countries around the world commemorated the International Day for Disaster Reduction last year and we hope that this year will be even bigger!
October 13 is the International Day for Disaster Reduction (GA resolution 64/200 of 21 December 2009). As 13 October falls on Saturday this year, the UN will observe the Day on Friday 12 October.
The theme for 2012 is " Women and Girls: The [in]Visible Force of Resilience". This year's International Day will put a spotlight on the millions of women and girls who are making their communities more resilient to disaster and climate risks and
VietNamNet Bridge – Unrelenting rains and high tides last week caused water levels in the Mekong River's upstream areas in Dong Thap Muoi (Plain of Reeds) to rise sharply, according to the Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
They rose by 1-8cm a day and would continue to increase rapidly, it said. The Plain of Reeds covers the provinces of Long An, Tien Giang, and Dong Thap. About 2,500ha of standing rice crop in Long An's Vinh Hung District are threatened by floods that have swollen to one metre.
