防災世界子ども会議（NDYS)
NDYS in Action, Newsletter
Natural Disaster Youth Summit Monthly News     
                 http://ndys.jearn.jp/news/index.html 　ndys@jearn.jp

Editor: Daniel Paz, 
Salta, Argentina

NDYS Youth Editors

Topics

Disaster Reduction and Climate Change

The EC sends help to South Africa (page 1)
Floods will bring sadness to Sierra Leona (page 3)
Madagascar and its early plan (page 4)

   

The EC sends help to South Africa

The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) is going to help the countries : Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and The Coromos, because the new statement released on 23 July said the EC had extended the scope of its disaster preparedness programme (DIPECHO) with a new allocation of €5 million (US$7.8 million) for the four southern African countries.

 

"This is an important step in supporting communities that are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Experience shows that many lives can be saved if people know what precautions to take and how to react when the disaster strikes," Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, said in the statement.
"The number of extreme weather events has increased sharply in recent years. Climate change already seems to be having a serious humanitarian impact," John Clancy, spokesman for Commissioner Michel. "The decision to extend it [DIPECHO] to the southwest Indian Ocean reflects an unfortunate reality: more cyclones are occurring in that area, causing ever more structural damage and serious flooding," Clancy said.

In Mozambique, catastrophic flooding in 2000 left up to 800 dead; in 2007 dozens of people were killed, and the country is yet to recover from floods in January 2008.

Over 100 people died when Madagascar was hit by cyclones Fame, Jokwe and Ivan earlier in 2008. The powerful winds, heavy rains and flooding affected over 340,000 people, of whom 190,000 lost their homes.

Cyclone Indhala, which hit Madagascar in 2007, caused over $240 million worth of destruction, according to CRED statistics. Altogether, there were six cyclones in 2007 - the worst year on record - while drought in the parched south has persisted for several years.

Malawi, also hit by floods earlier this year, has turned a corner since 2005, when drought left close to five million people in need of food aid, but the country remains particularly exposed to dry spells and food insecurity.

-1-

 

 

 

        

 

According to The Climate Change Risk Report by Maple croft, a UK-based firm that specialists in risk mapping, at the beginning of July, Comoros was the country most vulnerable to the future impacts of global warming, such as increased storms, rising sea levels and agricultural failure. 

According to the EC statement, various types of programmes would be supported, "including practical training in disaster response for community groups and institutions, early warning systems, public information campaigns and small-scale infrastructure works.  In Madagascar, it has been calculated that a child living in a disaster-prone area loses on average one full school year due to lack of access to or destruction of their schools," Clancy said.

The new funds would assist communities by establishing cyclone- and flood-resistant schools and clinics, "which can also serve as shelters for the community, and by funding the acquisition of small boats, for example, which allow children to continue to access their schools even in heavily flooded areas."

The statement also said implementation of these projects should begin in October 2008, before the onset of the next cyclone season around December.

 

The life expectancy is around 45 years in Sierra Leona. Many diseases affect people living in the poorest country.

 
                                                                                                                   

-2-  

 

 

 

 

        

Madagascar and its early plan

This country lost almost 100 people when the cyclones Fame, Jokwe and Ivan hit the island on the beginning of this year. This country is often eroded by floods and cyclones. There were 6 of them in 2007 when at least 200,000 people lost their homes. 

 After visiting the cyclone-hit areas on the Indian Ocean Island in early July, Walter Kälin, the UN Secretary-General's Representative on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, said humanitarian assistance alone was not enough. "The populations affected by the natural disasters in Madagascar need dedicated and continuous support in order to rebuild their lives."

A Joint Damages, Losses and Needs Assessment (JDLNA), conducted after this year's cyclone season by the government, UN agencies and the World Bank to assure efficient transition from emergency to development, estimated cyclone-related losses at US$334.9 million.

A paper on the 2008 Cyclones in Madagascar - Early Recovery Consolidated Strategy and Financial Needs, presented to UN agencies, government officials and humanitarian and development partners in the capital, Antananarivo, on 18 July by the UN Resident Coordinator's Office, estimated financial needs at $32.7 million.
"The international community needs to mobilize urgently to fulfill these needs," a statement accompanying the paper said. Securing the necessary funds will be far from easy. A Flash Appeal, launched after the cyclones hit, is still heavily under funded: of the $36 million requested, $17 million (48 percent) has been financed while another $1.8 million has been pledged. Although the first appeal made some provisions for ER (Early Recovery), most donors opted to finance life-saving activities as a priority, and the timing did not allow for the necessary assessments to make the case for ER. "Donors are supportive of ER," Legrand said, but international competition for donor dollars meant budgets might be tight.

 

 

Early help to people living in dangerous areas.

Source: www.irinnews.org

 

-3-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments:

I feel so sad because of Sierra Leona people, how can life be so bad? It is incredible the pain that people feel everyday, for me it is too much. I wish my best to the organizations which are in charge of the situation, because that people are human, like all of us, so dignity is what they look for, and hope all of them find it. I believe Madagascar is doing things well, they are preparing everything for future bad times, and that is a good example to follow. Training citizens and building strong structures are really marvelous ideas.

I think that South Africa’s citizens have this time a chance to prepare and train for the next season, so I hope they learn and teach about natural disasters so all of them can make it better this time.

  By Sergio Daniel Paz;  Salta-Argentina

 

 

 

”Communication saves lives! ”  

 

■ For more information please contact ■

ndys@jearn.jp   http://ndys.jearn.jp/

NDYS Committee Office: c/o JEARN Office / NGO support center/ Hyogo International Plaza 5-1, 1-chome, Wakinohamakaigan-dori Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-0073, JAPAN  

-4-