After the heavy rains registered since 1 November, almost 60 people died, houses were inundated with up to 1 meter of water and around 200,000 hectares of rice were severe damaged. The most affected city is Hanoi which is expected to receive more rains but not heacy as the past ones.

People manage to transport goods and other things using boats.

This situation was the worst that people saw in a lapse of a generation. There are still soldiers working on dykes so they can be reinforced. Official sources communicated that 10,000 people were evacuated during th first week of November and clean water and quick foods were delivered to the affected people. With the receding waters thousands of homes are filled with mud, rotting rubbish and sewage. City health officials have warned about outbreaks of cholera and diarrhoea but UNICEF reported that no outbreaks have been detected.

The 11 November launch in Jakarta of the Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning System (InaTEWS) was welcome news throughout the archipelago, but perhaps most of all in Aceh. The province hardest hit by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, in which about 170,000 people died, is still rebuilding homes and livelihoods devastated by the disaster. Mr Pieter Smith, who is the head of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said that about u$s 6 billion have been invested in Aceh’s reconstruction. He said Indonesia’s Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and reconstruction agency would end its mandate in April 2009.

Almost 130,000 people were killed and more than half a million made homeless in the 26 December 2004 disaster.This boat is what the tsunami left above this roof.

The early warning system can reportedly predict and disseminate news of a possible tsunami within five minutes of an earthquake, according to the National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

"This will give people around 30 to 40 minutes to evacuate and save their lives," said Edie Prihanto, assistant to the deputy for technological needs analysis at the Ministry for Technology and Research. The meteorology agency said about 57 percent of Indonesia's 81,000km of coastline was vulnerable to tsunamis

The system, which consists of buoys linked to detectors on the seabed, was developed at a cost of 1.4 trillion rupiahs ($130 million). Germany contributed 45 million Euros ($56 million) to the project, while China, Japan, the USA and France contributed equipment and technical assistance.

Since 2005, the government has been conducting tsunami preparedness drills in various parts of the country every year on 26 December - the annual anniversary of the 2004 tsunami.

Source: www.irinnews.org

Towns such as al-Qatn, al-Sawm, Wadi Amd, Seyoun and Mukalla have been affected by floods the past October, and now rains are still causing troubles. Seventy percent of the 42 schools in Mukalla, Hadramaut’s biggest district in which about 50,000 students are enrolled, were damaged. Children lost their books and useful materials for classes. 

But another problem is that schools(the ones which weren’t damaged) are being used as shelters for hundreds of people. Local authorities are planning to open proper camps for displaced people. Around 25,000 people were displaced people in Hadramaut, half of whom were women and children.  

Many of the displaced people don’t want to leave schools, they disagree about tents under the sun. The activities in schools maybe will start in 2 weeks. But by now nobody want to leave schools.

Source: www.irinnews.org

-4-  

Earthquake is one of the most frightening and destructive natural disaster. If the earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause many deaths and injuries and extensive property damage.

 As you will never have warning that an earthquake is coming, you should always be ready to face it.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE AN EARTHQUAKE:

1. Fasten shelves securely to walls and Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.

2. Identify safe places indoors and outdoors .these safe places could be Under sturdy furniture, Against an inside wall , In the open, away from buildings .

3. Educate yourself and family members  what to do in case of earthquake.

4. have  First aid kit and manual in your house.

5. Bolt down and secure to the wall studs your water heater, refrigerator, furnace, and gas appliances

6. have an automatic gas shut-off valve installed that is triggered by strong vibrations.

               7. Locate safe spots in each room under a sturdy table or against an inside wall.

8. .know where are gas, electricity and water switches to turn off.

WHAT TO DO DURING AN EARTHQUAKE:

1. If you are inside stay inside   until the shaking has stopped, you could get hurt from falling glass or parts of buildings. !!Most injuries during earthquakes occur when people are hit by falling objects when entering into or exiting from buildings.

2. If you are outside, stay away from buildings and power lines.

Take cover under a desk, table, or other large and stable piece of furniture.

3. If you are driving when an earthquake happens, stop the car if it’s safe. Stay Sin the vehicle, set the parking brake, and turn on the radio for emergency broadcast. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.

4. if you are on the ground floor of a building, with a heavy ceiling, you should try to move quickly outside to an open space. This cannot be recommended as a substitute for building earthquake-resistant structures in the first place!

               5. Do not use elevators. You may get stuck in the elevator.

              6. Stay away from glass, windows, hanging objects, bookcases, and anything that could fall.

7. Be aware that Lights may be out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on and hallways, stairs, and room exits may be blocked by fallen furniture

8. If the lights go out Do not light a match. There may be a gas leak, an explosion could result.

9. If you can take cover under a heavy desk or table and it moves, try to move with it.

10. If you are in a crowded public place, do not rush for the doorways. take cover and grab something to shield your head and face

 WHAT TO DO AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE:

1. Check to see if electric, water, and gas lines are damaged. If they are, shut off the valves. If you smell gas, open a window and quickly leave the building.

2. Stay away from damaged buildings and areas. You could get hurt by broken glass and falling objects.

3. Listen to the radio for more information.

4. if you are driving, watch for hazards created by the earthquake, such as breaks in the pavement, downed utility poles and wires, a fallen overpasses and bridges.

5. Stay away from damaged areas.

6. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
7. Help injured or trapped persons

8.  Leave the area if you smell gas or fumes from other chemicals.

9. Clean up potentially harmful materials and/or medicines which may have spilled.

10.. If you experience a strong earthquake and you live along the coast be alert for news of tsunami warnings and Move to higher ground as soon as you are able.

Sources:

www.fema.gov ; www.emergency.cdc.gov; www.thebeehive.org; www.earthquakecountry.info;  www.seagrant.uaf.edu