Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are all words used in different parts of the world to describe a similar weather phenomenon. The ingredients for a hurricane include a pre-existing weather disturbance, warm tropical oceans, moisture, and relatively light winds aloft. If the right conditions persist long enough, they can combine to produce the violent winds, incredible waves, torrential rains, and floods we […]
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Floods can be very high-impact events. Annual flooding is a natural phenomenon long associated with increased soil fertility, but human habitation and land-use practices lead to many adverse impacts. Less frequent but unexpected flooding, caused by the interplay of natural and human factors, occur worldwide. Natural causes include: high-intensity or prolonged rains, storms and storm
Hazards originating from technological or industrial accidents, dangerous procedures, infrastructure failures or specific human activities that may cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation. Examples of technological hazards include industrial pollution, nuclear radiation, toxic wastes, dam failures, transport, industrial or technological accidents (explosions, fires, chemical spills).
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As more people live closer and closer together, particularly as a result of urbanization, risks associated with fire increase. House fires are predominantly accidental, usually in relation to the use of indoor lamps, stoves or heaters that use an open flame. However, careless use of cigarettes is another leading cause of fires, and fires may
During a landslide (also known as a landslip or mudslide), water-saturated masses of rock, earth, and debris move down a destabilized slope, having the ability to cause service disruptions, damage to property and agriculture, human injuries, and in severe cases, death. Landslides have various causes including earthquakes, storms, volcanic eruptions, fires, and human modifications to
Drought is a long-lasting event triggered by a severe lack of precipitation that results in a water shortage. The far-reaching impacts of drought range from agricultural losses and food insecurity to public health risks, migration, and economic instability. This page covers key information about drought, its impacts, and strategies for preparedness and risk reduction at
Communicable diseases kill more people and destroy more livelihoods than natural disasters and conflicts together. There are two ways in which communicable disease and disasters are related: 1) the outbreak of communicable disease may overwhelm community coping capacities and spark a disaster and 2) disaster events themselves are often feared to create situations where the
Communicable Disease Read More »
Extreme winter cold can cause death and injury to people, as well as to livestock and wildlife, through direct exposure to cold temperatures, impacts on vegetation, and impacts on the built environment and infrastructure which can depend on elements that become brittle and lose function in cold temperatures. The impacts of cold weather may often
ACAPS preliminary Briefing Note on Typhoon Hagupit Category 5 Typhoon Hagupit, locally known as Ruby, made landfall on the evening of 6 December over the town of Dolores in Eastern Samar province (Eastern Philippines). This may be the first of at least six landfalls the typhoon may make between 6 and 8 December. Hagupit’s 600km diameter means that
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This publication, a supplement to the previously published “Public awareness and education for disaster risk reduction: a guide”, is offered as a tool for practitioners internationally to use in a consensus-building validation process. National Societies, national disaster management organizations, governmental and non-governmental organisations and international organizations are invited to be part of a global validation
Public Awareness and Public Education for DRR: Key messages Read More »