On Thursday, the 30th of June, several cloudbursts caused heavy rainfalls – recorded over 100mm within two hours – which subsequently lead to flooding and landslides in Uttarakhand which were responsible for killing at least 30 people in Pithoragarh and Chamoli districts. Several people are missing and feared to have been washed away in a crisis that brought back memories of the deadly floods in 2013 which claimed nearly 6,000 lives. According to officials from the District Disaster Mitigation and Management Center, in Pithoragarh, eight people were killed due to landslides while in Chamoli, there are five people have died. The incessant rains have halted movement on the Thal-Munsyari road and the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway while in Chamoli, the Alaknanda river has surpassed its danger mark. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow code warning for next few days, indicating an alert for the same. It has forecasted that heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely in isolated places. As per the Meteorological department’s benchmarks, this means that there will be rainfall in the range of 60mm-120mm. The alert has been issued for the districts of Nainital, Udhamsingh Nagar, Champawat, Almora, Dehdraun, Uttarkashi, Pauri, Haridwar and Tehri for the next 72 hours. So far, 10 dead bodies have been recovered, while about 17 people are still buried under the debris. In four villages of Chamoli district, six people were killed, while three others are missing.

Alerts_15_2016_India_Flooding and Landslides

Now more than a year since Burundi’s current crisis began, more than 140,000 women, children and men remain in refugee camps in Tanzania and are unable to return home.  The situation inside Burundi continues to worsen.  A low intensity urban conflict is spreading progressively from Bujumbura to other provinces, resulting in targeted assassinations, torture, harassments and abuses.^[1]  Coupled with an economic collapse brought on by the conflict, this makes it virtually impossible for displaced Burundians to return home safely.

On average 100 refugees from Burundi are still entering in Tanzania every day while 140,448 Burundian refugees are currently living in Nyarugusu, Nduta and Mtendeli camps in Kigoma region. As many informants from UNHCR, INGOs and refugee leaders suggest, a quick solution to the current political crisis in Burundi and the short-term repatriation of refugees are unlikely. The current refugee situation is developing into a protracted crisis that will plausibly last for several years.

Alerts_07_2016_Scale Up Burundian refugee crisis in Tanzania

On June 19, 2016, life has become unbearable for people in Zota District in Bong County as thousands of very dangerous and destructive insects called army worms invaded towns and villages resulting in the destruction of crops, contaminating drinking water and causing residents to flee. So far, according to information gathered, 12 towns have been affected. Agricultural activities have ceased in these towns, as the people are unable to carry out their farming activities due to the overwhelming presence of these worms; more specifically, people who have contact with the worms develop abscesses (skin sores). If nothing is done to contain the spread of these worms, it can be expected that food insecurity and malnutrition will result because the affected towns and communities will not be able to carry out farming activities this year.

Alerts_06_2016_Liberia_Worm Invasion

Since the eruption of the ongoing Syrian conflict millions of people were forced out of Syria. More than 20,000 Syrian refugees came to Armenia. The vast majority of them are of Armenian descendants (the figure announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs E. Nalbandyan in the EU meeting). UNHCR, Armenia1 gives the figure of 16,623 refugees, asylum-seekers and persons in a refugee-like situation by country of origin reported. Arrivals are ongoing. Only in 2015 and 2016, 3500 people (450 families) fled from Syria to Armenia. Some people come without any documents and means for survival.

Alerts_11_2016_Syrian Refugee Crisis in Armenia

On Saturday 21^st May 2016, Cyclonic Storm Roanu struck 15 coastal districts of Bangladesh. The death toll in 7 districts was 24 persons. High tidal surge breached embankments in some locations and submerged agricultural land and standing crops. High winds destroyed traditional low cost homes of poor and vulnerable families living inside and outside the embankments. Fully affected families were 29,168 and partially affected 110,684. 500,000 families were moved to cyclone shelters and schools for safety by government, Red Crescent and NGO staff and Volunteers. They have now returned back to their homes.  Further heavy rainfall is expected that will aggravate the present situation.

Alerts_10_2016_Bangladesh Cyclone

Central America is experiencing the worst drought in decades. Drought is affecting food security for a second consecutive year. More than 4.2 million people are food insecure, severe acute malnutrition in some areas is reported to be as high as 8% and need humanitarian assistance after suffering major losses due to prolonged drought conditions. Predictive models show that El Niño intensity is diminishing in Central America and the Caribbean. It will probably reach neutral conditions (neither El Niño or La Niña) by mid-2016.

Alerts_09_2016_El niño Central_America

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on September 30, 2015 announced that a mature “strong” El Niño has prevailed in the Pacific Ocean affecting the Philippines. 14 provinces in Luzon and 12 provinces in Visayas experience dry spell, while drought is expected to be experienced by 6 provinces in Luzon, 3 provinces in Visayas, and 23 provinces in Mindanao. As of February 2016, the drought has already caused P5.32 billion worth of damages to the agriculture sector alone. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has reported that at least 100,000 fisher folk are also affected by drought through fish kills and red tide.

Alerts_08_Philippines Drought

The plight of Palestinians continues, the combination of the three recent wars among the previous 6 years, insecurity, political instability, political divisions, tight blockade, economic hardships and increasing poverty in the Gaza Strip continues to have a negative impact on the health, wellbeing and economic situation of Palestinians. The blockade policy enforced in 2007 has greatly impeded economic development in the Gaza Strip. The fragile humanitarian situation prevailing in the Gaza Strip following the summer 2014 war on Gaza in which more than 13,000 people were killed and/or injured  deteriorated further since the end of the war. A key driver of deterioration is the slow progress in the reconstruction of homes, infrastructure and assets destroyed during the hostilities, compounded by limited available resources and efforts to restore the destroyed livelihood opportunities, as well as the devastating impact of the exposure to conflict-related violence in Gaza on the psychosocial well-being of children, adolescents and families.

Alerts_07_ME PSE 2016

Last Friday April 15, at 16.30, a tornado hit the village of Dolores, Dpt. Soriano, 15 km. from the Uruguay River, in south western Uruguay, without warning. Dolores has a population of approximately 20,000. The tornado, considered as an F3, cut through the middle of the town travelling from West to Northeast, destroying everything in its path for 800 m. A third of this city`s population has been affected. Until now, we have registered 4 deaths, 12 persons disappeared, and more than 500 wounded, mostly children. A primary school, the secondary school and the local Hospital are seriously damaged, as well as near 1,000 houses and other buildings. Many of the damaged buildings are still at risk of collapsing. People have been taken in by neighbours and family, others in improvised shelters set up by local authorities. It continues to rain, causing some flooding, making it difficult to save personal belongings from damaged buildings. If the rain doesn`t stop, there will be health problems in addition to the existing housing problems.

Alerts_06_Tornado Uruguay

An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale struck on Saturday night, on the northern coast of Ecuador, with the epicentre 27 kilometres southeast of the coastal town of Muisne and 170 kilometres northwest of Quito the capital city (U.S. Geological Survey). The earthquake occurred as the result of shallow thrust faulting on or near the plate boundary between the Nazca and Pacific plates.

It is the most powerful earthquake to hit the region in 36 years. The death toll from the quake has risen to more than 246, Ecuador’s Vice President Jorge Glas said Sunday evening on Ecuador TV. At least 2,527 people were injured, he said.

Alerts_05_Ecuador Earthquake