March 17, 2017

 

OAS participation in 5th Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas

 

The OAS was present at the V Session of the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Americas, in Montreal. Carmen Moreno, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) offered a key-note speech at the session on Gender Equality in Disaster Risk Reduction. Ambassador Moreno said that women no longer must  be consider a vulnerable group, and instead it must be understood that their conditions of vulnerability arise from gender inequalities and access to the same rights… Pablo Gonzalez, Principal Specialist of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development, attended on behalf of Secretary General Luis Almagro…

 

What happened this week?

Canada. During Tuesday night’s snowstorm in Montreal, 300 vehicles — and their occupants — were stuck on the lanes of southbound Highway 13 for close to 14 hours... Read more

Chile. Red alert for Valparaiso province due to wildfires: CONAF reported that the active wildfire fire “Ruta Las Palmas” has consumed 230 hectares in the commune of Viña del Mar. Approximately 6,000 people, some of which are returning, preventatively evacuated their houses. Approximately 16 houses are damaged. The electric service was restored; however, 2,200 people are without drinking water service... Read more

Dominica. Heavy rains damage infrastructure and cause flooding: over the weekend, heavy rains led to flooding which collapsed the Bailey bridge in Macoucherie and shut down the Douglas Charles Airport, which has since reopened. In addition, landslides have occurred, but so far there have been no reports of injuries or damages to health facilities... Read more

Peru. Heavy summer rains flood Peru: The rains and resulting floods and landslides have killed at least 25 people and affected more than 200,000 people in Peru. In particular, inland rains which fell on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains have caused major issues... Read more

United States.

1. Winter storm Stella to impact northeastern region: A winter storm is set to affect the Northeastern part of the United States from March 13-14. Travel is expected to be severely limited- flights have already been cancelled. In addition, power outages are possible due to wet snow and strong winds and flooding is possible in vulnerable shore areas...Read more
2. Following major wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, Governor Greg Abbott today declared a State of Disaster in the following counties: Gray, Hemphill, Lipscomb, Ochiltree, Roberts and Wheeler...Read more

Interesting Facts

'Monster Guard': The app the Red Cross really wants your kids to play. the American Red Cross is urging children to use an app — a game —  to prepare for tornadoes and other disasters. The app will be rolled out to 40,000 educators with a full lesson plan in the next several months to help students learn the science behind natural disasters...Read more

A supercomputer created a simulation of the F5 “El Reno” tornado which devastated part of Oklahoma in 2011. Now, researchers have created a similar simulation of the internal workings of tornado, without Hollywood magic or at risk of life and limb. According to a press release, researchers using a supercomputer have created the most detailed simulations of the inner workings of tornados so far...Read more

How to prepare in case you're stranded in a car for hours. What should you keep in your car in case of an emergency? And what should you do if you end up stranded on the road for hours?...Read more

New model aims to help improve resilience to subduction zone earthquakes. Subduction zone earthquakes are the largest on earth. Because of the severe impacts these quakes can have on society, researchers at the University of Bristol and the University College of London have developed a computer model to simulate the entire chain of events caused by these earthquakes...Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

2 bills aim to prevent or mitigate oil-train disaster. Native Americans, environmentalists and a fishing guide spoke out Monday in support of two bills that aim to prevent, or at least mitigate, an ecological disaster like an oil spill into the Columbia River...Read more

IBC supports outcomes of 2017 Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas. Last week, Canada hosted the Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas, held in Montreal. The three-day conference ran from March 7 to 9 and was supported by Public Safety Canada and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is a key supporter of the Regional Platform...Read more

Americas region adopts landmark disaster risk plan. The Americas region in March 9, took a landmark step on the road to resilience by adopting an action plan to tackle the huge array of natural and human-induced hazards that its dozens of countries and territories face...Read more