News

he Southwest Indian Ocean Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (SWIO RAFI) will be launched  during the fifth  Regional Platform for Risk Transfer Mechanisms (April 28-30), hosted by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).

In the span of one year, volunteer mappers put 30,000 buildings on the map in Sri Lanka, enabling the country to plan ahead and be prepared for the next disaster. 

The destruction wreaked by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines this month has renewed debate on a critical financial question: How can nations best prepare for and respond to natural disasters?

The Tonga Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption, tsunami and ashfall has caused an estimated US$90.4M (TOP 208 million) in damages – the equivalent of approximately 18.5% of Tonga’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – a World Bank assessment for the Government of Tonga has found. The report was produced with funding from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).

The destruction wreaked by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines this month has renewed debate on a critical financial question: How can nations best prepare for and respond to natural disasters?

Small island states are highly vulnerable to shocks and disaster-related losses are being further exacerbated by climate change.

Jamaica will be getting help from the World Bank towards the promulgation and passage of a new Building Act to replace the country’s 109-year-old building code.

The World Meteorological Organization's HydroHub is looking for innovative solutions in operational hydrology. Apply to the Innovation Call by 20 August to make a difference on the ground!

The SWIO RAFI seeks to address high vulnerability of the Southwest Indian Ocean Island States to disaster losses from catastrophes such as cyclones, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis.

Some 20 high-risk developing nations forged a new alliance for climate change preparedness.