Flash floods in Red Sea coast of Egypt forecasted by early warning system

Heavy rains and flash floods in the Sinai (Egypt) have left at least seven people dead. The flood has damaged houses, roads, electricity lines, several harbours and the airport of Sharm-El-Sheikh. It has been the worst flash flood since 1994.

A positive element though is that the flash flood has been predicted two days in advance, by a computer-based flash flood early warning system. The early warning resulted in extra time to take action an spread the news for the competent authorities.

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Earthquakes caused the deadliest disasters in the past decade

In the past decade, nearly 60 per cent of the people killed by disasters died because of earthquakes, the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) revealed today in a joint press conference with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).

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African Union and League of Arab States Commit to Strengthen Cooperation on Climate Change

Climate change was among the items discussed during the fifth Annual Inter-Secretariat Meeting on General Cooperation between the African Union (AU) and the League of Arab States, which met at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Cairo, Egypt, on 16 January 2010

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Checklist for the Resilient Cities Campaign

UNISDR Regional Office for Arab States are seeking good examples on urban risk reduction activities in the Arab region for the Global Biennial Campaign 2010 - 2011 "Resilient Cities". Globally, the aim is to have as many cities commited to meet the criteria for more resilient cities. This checklist builds on the priorities adopted in the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015.

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Regional workshop on disaster risk reduction and climate change

The Regional Office for Arab States of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction secretariat (UNISDR), The World Bank, The League of Arab States and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport of the League of Arab States, are co-organizing a Regional Workshop on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: "Challenges and Future Actions", which will take place in Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt from 21-23 November 2009.

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Regional workshop on urban risk reduction

UNISDR, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery of the World Bank, UNDP Syria and the Syrian Ministry for Local Administration convened a regional workshop on Urban Risk Reduction in Damascus on 4-5 November 2009. More than forty participants representing local authorities, researchers, academic experts, international and regional organizations have gathered to discuss regional priorities and challenges with respect to urban risk reduction as well as key actions to be undertaken regionally, nationally and locally to build safer cities and increase resilience to disasters.

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Help shape the 2010-2011 world disaster reduction campaign

Building Resilient Cities

Interested in sharing your ideas, views and possible contributions with us to shape the Campaign?

Please sign up to get information and help shape the "Building Resilient Cities" campaign.

If you participated in the online survey through 8 January 2010 and provided your contact information, you will automatically receive campaign information in 2010.

For background information, please consult the Incheon Declaration (outcome document of the international conference 'Building a Local Government Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction').

International Day for Disaster Reduction: new initiatives launched in London

The global event of the 2009 International Day for Disaster Reduction was staged at the Royal Marsden Hospital, which was severely damaged by a fire in early 2008. The meeting gathered more than 120 participants from all stakeholder groups and was hosted by the UK Health Protection Agency in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).

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Related links

2009 International Day for Disaster Reduction
Programme of global event in London incl. slides of presentations
Video recording of the London event
Opening Remarks by Sir John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (delivered by Helena Molin Valdés, Deputy Director UNISDR)

Launch of the 2009 ISDR Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: Risk and poverty in a changing climate

Global launch, Manama, Bahrain, May 17 -18 2009

The Report is the first biennial global assessment of disaster risk reduction prepared in the context of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The Report was coordinated by UNISDR, in collaboration with UNDP, the World Bank, UNEP, WMO, UNESCO, the ProVention Consortium, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and a wide range of other ISDR partners. The Kingdom of Bahrain, the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), UNDP, UNEP, the Government of Norway, the Government of Switzerland, the ProVention Consortium and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) contributed financial resources that enabled the successful development of the Report.

The Report identifies disaster risk, analyses its causes, shows that these causes can be addressed and recommends the means to do so. The over-riding message of the Report is that reducing disaster risk can also help in reducing poverty, safeguarding development and adapting to climate change, with beneficial effects on broader global security, stability and sustainability. Given the urgency posed by climate change, the Report forcefully argues the case for taking action now. The Report presents a Twenty Point Plan to Reduce Disaster Risk to guide and inform national and international policy.

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