Editorial
Information Management Offers Humanitarian Agencies Opportunity for Coordination and Exchange

Managing information is a critical feature of humanitarian work, and agencies working in the field of risk reduction are convinced that the better an organization is able to compile, analyze and disseminate critical information using effective information systems, the more efficient the humanitarian response will be and consequently, the greater the number of lives saved. (More)

A Record-Breaking Year

Since 1953, the World Meteorological Organization maintains and updates the lists used to name Atlantic tropical storms. The 21 names repeat themselves every six years unless one is retired due to a particularly catastrophic storm. (More)

WHO Leads Health Cluster in Response to Pakistan Earthquake
PAHO Deploys Technical Expertise

By the end of October, the devastating 7.6 earthquake that struck Pakistan on October 8 had claimed 55,000 lives and injured more than 75,000. The onset of winter weather and the difficulty in reaching many of the injured could cause these numbers to climb. An estimated four million people are in need of health services and more than three million are homeless. (More)

New Web Site Piques Children’s Interest

“ABCDesastres” is a new web site where young students and their teachers can learn about natural disasters and risks. The Spanish-language web site is divided into a number of sections. In ¡Quiero aprender! (Let’s Learn) youngsters will find a wide range of information on disasters and risk, including a glossary of terms. (More)

Agencies in El Salvador Discuss Importance
of Social Communications in the Face of Disasters

El Salvador’s tallest volcano, the Ilamatepec volcano, had been dormant since the early 20th century until it erupted on 1 October, causing the evacuation of several thousand people and triggering a red alert in surrounding areas. Government authorities were already in a heightened state of alert from the eruption when Hurricane Stan hit several days later and caused devastating mudslides. (More)

Hurricane season 2005.

For the last several years, experts have predicted that hurricane seasons will become more active and destructive. The 2004 season lived up to that prediction, but the current hurricane season has topped the record with 23 named storms. Katrina, Rita, Stan, Wilma, Alpha and Beta all left a path of destruction across the Caribbean, Central America and the U.S. (More)

Hospital Disaster Planning COURSE
Instructors’ Course WORKSHOP

This training material (Spanish only) contains an updated and expanded second edition of the Hospital Disaster Planning Course. It provides the methodology and the content to prepare hospital plans that take into account a hospital’s response capacity and its vulnerability to specific hazards. This material is an excellent tool to facilitate and guide those responsible for hospital management and hospital disaster preparedness committees. (More)

Disaster mitigation for drinking water
and sewage systems

This CD contains a variety of training and public awareness materials on disaster mitigation in drinking water and sanitation systems. It promotes and facilitates the incorporation of disaster mitigation measures into this type of infrastructure to reduce damage and ensure the post-disaster maintenance of service. It has been prepared for use by professionals and technical personnel involved in the design, construction, maintenance, and management of water and sanitation systems. (More)

Selected Bibliography

The articles listed in this section may be of interest to health professionals and others responsible for disaster preparedness, mitigation and relief. (More)