In this issue
Nepal Earthquake P.1
Vanuatu: Tropical Cyclone Pam P.3
Preparing for disasters P.5
World Conference on DRR P.6
Business engagement P.6
HIGHLIGHTS
• The Nepal Earthquake and Tropical Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu were the most severe disasters in the first half of 2015.
• In Nepal, the humanitarian response included a major search and rescue initiative from 31 countries as well as improved response in the field of community engagement and gender.
• During Tropical Cyclone Pam, humanitarian civilmilitary coordination helped to deliver aid to over 22 affected islands.
• Disaster preparedness measures led to a better earthquake response in Nepal.
Disasters affect thousands across Asia-Pacific
In the first half of 2015, the lives of over 2 million people were severely affected by several emergencies in Asia-Pacific. The most severe disasters included the Nepal Earthquake and Tropical Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu. Overall, 48 natural disasters killed more than 11,200 people between January and June, an increase of over 1,000 per cent during the same period in 2014. The increase in deaths comes mainly from the casualties caused by the devastating earthquakes in Nepal. However, fewer people were estimated to be affected by disasters in 2015 compared to the previous year, when floods and storms affected hundreds of thousands in China.
Conflicts across Asia-Pacific continued to displace almost 2.1 million people. This includes some 240,000 people displaced from inter-communal violence in Myanmar, where in the first quarter of 2015 over 25,000 people (from Myanmar and Bangladesh) risked sea crossings in the Bay of Bengal, almost double the departure rates reported in the first quarters of 2013 and 2014.