Cyclone risks for Pacific Island hospitals modelled

Cyclone and extreme weather risks for individual hospitals across Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Tonga are being modelled in a study led out of Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.  Climate models with

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200 bodies yet to be recovered PNG landslide

About 200 persons are still to be recovered with 11 bodies retrieved and buried from the 24 May Landslide in Enga’s Mulitaka, according to Enga administrator Sandis Tsaka.  Tsaka, who is also the disaster committee

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Survivors of PNG landslide :“The stones from the mountain keep falling, we are afraid more could be killed, we don’t sleep at night”

“We don’t have a place to stay, and we barely eat and drink. We have nothing left,” said a survivor of the landslide in Papua New Guinea’s Enga Province. Twenty-year-old Frida Yeahkal, a community member whose

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PNG landslide: Thousands more to evacuate as death toll mounts

Six villages down hill from the landslide disaster that has claimed an estimated 670 lives in Papua New Guinea’s highlands will be evacuated over fears more of the mountainside will crush them.  The landslide in

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More than 670 people now feared dead following PNG landslide

A United Nations agency has confirmed more than 670 people are presumed dead following a landslide in Papua New Guinea’s highlands on Friday. The International Organisation for Migration’s Chief of Mission

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State of Emergency declared in East Sepik Province

Papua New Guinea’s East Sepik Provincial Administration has declared a state of emergency, effective Monday, until further notice. Mother nature in the last few days had caused flooding and destruction in Middle-Sepik

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Three dead, 93 houses collapsed after 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes East Sepik

East Sepik province in Papua New Guinea, which has been struggling with heavy flooding for the past weeks, was hit by a huge earthquake Sunday morning, doubling the pain for the Sepik River and wetland people. The 7.0

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Complaints mount at PNG ‘care centers’ for volcano displaced

Several thousand people remain in limbo three months after the eruption of Papua New Guinea’s Mt Ulawun, living at muddy camps euphemistically named “care centres” by authorities, and increasingly unhappy about

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Upgrades for five seismic network stations in Tonga

An upgrade to Tonga’s Seismic Network will cover five strategically positioned stations at Nukuhetulu, Tongatapu; Mt Talau Vava’u; Hihifo, Ha’apai; Niuafo’ou High School, Niuafo’ou; and Hihifo. Niuatoputapu,

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Volcanic eruption in PNG displaces 26,000 people

A volcanic eruption in Papua New Guinea has forced the evacuation of more than 26,000 people over the past week and created urgent humanitarian needs, a disaster official said Tuesday. Mudslides have followed the 20

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Thousands evacuated, flights cancelled as Mt Ulawun in PNG erupts

The Mt Ulawun volcano in Papua New Guinea erupted Monday, forcing the evacuation of more than 5,000 persons, cancellation of flights into and out of Hoskins, and ashfall affecting a wide area. Air Niugini suspended all

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‘Tipping points’ of risk pose new threats, UN report warns

A new UN report launched on Wednesday has some useful insights on “risk tipping points” which are becoming an increasing challenge worldwide.  Tipping points are reached when the systems we rely on stop functioning

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All clear given in Vanuatu, Lola downgraded to Ex-Tropical Cyclone

Vanuatu disaster authorities issued an all clear for the country as ex-cyclone Lola was downgraded to a tropical low system at 6.34am local time on Thursday. In the final warning bulletin issued by the Vanuatu

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At least 36 people died in wildfires in Hawaii

A search of the wildfire devastation on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday revealed a wasteland of obliterated neighborhoods and landmarks charred beyond recognition, as the death toll reached at least 36 and

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Temperatures off the charts, but more records imminent: WMO

Global sea surface temperatures reached a record high in May, June, and July – and the warming El Niño weather pattern is only just getting started – experts at the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said

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Guam A-G on typhoon recovery: ‘We’ve been living like cave people’

Guam’s Office of the Attorney General is investigating aspects of the government’s typhoon recovery response, including problems with the public water supply after the storm. “This disaster recovery was

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$8M to support Kiribati’s drought relief efforts

An $8 million grant has been disbursed by the Asian Development Bank to the Government of Kiribati to help fund drought relief efforts. ADB says the support comes after a state of emergency was declared last month in

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Born in a typhoon: Many, including newborns, remain without electricity as Guam recovers from storm

Most of the Guam remained without electricity and the governor appealed for patience during a recovery process expected to take at least a

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PNG quake kills eight, injures 17 and damages 800 homes

At least eight people are dead, 17 recovering in hospital with injuries and 800 houses destroyed in Papua New Guinea by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake which hit East Sepik a week ago, according to Governor Allan Bird. It

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Low supply, food aid delays in Vanuatu

The low supply of certain dry ration items from suppliers in the country is still hampering food distribution to Vanuatu cyclone-affected households.  The Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) is distributing

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Four dead, 17 injured in PNG earthquake

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake which hit East Sepik’s Chambri Lakes at around 4am Monday reportedly killed four people, injured 17 and destroyed more than 300 homes, according to Papua New Guinea police. Provincial police

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‘PNG Prepared for Oil Spill Disaster’

Papua New Guinea is better equipped to respond to a major maritime incident resulting in a significant oil spill following a national oil spill response exercise in Port Moresby’s Fairfax Harbour. PNG’s

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Disaster risk support needs better alignment with national priorities: Seruiratu

Fiji’s Minister for Disaster Management, Inia Seruiratu has been urging Fiji’s development partners to better align their support with the priorities of the national government in meetings in Indonesia this week.

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Citizens’ voices needed on disaster risk reduction

Nauru’s  delegate to this week’s Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction meeting says the needs of citizens needs to be heard in such gatherings. Roy Denton Harris, who is Nauru’s Secretary for National

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