Source: Maplecroft15 Feb 2011 The role of climate change in the recent catalogue of meteorological disasters will be hotly debated. It is widely acknowledged that a warming world will impact cyclone activity and rainfall patterns. However, the impact on the intensity of La Niña events remains uncertain. Event The 2010/2011 La Niña episode has left […]
By James Eck, Vice President,Senior Credit Officer, Moody’s Investors ServiceMoody’s Weekly Credit Outlook, February 14, 2011 Earnings reports from global reinsurance firms over the past two weeks shed light on losses arising from the December and January catastrophic floods in Queensland, Australia. While insured loss estimates are preliminary, we believe they will impact reinsurers’ earnings, […]
By ELISABETH ROSENTHALFebruary 12, 2011 Under the weight of record snows, roofs across the Northeast have been buckling this winter, raining debris on children skating in ice rinks, crushing cows and tractors in farmers’ barns and even flattening a garage full of antique cars. In December, nearly 18 inches of new heavy snow brought down […]
By Degsew Amanu, AfricaNews reporter in Kampala, Uganda Posted on Monday 14 February 2011 – 09:00 Ugandans are now in their hottest season with an average 30°C of daily temperature. However, most of them are not sure whether the coldest months will come soon since everything regarding the environment has changed. Besides, unusually, night temperature […]
Colombo (AFP) Feb 13, 2011 – The damage from monsoon flooding in Sri Lanka over the last six weeks is estimated at $600 million, a government minister said Sunday amid a slow response to an international appeal for help. Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said the government would spend 33 billion rupees ($300 million) to […]
By Yereth Rosen; editing by Steve Gorman and Greg McCuneSat Feb 12, 2011 12:43pm EST ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – Thawing permafrost is triggering mudslides onto a key road traveled by busloads of sightseers. Tall bushes newly sprouted on the tundra are blocking panoramic views. And glaciers are receding from convenient viewing areas, while their rapid […]
VIENNA, Feb 10 (IPS) , 2011 (IPS) – Pakistan is still reeling from flooding that caused one of the world’s costliest natural disasters in 2010, with millions of people lacking shelter, infrastructure in ruins and donations falling short of appeals. But worse may come. The United Nations’ disaster coordination agency announced on Jan. 24 that […]
By Megan NeilFebruary 11, 2011 As Dudley Maslen watched in horror TV footage of the deadly ‘inland tsunami’ raging across southeast Queensland, it reminded him of September 11. ”To me, it was a bit like watching that 9/11,” he recalls. ”You’re watching it and it’s real but it’s just unbelievable. It’s just staggering, the absolute […]
By Sally Davies6 Feb 2011 The president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino, has imposed a nationwide ban on logging after floods which affected a high proportion of the country. The president said that too much logging was resulting in these areas being more susceptible to flooding and landslides. However, it is expected that it will […]
By Ben BerkowitzWed Feb 9, 2011 9:53am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) – In Chester County, South Carolina, off a dirt road in the middle of a field, insurance companies are literally unleashing a storm. To simulate hurricane-like conditions, an industry group has built a wind tunnel big enough to accommodate nine large residential homes. Some […]
