Princeton system tracks drought to aid disaster relief

Princeton system tracks drought to aid disaster relief: he problem is that there is often no easy way to get data about water supplies in these areas — water monitoring stations don't exist, or they don't work, or they are simply too dangerous to operate. Groups such as AGRHYMET, an intergovernmental hydrology, agricultural and food security agency based in Niger, often have to rely on far-flung observers, often volunteers, to obtain the information manually.

Disaster relief must be more local and national, Oxfam says | Global development | guardian.co.uk

Disaster relief must be more local and national, Oxfam says | Global development | guardian.co.uk: Western donors and relief groups must build up the capacity of local and national organisations to respond to disasters, or the international humanitarian response system will fail to cope with an expected rise in emergencies, Oxfam warned.

In its report, Crises in a New World Order, Oxfam said international NGOs and the UN provide only part of the answer to crises from Haiti to the Horn of Africa, and future humanitarian action will increasingly rely on new donors and NGOs from around the world and on the governments and civil society of crisis-hit countries.

Customer Analytics: A New Lifeline for the Red Cross and Other Nonprofits? - Knowledge@Wharton

Customer Analytics: A New Lifeline for the Red Cross and Other Nonprofits? - Knowledge@Wharton: When an epic disaster occurs somewhere in the world, images of devastation are conveyed instantly around the world through newspapers, television and the Internet. The result is an outpouring of aid, often in the form of donations to nonprofits like the American Red Cross. But once the dramatic images and headlines begin to fade, donors often disappear as well.

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami | One year: Coming to terms with tragedy

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami | One year: Coming to terms with tragedy: Tomokazu Sato paces over the concrete foundations that are all that remain of the house where he grew up until the age of 18. “It still doesn’t seem real, I can hardly believe this has happened.”

“My grandmother was in the house by herself, because my mother had just gone up the hill to renew her driving license,” says the stocky bearded 35-year-old Japanese Red Cross staff member.

Sex Toys, Winter Coats, And Spanish Flags: The Uselessness Of Post-Disaster Donations | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

Sex Toys, Winter Coats, And Spanish Flags: The Uselessness Of Post-Disaster Donations | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation: Years of studying disaster relief has led Jose Holguin-Veras to a few simple truths about donations. While tiger costumes and sex toys aren’t going to do much good, it makes people feel better to think they’re helping. But they’re not--they could be doing a lot of damage.

Getting on with it: Bangkok bounces back

Getting on with it: Bangkok bounces back: More than five million people have been affected by Thailand's floods, which the World Bank says has cost the Kingdom some $20.77 billion in damage and $23.31 billion in lost opportunities.Those figures include the devastating damage to architectural treasures in the old Siamese capital of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok. Ayutthaya is a World Heritage Site and one of the kingdom's prime tourist attractions.

American Red Cross Extends Funding of Critical Medical Care in Haiti

American Red Cross Extends Funding of Critical Medical Care in Haiti: WASHINGTON, Friday, January 06, 2012 — The American Red Cross has committed an additional $3.6 million to underwrite operating expenses at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare Critical Care Trauma and Rehabilitation Program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This increases the total funding of the hospital to $8.6 million since the earthquake struck. The funding will support services until December 2012.

New forms of disaster relief a better alternative to straightforward giving - The Mainichi Daily News

New forms of disaster relief a better alternative to straightforward giving - The Mainichi Daily News: But here, in this desolate town, some locals are undertaking new efforts. In November, Masaki Takahashi, 36, the head of the planning department at long-established fish-processing company Takamasa & Co., proposed a "local buying for local consumption" scheme for relief supplies. With the cooperation of the local association of commerce and industry, he created a system by which those wanting to offer assistance can do so by purchasing goods from companies in the disaster-hit areas. Whoever wants to send aid can contact the local commerce and industry association, which supplies the names and contact information of local companies carrying the goods the callers are hoping to donate.

UN Seeks Relief Aid for Philippine Flood Victims � VOA Breaking News

UN Seeks Relief Aid for Philippine Flood Victims � VOA Breaking News: United Nations official is appealing for more than $28 million in relief aid for the Philippines, saying the area devastated by massive flash floods looks like it was hit by a tsunami.

U.N. humanitarian coordinator Soe Nyunt-U is calling on the international community to supply funding for basic needs, such as clean drinking water, food and emergency shelters, to the hundreds of thousands of victims of the natural disaster in the southern Philippines.

Foreign aid floods Sendong victims - GMA News Online - The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere

Foreign aid floods Sendong victims - GMA News Online - The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere: The governments of Malaysia and Germany have joined the relief efforts for survivors of Tropical Storm Sendong in northern Mindanao by donating money amounting to around P34 million — the latest in the long list of foreign aid being received by the Philippines in the wake of the destructive cyclone.