Quake Prevention Beats Quake Relief | TIME.com

Quake Prevention Beats Quake Relief | TIME.com: No would doubt that victims—often injured and homeless—need immediate help after something as catastrophic as a major quake. But as Brian Tucker, the president of the earthquake consultancy GeoHazards International, points out in a piece in Science, some of that money would do far more good if it could be spent preparing a city or country before disaster strikes. “We can significantly reduce the death rate from natural disasters,” says Tucker. “But we need to increase the proportion of investment we make in preparedness.

Canada: Calgary flood damages now estimated at $436.5 million | Business Insurance

Canada: Calgary flood damages now estimated at $436.5 million | Business Insurance: Damages from the recent floods in the Canadian city of Calgary total an estimated $460 million Canadian ($436.5 million), including damages related to city-owned assets and infrastructure, a new report prepared for the Mayor said.

Recipe for disaster | Our View | EDITORIAL

Recipe for disaster | Our View | EDITORIAL: Towards dealing with disasters, the Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium, a unique mechanism that brings together state agencies, financial institutions and international aid organisations, has drafted a National Disaster Response Framework, which outlines actions to be taken before, during and after a crisis. A

Japan’s New Donation Culture | Nippon.com

Japan’s New Donation Culture | Nippon.com: ccording to the calculations of the Japan Fundraising Association, a total of around �600 billion in donations were collected after the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck on March 11, 2011—roughly the same amount of donations normally made during an entire year in Japan. Moreover, across Japan more than 85 million people, or 76.9% of the population over 15 years of age (as of 2011), made monetary or material donations in response to the disaster. A survey of some of these donors revealed that around 80% agreed more or less with the statement that “charitable donations are a way to contribute to society.”

Let's rebuild together, responsibly | Letters | Carstairs Courier

Let's rebuild together, responsibly | Letters | Carstairs Courier: With the flood waters receding and families picking through the ruins of their homes, Alberta’s government has pledged at least $1 billion in disaster relief. It will come as a surprise to everyone if the final bill isn’t a lot higher than that.

The flood devastated my own community of Bowness, yet volunteers arrived in droves with shovels and goodwill to help their neighbours. At the height of the flood, Calgarians patrolled the streets in neighbourhood watches and helped each other in countless acts of good deeds

Disaster-relief vending machines on the rise - The Japan News

Disaster-relief vending machines on the rise - The Japan News: When the Great East Japan Earthquake hit on March 11, 2011, Coca-Cola Japan Co. took advantage of the remote control functions on about 400 disaster-relief vending machines, equipped with batteries for backup, in the Tokyo metropolitan area and other locations.

The Tokyo-headquartered company offered more than 88,000 of its beverages for free to people who had difficulty returning home in the aftermath of the disaster.

The company said it later received words of gratitude such as, “It was nice to get a hot drink for free in such a cold situation.”

New class gives Gulfport students experience in disaster relief - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi

New class gives Gulfport students experience in disaster relief - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi: GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -

Gulfport students have a unique opportunity this year to take a more active role in disaster recovery. Gulfport High is the only school in Mississippi chosen to launch a study on how disasters affect people, especially children. The project will take teens into the community.

They were only eight-years-old when Hurricane Katrina struck.

Flooded town says it can't take any more donations:no space to store it

Flooded town says it can't take any more donations:no space to store it: HIGH RIVER, Alta. - The southern Alberta town that everyone had to leave due to flooding says it will no longer take donations of goods because it has run out of storage space.

High River said in an email Tuesday that it appreciates the generosity and overwhelming support it has received since the devastating flood in June.

China braces for typhoon as flood toll rises - Channel NewsAsia

China braces for typhoon as flood toll rises - Channel NewsAsia: China braced itself for the arrival of Typhoon Trami on Wednesday with emergency officials making disaster relief preparations, as the country recovered from severe weather which left more than 150 people dead.

Mobile phones, social media to be utilized in Nankai Trough quake | GlobalPost

Mobile phones, social media to be utilized in Nankai Trough quake | GlobalPost: The land ministry is considering utilizing information collected through mobile phones and social media to keep track of disaster information in the event of a major earthquake occurring in the Nankai Trough off central and western Japan, a draft interim report showed Sunday.

New Zealand quake city opens cardboard cathedral

New Zealand quake city opens cardboard cathedral: Christchurch's cardboard cathedral officially opens on Thursday, replacing the neo-Gothic structure destroyed in a 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people in New Zealand's second largest city.

Participants start pedaling for flood delayed fundraiser ride | CTV Calgary News

Participants start pedaling for flood delayed fundraiser ride | CTV Calgary News: More than 1,600 cyclists made their way through Calgary streets, and highways south of the city, for Saturday’s fifth annual Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraiser.

June’s record flooding forced organizers to switch the date for the two-day ride which will see participants cycling a distance of 200 kilometres between Calgary and Okotoks and back to Calgary.

Calgary Distress Centre prepares for long-term flood effects - Calgary - CBC News

Calgary Distress Centre prepares for long-term flood effects - Calgary - CBC News: The Distress Centre in Calgary is recruiting more volunteers for its crisis line to help address an influx of calls from flood victims.

The centre has already seen a 38 per cent jump since floodwater ripped through many Calgary communities last month.

N.Y. Attorney General Questions Charities on Sandy Spending - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

N.Y. Attorney General Questions Charities on Sandy Spending - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: A review of Hurricane Sandy aid by New York’s attorney general found that as of late March, nonprofit groups had yet to disburse more than 40 percent of the $575-million in donations they received to aid storm victims, writes The New York Times.

Prince George's water outage like a 'natural disaster' - WTOP.com

Prince George's water outage like a 'natural disaster' - WTOP.com: ore than 150,000 Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission customers are affected, but the impact is much greater since a customer may be an individual home or business.

"This is an unprecedented situation in terms of the scope and size," said Scott Petersen, a spokesman for Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, on WTOP.

"It is the equivalent of a natural disaster hitting the county," said Petersen.

4 Questions about Disaster Philanthropy for Bob Ottenhoff | Arabella Advisors

4 Questions about Disaster Philanthropy for Bob Ottenhoff | Arabella Advisors: Bob Ottenhoff is the inaugural president and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), which provides tools, expert analysis, and strategic guidance to maximize the effectiveness of donations to disaster relief and recovery. Recently, the Chronicle of Philanthropy recognized the launch of CDP as one of the “Five Nonprofit High Points of 2012.” We spoke to Bob about what donors really need to know to respond to and plan for a disaster

Where Do the Homeless Flee in a Flood? | Mariah Griffin-Angus

Where Do the Homeless Flee in a Flood? | Mariah Griffin-Angus: As I watched well-dressed pedestrians scramble for sanctuary, I suddenly thought of the many men I knew who had no place to go. Toronto has a huge homeless problem and on the best of days it is hard for many to get a shelter bed or a safe place to spend the day. And as water flooded the underpasses and drenched the suits of bankers, I wondered who was making room for the homeless?

China sends relief teams to rainstorm-hit regions |Society |chinadaily.com.cn

China sends relief teams to rainstorm-hit regions |Society |chinadaily.com.cn: BEIJING - Central authorities have dispatched disaster survey and relief teams to rainstorm-hit regions in North China's Shanxi province and Northwest China's Shaanxi province, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

Rush donating concert money to Canada flood relief | Showbiz | News | Daily Express

Rush donating concert money to Canada flood relief | Showbiz | News | Daily Express: Canadian rockers RUSH have pledged to hand over the money raised from an upcoming show in Alberta to a flood relief fund for locals.

Left in Typhoon Soulik's wake, heavy damage to crops, schools - Taiwan News Online

Left in Typhoon Soulik's wake, heavy damage to crops, schools - Taiwan News Online: phoon Soulik caused severe damage to Taiwan's agricultural sector, with losses estimated at nearly NT$500 million (US$16.75 million) as of Monday, according to the Council of Agriculture (COA). As of 11 a.m., aggregate crop and private agricultural facility losses totaled an estimated NT$492.98 million, COA officials said. The figure included NT$446.68 million in agricultural produce losses, NT$6.66 million in livestock, aquaculture and forestry losses, and NT$39.64 million in damage to facilities.