Deadly Cyclones Affect Thousands of People in Yemen

Cyclones CHAPALA and MEGH kill dozens, destroying or damaging thousands of homes

The two cyclones killed at least 26 people in all affected areas of Yemen including 18 people on Socotra Island, and left 6 others missing, according to various reports.

The cyclones affected thousands of people in Yemen , destroying or damaging thousands of homes, said UN OCHA.

More than 500 houses were completely destroyed, and about 3,000 houses damaged on Socotra. “The number of displaced on Socotra is still estimated at 3,000 families (18,000 individuals), with part of the population of Abdo Al Kori, a small island off Socotra, evacuated to Hadramaut. Several food warehouses have been damaged by flooding, most roads are still closed and there are fuel shortages and no electricity. Despite improvements in the weather, many fishermen are unable to go out to sea due to extensive damage to boats.”

Access to all the affected areas, including Abyan, Shabwa, Hadramaut, Al Mahara and Socotra, is difficult, and  aid organizations  cannot determine the total number of people in need of assistance. as a result of the two cyclones. ”

In Shabwah, WFP estimates that the number of people affected by the cyclone could reach 18,000. This is in addition to those already in need of some form of humanitarian assistance from the ongoing crisis. This includes over 440,000 people in Shabwah and almost one million people in Hadramaut.”

 

State of Emergency Declared in Brazil’s Marina Mine Disaster

New evacuation orders issued amid fears of repeat mine disaster

Residents near the Samarco mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil, have been given new evacuation orders barely a week after the catastrophic collapses at two tailing pond dams unleashed  a tsunami of toxic sludge, burying the community of Bento Rodrigues, leaving dozens dead or missing and hundreds displaced.

The twin dam bursts released at least 62 million cubic meters of toxic sludge, burying most of the Bento Rodrigues community in Mariana, and leaving more than 630 people homeless.

A state of emergency has now been declared in the Mariana region, and civil defense authorities have issued new evacuation orders amid fears for the safety of a third dam, reported the Agence France-Presse (AFP) Wednesday.

“Families are being relocated so that they are in greater security,” the Minas Gerais state official told AFP.

The mine is operated by Samarco Mineracao—a company jointly owned by two mining giants, Brazil’s Vale S.A., world’s third largest,  and the Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton, Ltd., world’s largest mining company.

A state prosecutor, who specializes in environmental cases, has accused the mine operator of “negligence,” calling for Samarco to compensate the families of victims and the displaced, said the report.

Related Links

• Tsunami of Toxic Sludge Destroys Brazilian Town November 6, 2015