Global Disasters/ Significant Events – March 2, 2016

UPDATED

Mongolian herders risk losing their livestock and livelihoods as Dzud looms

Extreme winter conditions known as ‘Dzud,’ a cyclical slow-onset disaster unique to Mongolia, are being exacerbated by a summer drought and extreme overgrazing, leading to insufficient hay for winter grazing, said a report.

“This, coupled with heavy snows and freezing temperatures is causing large numbers of animals to die from starvation. Parts of Mongolia are experiencing continuous heavy snowfall and snowstorms with average temperatures below – 25 degrees Celsius during daytime and around – 40 degrees during the night. More than 80,000 herder families (around 400,000 people) in the northern and western part of the country are at risk, with millions of livestock facing starvation in the coming weeks and months.”

Both the weather conditions and the state of grazing are worse than they were in the Dzud of 2009-2010, when millions of animals died, said the Mongolian Ministry of Food and Agriculture. “Tens of thousands of households lost all or more than half of their animals and many of these families were forced to move to slum areas on the outskirts of Ulaan Baatar and other urban centers. Large scale migration to the cities resulting from loss of livelihood among herders has magnified urban social problems such as unemployment, crime, alcoholism, domestic violence and extreme poverty.”

Europe faces an imminent humanitarian crisis

A rapid build-up of people in already over-stretched Greece is threatening Europe with imminent humanitarian crisis, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warned today.

“With governments not working together despite having already reached agreements in a number of areas, and country after country imposing new border restrictions, inconsistent practices are causing unnecessary suffering and risk being at variance with EU and international law standards,” UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva.

Edwards added that as of last night (Monday), the number of refugees and migrants in Greece and needing accommodation had soared to 24,000. Around 8,500 of these were at Eidomeni, near the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

“At least 1,500 had spent the previous night in the open. The crowded conditions are leading to shortages of food, shelter, water and sanitation. Tensions have been building, fuelling violence and playing into the hands of people smugglers,” Edwards stressed.

As of March 1, some 131,724 people had crossed the Mediterranean during January and February with 122,637 of them landing in Greece.”This is approaching the total for the first half of 2015 (147,209). So far, 410 lives have been lost.”

Critical fire weather conditions and Arctic airmass impacting U.S.

Critical fire weather conditions to impact at least seven states, as Arctic airmass moves into Northern U.S., said NWS.

NWS has issued Red Flag Warnings for all or parts of at least seven states in central and southern Plains.

Meanwhile, temperatures are forecast to drop by up to 15 degrees below average over the Great
Lakes/Ohio Valley to parts of the Tennessee Valley.

Snow, colder temperatures and gusty winds will continue to impact the northern Great Lakes, northeast and New England. Strong thunderstorms are possible in the southeast. In the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies, mountain snow and valley rain are expected. Critical fire weather conditions will impact the central and southern Plains.

Bluff or True? Sick Saudi terrorists claim they have nuke warheads

“Warning: Saudi Arabia, although a signatory to the Nuclear Weapons Non- Proliferation Treaty has just, in violation of its pledge, acquired atomic bombs from Pakistan.”  http://www.voltairenet.org/article190499.html

 

1.47 Million Children Forced to Flee Conflict in Nigeria, Region

Child refugee crisis in Nigeria, neighboring countries

Deadly attacks by the armed group Boko Haram has uprooted 500,000 children since March 2015, bringing the total number of children on the run in northeast Nigeria and neighboring countries to about 1.47 million, reported UNICEF.

Nearly 1.2 million children—over half of them under 5 years old—have been uprooted in northern Nigeria, while an additional 265,000 children have been forced to flee their homes in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, said the report.

• More than 124,000 children affected by the conflict have NOT been immunized against measles.
• At least 83,000 still lack access to safe water
• Over 208,000 are out of school.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – March 7, 2015

Death toll from severe weather in Afghanistan rises to at least 308

Some 182 districts in 20 provinces have been affected by heavy snow, avalanches and flooding, which have killed at least 308 people, injured 187 others and completely destroyed 4,776 houses, government sources said.

The number of casualties is expected to  rise, with more severe weather forecast for northern and central Afghanistan.

Worsening Food Insecurity and Water Shortages in Ethiopia

Pocket areas that received inadequate seasonal rainfall in 2014 and/or had a poor harvest due to flooding or crop disease will remain vulnerable in early 2015.

Food insecurity is worsening in belg/gu/ganna/sugum rain-receiving areas, as the dry season reaches its peak. Delayed rains and the expected below-average seasonal rainfall will impact belg planting, as well as water and pasture availability in pastoralist areas, said UN OCHA.

Refugee Crisis

Ethiopia hosts the largest refugee population in Africa with 656,199 registered refugees including 251,545 South Sudanese refugees, 196,000 new arrivals in Gambella since mid-December 2013, and 125,000 Eritreans.

33,000 new Eritrean arrivals registered in 2014 (including unaccompanied minors).