Disasters at 10-year low in 2013
October 16, 2014
In its annual report, the International Federation of Red Cross Societies (IFRC) counted 529 natural disasters and major accidents around the world in 2013, ranging from storms and floods to mishaps caused by negligence or technical failure.
The deadliest natural disasters were typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (pictured above), which killed nearly 8,000 people, and a monsoon flood in India, which left nearly 6,100 dead.
The most severe technical accident also happened in Asia. Last April, more than 1,100 people died when a textile factory building collapsed in Bangladesh. These three disasters alone accounted for more than half of the total of 22,452 people who died in catastrophes in 2013, the Red Cross said.
Outlook still 'bleak'
Though the number of fatalities last year was significantly lower than the average over the past decade - at 97,954 - IFRC chief Elhadj As Sy warned that the outlook was still "bleak."
"Climate change is leading to damaged livelihoods and increased vulnerabilities. Natural hazards are also becoming more frequent and extreme," As Sy said.
"Major hazards and disasters are distributed randomly. So comparing year-on-year in a data set like this is not very useful," said Terry Cannon, lead editor of the IFRC report.
Disasters 'not the problem'
Rapid economic shifts, population growth and urbanisation in developing nations are putting more people in harm's way, while experts warn that climate change driven by emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases is causing more frequent extreme weather events.
Cannon said -- alongside the drafting of risk reduction plans -- governments and aid agencies needed to make more effort to understand the lives of people in danger zones.
"The vast majority of people do not die or suffer in disasters. They suffer because of the problems of everyday life, whether it's bad water, poor nutrition, or bad health," he said.
"People don't give priority to severe hazards. They will highlight their day-to-day problems, health, malaria, water supply, not enough food, not enough jobs," he added.
The report said that estimated economic damage in 2013 amounted to 119 billion euros, also one of the lowest figures in the past decade.
glb/ipj (AFP, dpa)