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Aid relief picks up in the Philippines, begins to reach remote areas

Published in Monday November 18th, 2013 In In the media

Nine days after one of the strongest storms ever recorded ripped through the Philippines, the momentum of international aid distribution has begun to pick up. Food, water, medical supplies and basic necessities are being airlifted to isolated communities.

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Floods kill more than two dozen in Vietnam, displacing tens of thousands

Published in Monday November 18th, 2013 In In the media

On Sunday, television footage showed inundated houses and streets in the town of Hoi An and the former Imperial City of Hue, where authorities have evacuated hundreds of tourists. At least 28 people have died over several days of flooding, the most destructive since 1999. More than 100,000 houses have been flooded and transport by road, air and rail has been severely affected across the region.

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Manila rethinks local crisis response policy

Published in Monday November 18th, 2013 In In the media

Although residents were advised to retreat to a safe place, people in some regions were not transported far enough away from the coast. And while Ms. Lorch acknowledged that the catastrophe was of never-seen-before dimensions, she also pointed out that “the Philippines are regularly hit by similar disasters, and still haven’t established enough preventative and reactive measures at the civilian or military level.”

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Six killed as tornadoes rip through U.S. Midwest

Published in Monday November 18th, 2013 In In the media

A fast-moving storm system triggered multiple tornadoes on Sunday that killed at least six people and flattened large parts of a town in Illinois as it tore across the Midwest, authorities said. The tornadoes leveled scores of homes and demolished entire neighborhoods.

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Agony in the Philippines

Published in Wednesday November 13th, 2013 In Opinion

Five days after one of the worst typhoons on record hit the Philippines, the magnitude of the catastrophe is barely captured in the preliminary statistics: nearly 2,000 people listed as dead and many thousands more missing; more than 600,000 people displaced; countless homes and roads crushed by surging water.

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Lands Commission halts eviction of squatters from disputed land

Published in Wednesday November 13th, 2013 In In the media

The National Land Commission (NLC) has stopped further evictions of squatters from land that is at the centre of a dispute between locals and a private developer in Mombasa. The 527 families have been embroiled in a dispute with the developer over ownership of the 135 acres since 2010.

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Despite the state’s violence, our fight to escape the mud and fire of South Africa’s slums will continue

Published in Tuesday November 12th, 2013 In Opinion

Our movement of shack-dwellers – Abahlali baseMjondolo, representing some of South Africa’s poorest people – was formed in 2005 in Durban and now has more than 12,000 members in more than 60 shack settlements. We campaign against evictions, and for public housing: struggling for a world in which human dignity comes before private profit, and land, cities, wealth and power are shared fairly.

Tension and trauma reported rising in post-typhoon Philippines

Published in Tuesday November 12th, 2013 In In the media

As of today it is estimated that the typhoon has displaced over 800,000 people.

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Looting continues as desperation rises in Haiyan-hit Philippines

Published in Tuesday November 12th, 2013 In In the media

The Philippines is now contemplating the huge relief effort left by the devastation of Haiyan, which hit the archipelago on Friday with winds of around 315 kilometers (195 miles) per hour.

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Devastation in Typhoon’s Path Slows Relief in Philippines

Published in Monday November 11th, 2013 In In the media

The scale of the devastation and the desperation wrought by one of the most powerful storms ever to buffet the Philippines came into much clearer view on Monday, three days after it hopscotched across the country’s midsection whipping up monstrous walls of seawater.

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