What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, September 2

We know all too well that disaster can strike anytime, anywhere in the world. Some disasters make headlines; others do not. Here at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), we monitor the status of disasters worldwide and compile a list of the ones we’re tracking weekly, along with relevant disaster-related media coverage.

Here’s what we’re watching for the week of Sept. 2, 2024.

New or Emerging Disasters

Extreme Hunger – Multiple Countries: This is a new standing section that will update readers on areas facing extreme hunger. As a reminder, CDP has a Global Hunger Crisis Fund that supports hunger and famine worldwide.

• In August, the latest IPC Acute Food Insecurity Analysis showed that in Lesotho, 19% of the rural population (almost 300,000 people) were at Crisis Level or higher (IPC Phase 3+) between May and September. This is expected to increase from October 2024 to March 2025 to more than 400,000 people, or 27% of the rural population. Of this number, nearly 30,000 people are at the Emergency Level. ECHO says, “The main drivers of food insecurity are prolonged dry spells, high temperatures, and economic challenges. The main hazards projected are La Niña and price hikes, which are likely to negatively impact food access and utilization. While the availability of food may not be affected, it is becoming more unaffordable for poorer households.”

Other CDP resources include:

• Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Fund – Sudan is the only place in the world with a current classification from the Famine Review Committee of IPC Phase 5 – Famine. Donations to this fund are currently supporting mutual aid through emergency response rooms. Learn more in the Sudan Humanitarian Crisis disaster profile.
• Our Famine Issue Insight explores meanings, statistics and levels of hunger definitions.
• Our Nutrition Issue Insight looks at the impact of the lack of food on a person, as well as food and nutrition needs after disasters.

Cyclone – Japan: A lone tree symbolized resilience for thousands of viewers as Cyclone Shanshan roared into Japan this week (see our Something Fun section at the end of this post for more.)

More than 100 people were injured and at least six killed by the storm that made landfall on Aug. 29 in Kyushu in southwestern Japan. Even before the cyclone made landfall, some parts of Japan had received 15 inches of rain. Shanshan had 85 mph wind gusts and was expected to drop an additional 5 inches of rain on the country on Sept. 3 Flooding and mudslides affected a wide swath of Japan.  

Pacific Typhoons – Hawaii: While the most recent Eastern and Central Pacific hurricane season storms saw minor impacts in Hawaii, the emotional toll was great. Our grantee partners shared with CDP that many people were afraid of the recent storms that came close to Hawaii because last year’s Lahaina wildfire was thought to be fueled by the extreme winds from Hurricane Dora. This is one of the effects CDP grantee partner Vibrant Emotional Health attributes to the impact of chronic, cyclical disasters.

Hurricane Hone passed south of Hawaii on Aug. 25, bringing heavy rains, high winds and storm surge. It is expected to reduce the risk of wildfires this season.

Remnants of Gilma slightly affected the northern shore beginning Aug. 29. Remnants of Hector dissipated 1,300 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, on Aug. 29.

Previous/Ongoing Disasters

Monsoon Rains – Bangladesh, India and Pakistan: The ongoing summer monsoon continues to wreak havoc on Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. With communications affected and some remote areas hard to access, the full picture is not yet clear, but what is known is disturbing.

• In Bangladesh, recent flooding has left 71 people dead. It is the worst flooding in 34 years, and UNICEF says two million children are at risk. More than 3,600 shelters are open, housing almost 286,000 people and over 31,000 heads of livestock. At least 600,000 people are stranded by the water, and six million people are affected. In just two of the 11 affected districts, officials report nearly 50,000 homes with damage. Water is receding in some communities, but more rain is expected. Concerns for waterborne illnesses are significant with more than 3,000 people hospitalized in 24 hours on Aug. 31.
• In India, the deaths in the country’s six most northernmost states due to floods and mudslides have reached 170 people since June. India is working to install flood warning systems on the nearly 20 Himalayan glacier lakes that face a high risk of flooding their banks.
• In Pakistan, at least 20,000 homes have been damaged, most in southwestern Balochistan province. Approximately 300 people have died in the country since July 1 due to rain-related incidents, including more than 30 on Sept. 2 and 3. At least 300,000 people are staying in government relief camps.

For more information, CDP maintained a profile on the 2022 flooding in Pakistan for well over a year due to the significant impacts of that event, which caused $30 billion in damage and killed more than 1,700 people. We now maintain a profile on the 2024 Bangladesh and India flooding.

2023 Al-Haouz Earthquake – Morocco: There are differing reports out of Morocco about the status of recovery for people affected by the September 2023 Al-Haouz Earthquake. The 6.9 magnitude deadly quake damaged or destroyed almost 60,000 homes and displaced 500,000 people.

Some communities did not receive government assistance despite their claims of damages, and others state that the assistance process is too complicated and insufficient. Payments from the government are rolled out in tranches, requiring homeowners to front the money for repairs. Further complicating matters are the “red zones” – areas where reconstruction is not allowed.

However, an op-ed by a Moroccan political observer and consultant based in the U.S. praises King Mohammed VI’s efforts to rebuild the country. He points to “The issuance of over 55,000 reconstruction permits and the ongoing work on nearly 50,000 damaged homes underscore the scale and speed of these efforts. Moreover, the government’s commitment to restoring public buildings, roads, and essential services, such as healthcare and education, highlights the holistic approach to reconstruction—one that prioritizes both immediate relief and long-term development.”

2023 Wildfires – Canada: One of the significant impacts of the 2023 wildfire season in Canada was the carbon emitted by the burning trees. Before the wildfires, Canada was home to 8.5% of the world’s forests. Canada lost 37.1 million acres (15 million hectares) in 2023, its worst-ever year for fires.

A new study by NASA shows that this resulted in a carbon release of 705 US tons (640 metric tonnes), bigger than most industrialized countries, in just five months. The research compares this to emissions produced in 2022 by Japan (321 tons/291 metric tonnes) and Russia (521 tons/480 metric tonnes).

Learn more in CDP’s 2023 North American Wildfires profile.

Mpox – Global: On Sept. 2, UNICEF “issued an emergency tender for the procurement of Mpox vaccines.” This should help increase the flow of vaccines and support access in hard-hit regions.

UNICEF reported: “More than 18 000 suspected cases of mpox, including 629 deaths, have been reported this year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC] which is at the epicenter of the crisis. Four out of five deaths have been in children.”

A weekly tracker of vaccines indicated that on Aug. 28, 2.6 million to 3.6 million vaccines have been pledged. The World Health Organization has not yet approved any vaccines, so they cannot yet be shipped to the DRC or other countries in need.

In addition to the disasters listed above, we actively monitor the following disasters or humanitarian emergencies. For more information, see the relevant disaster profiles, which are updated regularly.

• 2024 North American Wildfires
• 2024 U.S. Floods
• 2024 U.S. Tornadoes
• Afghanistan Humanitarian Crisis
• Haiti Humanitarian Crisis
• Horn of Africa Hunger Crisis 
• Gaza-Israeli Humanitarian Crisis 

Complex Humanitarian Emergencies – Myanmar

Many places worldwide are experiencing emergencies caused by conflict, climate change, drought, famine, economic challenges and other conditions that combine to create a complex humanitarian emergency (CHE). CDP maintains complete profiles on several CHEs, and what CDP considers Level 1 CHEs are profiled in this weekly blog post and tracked.

August 26 marked seven years since attacks by the Myanmar military forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. The Rohingya are a stateless ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and are generally concentrated in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar said in a statement, “The best way for the world to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the onset of genocidal attacks against the Rohingya in Myanmar is by acting to halt the new round of atrocities under way in Rakhine State.”

The latest atrocities are a result of intensifying conflict in Rakhine State between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military. Both parties have reportedly targeted the Rohingya recently, with Amnesty International saying the new attacks are a “disturbing echo of 2017 mass violence.” On Aug. 25, thousands of Rohingya refugees rallied in camps in Bangladesh, demanding an end to violence and a safe return to Myanmar.

Across Myanmar, conflict is persistent and continues to drive new displacement. An estimated three million people are displaced countrywide. A lack of access to affected people is a key characteristic of the humanitarian situation due to the violence and restrictions imposed by parties to the conflict. Helping in this context is very complex, and there are differing perspectives on how to do so. Supporting local organizations is always important, especially in such a restricted and complex environment.

What We’re Reading

• Where bad weather is deadlier: Rural vs. urban – Weather.com: This video has some great statistics to help understand the differing risks between urban and rural living.
• From ecocide to resource-stripping: War’s collateral damage on the planet – The New Humanitarian: “The death and destruction that conflicts cause are visible and immediate tragedies, but often overlooked are the long-term environmental consequences of that violence – insidious, poisonous legacies.”
• Air pollution deadlier than smoking, drinking & AIDS; reduced global life expectancy by 2 years: Study – Down to Earth: “Air pollution continues to pose the greatest external threat to human life expectancy worldwide and is limiting the global average life span by almost two years, according to a recent study.”
• UN deputy chief appeals for global solidarity as crises roil East Africa – UN News: “Spotlighting crises roiling parts of eastern Africa, the UN deputy chief concluded a regional visit in Adré, Chad, on Friday, calling for global solidarity to tackle famine in Sudan, flooding and mass displacement while ensuring free-flowing aid for millions trapped in war zones and those fleeing for their lives.”
• Diary of a day in Syria’s extreme summer heat – The New Humanitarian: A journalist in Damascus diarizes her day as she ponders the question, “Will life ever be normal here?” As climate change continues to increase temperatures, combined with Syria’s lack/high cost of fuel and dwindling infrastructure, perhaps the question should be, “What is the new normal for the Middle East and North Africa?”
• A climate-smart revolution is brewing in Tanzania and Maasai women are spearheading it – Down to Earth: “In Maasai culture, men have traditionally held the reins of decision-making, especially when it comes to land and livestock. Women were expected to care for their families, with little say in how resources were managed. But the devastating droughts that have swept through the region are radically dismantling the old power dynamics. As cattle die and hunger looms, Maasai women are stepping into roles once reserved for men, embracing climate-smart agriculture as a vital alternative.”

Something fun: Last week in Japan, viewers from across the country watched the livestream of a lone palm tree known as “Yasshi” (officially dubbed a historical landmark by Google) as it dealt with the strong winds of Typhoon Shanshan. Ocean Hotel Iwato’s livestream shows it still standing in the aftermath of the storm.

Three years ago, last week, during Hurricane Ida, I spoke to reporters in three countries as the storm raged around me. They all asked what I was doing and feeling at that moment. I said I was watching the pine tree outside my living room bend in the wind, wondering which way it would fall – toward my house or across the road. I was lucky. It fell across the road, and I had no traffic for a month!