What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, December 9

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 Dec. 9, 2024 . 

New or Emerging Disasters  

Disease X – Democratic Republic of Congo: A mysterious disease has been circulating in the Kwango province since October 2024. So far, over 400 cases have been reported with 30 deaths (however, the number of cases and deaths is debated and some reports estimate the total number of deaths to be more than 140). Symptoms present as a respiratory illness. 

Flooding – Haiti: Heavy rainfall in the northern and southern regions of Haiti has caused massive flooding and a deadly landslide, affecting more than 18,700 families. At least five people have died, five are still missing, and 13 are injured.  

Flooding – Libya: Northwestern Libya has been severely affected by torrential rainfall since Dec. 5. At least three people have died, and one person is still missing. The floods have displaced families, inundated roads and damaged infrastructure. A lack of resources has hampered rescue efforts. 

Storm Darragh – United Kingdom and Ireland: Storm Darragh brought winds of up to 93 mph in Ireland, and exceeded 50 mph in the United Kingdom. Downed trees caused two deaths, and the winds cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers.  

To learn more about floods in Europe, head to CDP’s disaster profile 2024 Europe Floods. 

Previous/Ongoing Disasters  

Typhoon Yagi – Vietnam: About 570,000 people continue to face challenges accessing safe drinking water and sanitation two months after the typhoon. Consequently, the risk of disease outbreaks is high. Food shortages, lack of access to health services and clean drinking water has put 70,000 pregnant/lactating women and 220,000 children under five at risk of malnutrition. Displacement and psychological stressors from the disaster have heightened child protection risks, including neglect, violence, child labor and child marriage for more than 100,000 children. Approximately 350,000 families urgently require cash assistance due to loss of livelihoods and displacement from the storm.  

To learn more about Typhoon Yagi, head to CDP’s disaster profile 2024 Super Typhoon Yagi.  

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.   

It has been over seven years since a military coup toppled Myanmar’s civil government, when attacks by the Myanmar military forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh and causing more than 6,000 civilian deaths. The Rohingya are a stateless ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and are generally concentrated in Rakhine State, Myanmar.   

With conflict affecting 12 of the 15 states in Myanmar, 3.5 million people are now internally displaced. Approximately one third of children remain out of school, with 55% living in poverty. About 85% of IDP households face unmet needs, with about a quarter resorting to crisis measures to cope. Violations of child protection are on the rise, with children facing the risk of exploitation, neglect, and separation from family.  

Even before Typhoon Yagi hit Myanmar in September 2024, 18 million people were in need of humanitarian aid. The storm exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis. In addition to ongoing conflict and rising poverty, many vulnerable communities were left with limited access to basic sanitation and health services, clean water, and their livelihoods destroyed in the wake of the storm.  

As of September 2024, only 28% of humanitarian funding goals have been met, with just 56% of people receiving needed aid.  

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

• Sudan Humanitarian Crisis 
• Horn of Africa Hunger Crisis    
• Gaza-Israeli Humanitarian Crisis    
• Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis 

What We’re Reading  

The role of insurers in driving post hurricane risk reduction investments – Nature  

“For example, in some places along the Gulf Coast, insurers have offered “Fortified endorsements” to cover the costs of rebuilding to Fortified standards. Developed by the Institute for Building and Home Safety, the Fortified building standard can improve a home’s capability of withstanding severe winds and significantly lower damage caused by hurricanes.” 

Warring parties target local aid volunteers as fighting escalates in Sudan – The New Humanitarian 

“In interviews, volunteers said both sides accuse them of being informants, distrust them for their anti-militarist views, and see them as cash cows to be ransomed and exploited. They described facing arrests, interrogations, beatings, and robberies. Volunteers said the violence has had a major impact on their groups: Soup kitchens and other local initiatives run by emergency response rooms have had to temporarily close in some cases, while volunteers have had to escape the city following threats.” 

Fall 2024 was the warmest ever – The Weather Channel 

This year’s warm temperatures resulted in record breaking lake effect snow in the great lakes due to the warm temperatures of the water. As much as five feet fell in some areas. Additionally, as of Dec. 3, 43% of the U.S. was experiencing drought. According to NOAA, 2024 will finish as either the warmest or second warmest year on record.  

A moment of hope… Sometimes referred to as the “Green Great Wall of China,” a belt of trees has been planted around Taklamakan, the world’s most hostile desert. It took 46 years to complete the project which concluded this week. Taklamakan is the furthest landmass from an ocean on earth, and the areas around it are some of the poorest in China. The ring of trees will help ease the desertification of surrounding areas, which affects more than 400 million people.