What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, May 12
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 May 12, 2025.
New or Emerging Disasters
Flooding – Las Vegas: In just the first week of the month, Las Vegas has already recorded the wettest May on record when it rained for four days straight. One man was swept away in the flood waters. The city received over a third of its average annual rainfall during this storm, helping to restore some moisture to the region during a severe drought.
Nevada is the driest state in the nation, but climate change is causing storms in the state to become increasingly intense.
Flooding – Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): At least 119 people have died after torrential rains caused massive flooding on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in eastern DRC. The floods surged around 5 a.m. on May 9 and washed away the village of Kasaba. Rescue operations are hampered by a lack of services and a shutdown of telephone lines due to the flooding, which comes amid one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
Flooding – Vietnam: Heavy rainfall and strong winds caused flooding and landslides in central Vietnam on May 9-10. One person has died, one is still missing and one was injured by lightning. At least 600 people have been affected by the storms, and more heavy rain is expected this week.
Previous or Ongoing Disasters
Disease outbreak – Los Angeles County: At least 29 people have been diagnosed with Hepatitis A in L.A. County this year, double the number reported during the same period last year. The current outbreak has resulted in seven deaths.
Officials believe many more people may have contracted the disease than what is being reported, based on data collected in wastewater. While unhoused people are more likely to be infected than the general population, people with no known risk factors are being diagnosed.
Complex Humanitarian Emergencies – Yemen
When a country experiences political conflict, climate shocks, famine, economic challenges or other conditions, it may suffer a complex humanitarian emergency (CHE). CDP maintains complete profiles on several CHEs. Every week, we highlight these and other CHEs hoping to build awareness and philanthropic response.
Yemen depends on wheat and rice imports, making it highly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. Although 70% of people rely on agriculture to survive, only 1% of humanitarian funding for Yemen goes to food production. As a result, three in four people in Yemen face acute food insecurity.
Key facts:
- More than half of all children under five in Yemen are acutely malnourished.
- Over 500,000 children under five suffer severe acute malnutrition.
- Economic crises and recurrent climate shocks continue to erode the livelihoods of rural families.
- More than 80% of Yemenis live in multidimensional poverty, struggling with food insecurity, limited access to health care and disrupted livelihoods.
- According to UNICEF, “Since 1997, there has been no improvement in the nutritional status of women and almost a quarter of women are malnourished.”
Funders must support agricultural food production in Yemen so that it is not so reliant on food aid. This means investing in drought-tolerant seeds for crops, funding flood prevention infrastructure, rehabilitating irrigation systems, and providing animal feed and livestock.
Join us this Thursday, May 15
Webinar: Hunger in the US: How disasters disrupt access to food
What We’re Reading
- Investing in disability-inclusive justice: A guide for funders – Impatience Earth
- Columbia takes regional lead in Indigenous self-government, raising hope of Amazon protection – The Associated Press
- As Trump’s EPA ends ‘environmental justice,’ minority communities may pay a price – Reuters
Gina DeLuca
Content Development Associate