What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, November 18

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 Nov. 18, 2024.

New or Emerging Disasters

Floods – Spain: Weeks after the country’s worst disaster in recent memory, Spain was hit again by torrential rains, causing evacuations and flooding in Malaga and Valencia. These regions are still recovering from the floods that killed 220 people last month. In Malaga, hospitals were flooded, a river broke its banks and destroyed homes, and 4,000 people were evacuated. Severe rain warnings remain in place in southwestern Spain.

Head to CDP’s 2024 Europe Floods profile to read more about flooding in Europe.

Tropical Storm Sara – Multiple Countries: Tropical Storm Sara brought heavy rains to Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize before heading toward Mexico. As of Nov. 17, it had weakened to a tropical depression and was expected to bring tropical rains to the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, which was hit by multiple hurricanes this season.

In Honduras, the storm stalled over the country, and authorities reported that up to 40 inches of rain fell. In other countries, 5 to 20 inches of rain fell, leading to flash flooding and landslides. Sara was the 18^th named storm of the 2024 hurricane season.

Head to CDP’s 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season profile to read more about this year’s hurricanes.

Typhoons – Philippines:

Typhoon Usagi: Typhoon Usagi became the 5^th major storm to hit the Philippines in the last three weeks when it made landfall in Luzon on Nov. 14. This week saw four major storms churning in the South China Sea all at once, the first time this has happened since record-keeping began.

The island of Luzon evacuated 24,000 people and many others are still displaced by Typhoon Toraji. The UN Humanitarian Country Team in the Philippines said it was raising $32.9 million to help the government provide assistance to about 210,000 people in critical need of aid and protection, as the country has few resources left to support disaster relief.

“The Philippines is facing an exceptionally challenging tropical cyclone season, with successive cyclones reaching unprecedented locations and scales,” the U.N. team said in its emergency plan. “Local authorities, who are often impacted themselves, are overwhelmed as they simultaneously respond to the crisis and coordinate rescue efforts for affected families.”

Super Typhoon Man-Yi: The sixth major storm to hit the Philippines in three weeks (and fourth in 10 days) arrived just days after Typhoon Usagi. Super Typhoon Man-Yi made landfall on Nov. 16 in the eastern province of Catanduanes, killing at least 8 people. Farmlands and villages were flooded, affecting livelihoods in areas already struggling with food scarcity. Strong rains triggered landslides and storm surges, and nearly 8,000 homes were destroyed.

Over one million people were affected, with nearly 700,000 evacuated. More than 100 cities and towns face power outages after strong winds toppled electric posts. As residents in Isabela Province cleaned up Monday, Nov. 18, floodwaters engulfed their homes after the Magayat Dam broke from Man-Yi’s catastrophic rains.

Previous/Ongoing Disasters

Wildfires – New York/New Jersey: About 165 households were issued a voluntary evacuation order on Nov. 16 as firefighters struggled to contain the Jennings Creek Fire burning on the New York/New Jersey border. As of Nov. 17, the fire had burned 8 square miles and was 88% contained. The fire has been burning for over a week and led to the death of a teenage firefighter and injuries to two others. 

Hurricanes Helene and Milton – Multiple locations:

• Florida: Managing debris is always one of the biggest challenges after a disaster, but this is amplified for island communities. After hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, debris collected from around the community was taken to a local park and parking lot, creating a huge pile that stood 50 feet tall and about 150 feet across. As of Nov. 14, the debris pile has been removed, and officials are working on testing and remediating the soil of contaminants, if necessary. Typically, debris removal in Florida communities can take four to six months; to help get residents (and tourism) back to normal, Treasure Island invested in extra labor to speed the cleanup.
• North Carolina: Areas impacted by flooding from Hurricane Helene are struggling to recover. Small businesses and people working in the tourism industry were especially hard hit right at the busiest time of the year for visitors (fall foliage season and Christmas). Many restaurants and hotels remain under a boil water advisory. State lawmakers are meeting on Nov. 18 to discuss recovery funding.

Chemical Explosion – Georgia, U.S.: An explosion on Oct. 29 at a chlorine plant north of Atlanta, Georgia, sent noxious plumes of smoke into the air for several days. About 17,000 people were evacuated, and another 90,000 were ordered to shelter in place.

Residents in suburbs 25 miles away from the plant reported a strong chemical smell. Now, five weeks after the explosion, residents are suffering prolonged illnesses and financial upheaval. Students in the area went to school remotely for three weeks, forcing parents to stay home. From doctor’s bills to prescriptions to weeks of missed income, some residents report having paid thousands of dollars in damages in the aftermath of the fire. The facility partially reopened on Nov. 13, but residents and officials are concerned about having the plant so close to residential areas.

Complex Humanitarian Emergencies – Democratic Republic of Congo

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.

Armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a major driver of displacement, hunger and grave issues of protection for civilians. In the eastern part of the DRC, an offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group forced more than half a million people to flee their homes and pushed the number of displaced people across the country to nearly 7 million—the highest number of internally displaced people in Africa. Militia fighters targeted camps for displaced people, killing dozens of civilians. The DRC is one of the most dangerous places in the world for women and children, who face the worst kinds of abuse and exploitation.

Additionally, the country struggles with multiple epidemics of cholera, measles and mpox. However, DRC just concluded its first round of mpox vaccinations for over 51,500 people across six provinces. Health authorities and the WHO have noted a gradual decrease in the case fatality rate for mpox patients in recent weeks. Cholera and measles are still proliferating, with the DRC recording the highest number of deaths from cholera in Africa.

Amid the conflict, the DRC also faces an acute hunger crisis. A total of 25.6 million people are experiencing Crisis and Emergency levels of food insecurity, and an estimated 4.5 million children are acutely malnourished. Girls are often forced into marriage to reduce the number of mouths to feed. In fact, 37% of girls in the Eastern DRC are forced into marriage before turning 18. 

As of Nov. 11, the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan for DRC remains underfunded, with 50% raised of the $2.6 billion needed to ensure sufficient aid reaches people 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
• Sudan Humanitarian Crisis
• Horn of Africa Hunger Crisis
• Gaza-Israeli Humanitarian Crisis
• Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis

What We’re Reading

A moment of hope…When residents in Ventura County, California were evacuated from a wildfire, a group of 80 ducks were also evacuated by Ventura County Animal Services. The ducks needed a place to stay while their owners left the area, and the VCAS took them to refuge until evacuation orders were lifted.