OFFBEAT MAIL

Environmental degradation is a significant factor that reduces the capacity of societies to deal with disaster risk in many countries around the world. This is the key message of the World Risk Report 2012, presented today in Brussels, Belgium by the German Alliance for Development Works (Alliance), United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and The Nature Conservancy. The report examines the risks of and solutions for natural disasters. The record for the decade 2002 to 2011 is alarming: 4,130 disasters, more than a million deaths and an economic loss of at least 1.195 trillion dollars. The report's WorldRiskIndex, developed by UNU-EHS in cooperation with the Alliance, determines the risk of becoming the victim of a disaster as a result of natural hazards for 173 countries. The Pacific Island states of Vanuatu and Tonga have the highest disaster risk. Malta and Qatar face the lowest risk. Australia ranks 117th and is therefore in the lowes...

An estimated 100.000 people are missing in Haiti, says the latest assessment of the United Nations relief organization, where scores of its own staff were buried under the rubbles when a strong eathquake hit the country Tuesday, CNN News said in a report. Media reports said there is too much chaos and despair as can be gleaned from the faces of people, whose families and properties were among those buried under the concrete slabs of crashing buildings and houses. CNN footages showed thousands of corpses lying unattended on the pavements and on the streets of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti's capital. Governement officials and relief workers have expressed fears that should this take longer, it could be possible that diseases may crop up as decaying corpses may contaminate the air. As this writing, almost all the basic needs of the people like food, water, medicines, blankets, are scarcely available. Relief organizations are having problems delivering goods because roads leading to the site...