Facts and Figures- Canadian Red Cross

Facts and Figures

A decade of disasters

Source for data: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Belgium. Data refer to disasters with a natural or technological trigger, but do not cover conflicts or disease.

In 2004, 250,000 were reported killed by disasters – mostly from the Indian Ocean tsunami in December. Disasters affected 146 million people (mainly due to floods in Bangladesh, India and China) and inflicted estimated damage of US$ 100-145 billion.

From 1995 to 2004, 5,989 reported disasters killed 901,177 people and affected over 2.5 billion people, causing at least US$ 738 billion in estimated damage. This compares to 643,418 reported killed and 1.74 billion reported affected by disasters from 1985 to 1994.

Over the decade, 51 people died per natural disaster in countries of high human development (as defined by UNDP), compared to 573 deaths per event in countries of low human development.

The role of donors

Source: Development Assistance Committee, OECD

Official development assistance (ODA) from OECD donors grew to US$ 69 billion in 2003 – an increase in real terms of 4.8% compared to 2002.

Expressed as a percentage of donor countries' gross national income (GNI), only five countries (Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Sweden) exceeded the UN’s 0.7% target for ODA.

In 2003, bilateral emergency/distress relief (not including relief provided by multilateral institutions and non-governmental organizations) grew from US$ 3.87 billion (in 2003 prices) to US$ 5.87 billion.

Early warning saves thousands in the Caribbean

The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the most destructive in history (US Federal Emergency Management Agency) – but early warnings saved thousands.

In Cuba, before Hurricane Charley, 224,000 people were evacuated, while 4 died as a result of the storm. (Cuba’s National Forecasting Center).

In the United States, before Hurricane Frances, 2.5m people in Florida evacuated (Florida Governor Jeb Bush, quoted by CNN), although 47 people were still killed by the storm (US National Hurricane Center).

In the Dominican Republic, Tropical Storm Jeanne prompted thousands to evacuate, though the storm claimed 23 lives. (Dominican Government). But in neighbouring Haiti, the national meteorology office failed to get the warning to people at risk (International Federation). No-one was evacuated and over 2,000 were killed or lost (Haiti Department of Civil Protection).

Good information reduces death toll and suffering in South Asia

Around 225,000 people lost their lives in the Indian Ocean tsunami (CRED). The majority had received no early warning.

But 3,630 inhabitants of Nallavadu in eastern India evacuated and survived after receiving an early warning by phone from a local fisherman’s son who had followed news of the tsunami on TV in Singapore (Digital Review of Asia Pacific).

In the Andaman islands, ‘aboriginal’ tribes who have lived there for 30,000 years instinctively moved to higher ground when they felt the ground shake from the earthquake which triggered the tsunami. Very few of the tribes’ 400-plus members died, while thousands of settlers on neighbouring islands perished (BBC News).

In Thailand, 10-year old schoolgirl Tilly Smith was reported to have saved over 100 lives when she raised the alert after noticing the sea retreating on the beach in Thailand. She had remembered a geography lesson on tsunamis two weeks earlier. (Reuters)

Following the tsunami in Aceh & Sri Lanka, the Red Cross reunited over 5,000 survivors with members of their family, often using satellite phones. (International Committee of the Red Cross)

In Sri Lanka, many local people felt the tsunami had been sent as some kind of divine punishment from god. Red Cross teams helped explain the scientific causes behind the tsunami to dispel myths and ease the guilt of survivors. (International Federation)

Myths circulating after disasters cause suffering and need dispelling

Myth 1: dead bodies spread disease. In fact, the body’s germs die within a few hours of their host. After the tsunami in Aceh, thousands were hastily buried in mass graves, causing great distress to survivors as well as complicating claims for compensation. (International Federation)

Myth 2: any aid is helpful. After the tsunami, roads, airports and warehouses were quickly clogged up with inappropriate aid. In India, piles of used clothes littered the streets as fishermen affected by the disaster refused to wear them. (International Federation)

Public awareness reduces suffering in chronic crises

In Afghanistan, a long-running radio soap opera produced by the BBC has been shown to change people’s attitude and behaviour to risks such as landmines and infectious disease. One independent cluster survey representing 57,000 people, published in 1998, found that non-listeners to the radio programme were twice as likely to become mine victims as listeners. (CIET International/UNOCHA)

In Madagascar, over 80% of listeners to a community-produced radio programme on HIV/AIDS could name one method of protection, compared with just 33% before the broadcasts. (Andrew Lees Trust)

Warnings must be heeded

The FAO warned of an imminent locust invasion of the Sahel region of West Africa in October 2003 and appealed for funds in February 2004 to contain the threat – but the appeal was ignored (FAO).

Locust swarms devoured half of Mauritania’s entire cereal crop and 40% of Niger’s animal fodder (UN OCHA).

In October 2004, Jan Egeland announced the situation was ‘worse than any African war’ and the livelihoods of 150m people were at risk. (New York Times)

By mid-2005, children in Niger were dying in feeding centres in unprecedented numbers (MSF) and 2.5 million people were on the brink of starvation (WFP).