catastrophe humanitaire

Across the Philippines, Christmas celebrations are uncharacteristically subdued this year as people reflect on the devastation wrought by typhoon Haiyan.

In a new report, 'Learning the Lessons', international agency Oxfam says that the aid community needs to fundamentally change the way it deals with food crises in the region and help communities to better prepare for recurring emergencies.

Oxfam warned that devastating floods in Niger are affecting more than 500,000 people, most of whose basic needs are not being met.

Some 13 million people are at severe risk from a food crisis which is set to escalate into a full scale humanitarian emergency in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa if urgent action is not taken.

Intense rainfall has battered Central America for more than a week, wreaking havoc across the region. Oxfam is proving emergency assistance in El Salvador to help combat the dangerous floods and mudslides resulting from the rain.

International aid agency Oxfam is mounting an emergency response to get aid to those affected by fresh flooding in Sindh province in Pakistan. This is the second year of flooding in Pakistan, and many of those affected had not fully recovered from last year’s mega-floods.

The crisis in Pakistan is far from over and could get worse, international aid agency Oxfam warned today, six months after the nation’s devastating floods.