(Not your typical disaster worker, but one nevertheless)
HANOI/HUE, 16 January 2013 (IRIN) - Buddhist monks, nuns and their followers have long contributed to Vietnam’s disaster relief efforts. Sometimes equipped with canoes filled with instant noodles, woollen hats and psychosocial counsellors, this local cadre may lack standard operating procedures, but it constitutes a largely undocumented and significant disaster relief system running parallel to governmental efforts.
Buddhist temples’ (or any religious organization’s) contribution to disaster relief is still under-studied by
Unregulated development in earthquake-prone Kathmandu means a repeat of the 1934 quake would be catastrophic
What makes Nepal so special – its vast rivers, deep gorges and Himalayan mountain range capped by the world's tallest peak – also explains the country's extreme vulnerability to natural hazards. The Eurasian and Indian plates beneath Nepal are moving fast in geological terms (about 20mm a year), pushing the young Himalayan range ever higher and creating these extraordinary landscapes. The pressure building as these plates move is enormous.
VietNamNet Bridge – Farmers who have been affected by natural disasters or by crop or livestock epidemics will now receive financial support from the Government at double previous levels in order to help them recover their production.
Under a Government decision which took effect on Sunday, farmers suffering livestock losses would receive VND10-20,000 per head of poultry (up from the previous amount of VND7-15,000) and VND750,000 (US$35) per pig (up from the previous level of VND500,000).
Aid for lost cattle would increase from VND2 million ($95) to VND4 million ($192) per head.
