1. Humanitarian firefighters
Federation appeals: in 2000, CHF 447 million
50 million people assisted, up 66 per cent from 1999
Disaster response accounts for 82 per cent of all Federation operations
176 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide
The Federation is one of the largest disaster response organizations in the world. This places us at the leading edge of disaster trends by looking at our own figures alone.
What we see is a soaring rate of disasters, a growing number of lives being shattered by disasters and a rapidly increasing number of people needing our help. Last year alone, the number of people we assisted rose by 66 per cent.
Each year, in the World Disasters Report, we examine trends and try to provide insight into improving the delivery and practice of disaster relief and recovery.

3. The year in disasters The year 2000 witnessed 752 recorded disasters
Since 1996, hydro-meteorological disasters have doubled
20,045 people killed
256 million people affected by disasters
The year 2000 was the most disaster-ridden year of the decade. There was a significant rise in the number of reported disasters.
You can see the effects of global warming by looking at where the increases have taken place. This year, the figures for physical disasters and hydro-meteorological disasters were separated. Hydro-meteorological disasters include droughts, wind storms, cyclones and floods and is the category of disasters most affected by global warming. They are also the most deadly. Over 90 per cent of those killed in disasters lost their lives in hydro-meteorological disasters.
Number of people affected by disasters continues to increase dramatically. In 2000, 256 million people were affected by natural disasters, nearly 25 per cent higher than the average number for the decade

4. Over the last ten years, the International Federation’s World Disasters Report has played an important role in increasing awareness about the effects of disasters as well as identifying the trends in disaster preparedness and response.
What we can see if – we compare disaster figures from the two decades – is both good news and bad news:
Deaths from natural disasters fell from 2 million to under people
But the numbers of people affected has tripled to 2 billion
Economic losses multiplied five times, to $629 billion in the 1990s
The result: disasters have continued to devastate the development of poorer countries.

5. Reducing risk from disasters – this is a subject of increasing research and debate in recent years.
Are the 6 billion inhabitants of the Earth more vulnerable to disasters? We know that the number of people affected by disasters has rocketed in the last decade.
The need to reduce risk, how to go about it and the challenges faced – these are the issues tackled by the World Disasters Report 2002.

6. More Disasters and More Humanitarian Crises
Motive
IPCC (Third Assessment report 2001):
More floods
More droughts
More extreme weather events like heatwaves
Millions of people affected by sealevel rise
More people affected by vector borne diseases
In the light of the projections of the IPCC the Red Cross
realises what lies ahead of vulnerable most poor people:
More disasters and more humanitarian crises
This was the prime motive for the Netherlands Red Cross,
in close co-operation with the IFRC, to establish the
international Red Cross/ Red Crescent Centre on Climate
change and Disaster preparedness, in June
More Disasters and More Humanitarian Crises

7. RC/RC Centre on Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness
The Red Cross climate centre , as we call it in short, will be based in the Netherlands, but serve the whole Red Cross/ Red Crescent movement, in particular in developing countries. There will be a close co-operation with the Federation’s secretariat in Geneva.
The idea is that the centre will be rather lean, with a staff of 6-7, who will work in support with the national and regional Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.
The activities of the centre are based on the connection between the three A’s:
Awareness: Raising awareness about climate change and the projected impacts is crucial. Awareness is the incentive for action.
Action is the next step: awareness will lead to concrete climate adaptation, in our context disaster preparedness activities and programs .
Advocacy: Brings the awareness and concerns about the impacts of climate change on vulnerable people and the experience with climate adaptation and Disaster Preparedness programs in the places of policy development, both within the IFRC, as in other relevant fora.
establishment Climate Centre, June 2002