Disasters Charter Activated: Fires in Israel; Flood and Landslide in Venezuela

December 7, 2010 at 10:03 am | Posted in Remote Sensing Law Current Events | Leave a comment

by Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz with the blog faculty

Source: International Charter Space and Major Disasters

Forest Fires in Israel

Type of Event Fire

Location of Event Israel

Date of Charter Activation 02/12/2010

Charter Requestor COGIC

Project Management CNES

Description of the Event

About 40 people have died in what is thought to be Israel’s largest ever forest fire, police have said. Many of the victims were prison guards travelling on a bus which was caught in the inferno in the Carmel Mountains near the northern city of Haifa.

Thousands of people, including prison inmates, have been evacuated from the area. Scores more have been injured, the ambulance service said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has visited the affected area, said it was an “unprecedented disaster”.

Flood and Landslide in Venezuela

Type of Event Floods, Landslide

Location of Event Venezuela

Date of Charter Activation 01/12/2010

Charter Requestor SIFEM (Sistema Federal de Emergencias)

Project Management CENAPRAD (Civil Protection and Disaster Management National Agency of Venezuela)

Description of the Event

Days of torrential rain have brought widespread flooding to Venezuela, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 21 people.

A state of emergency has been declared in four states, including the capital, Carcas. Many of the deaths occurred in poor areas of the capital, where landslides have swept away houses built on steep hillsides. The government says at least 5,600 people have been left homeless.

Flights have been disrupted at the main international airport and the road linking it to Carcas has been cut by landslides. Worst hit have been the coastal states of Falcon, Miranda and Vargas, as well as the capital district of Carcas.

Thousands of people are living in temporary shelters, including schools, universities and army barracks.