Extreme weather disasters affected 55 million people in 2009
Out of the 245 natural disasters in 2009, 224 were weather related, accounting for 55 million people out of the 58 million people affected and 7 000 out of 8 900 of those killed. The Belgian World Health Organization-collaborating Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) released these preliminary 2009 disaster figures for the period from 1 January to November 2009. A joint press conference was held in Copenhagen today by WMO, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the United Nations Development Programme. Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of WMO, underlined the importance of early warning systems and seasonal climate forecasts to manage risks and to better prepare vulnerable populations to cope with more extreme events.