HURRICANES, QUAKES, TORNADOES DISPLACE 22MN PEOPLE IN 2013, 3 TIMES MORE THAN THAN WARS (STA BREAKING NEWS and ARCHIVES)

by STANews , Wednesday, September 17, 2014, 07:38

Pedro Lacandazo, 57, shows scattered personal belongings amid the debris of his house after strong winds and storm surges brought by super typhoon Haiyan battered their town of San Joaquin at Palo, Leyte province, central Philippines December 23, 2013. (Reuters/Romeo Ranoco)

Some 22 million people were displaced by natural disasters in 2013 - three times more than from conflicts and wars. Asia became the displacement ‘hotspot’, accounting for over 80 percent of those affected.

Currently, twice as many people are displaced than there were in the 1970s, researchers stated.

The main cause behind the surge in numbers is the rapid urbanization, with the growth and concentration of urban populations, especially in “vulnerable countries.”

“This increasing trend will continue as more and more people live and work in hazard-prone areas. <…> More people today are exposed and vulnerable,” Jan Egeland said.

What’s more, this kind of displacement is “expected to be aggravated in the future by the impacts of climate change,” Egeland added.

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