35 EVACUATION SHELTERS PREPARED IN PUEBLA, MEXICO AS POPOCATÉPETL ERUPTS
Following days of increased activity and explosive eruptions at Popocatépetl volcano, located in central Mexico in the States of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico, the National Coordination of Civil Protection (CNPC) has increased the Volcanic Traffic Light Alert to Yellow Phase 3, allowing for prevention, mitigation and preparation actions to begin. The volcano is approximately 45 miles southeast of Mexico City with an estimated 25 million people living within a 60 mile radius. Several municipalities in Puebla State have already been affected by ash fall. Since 17 May, the Puebla Civil Protection authorities have prepared 35 shelters with the capacity for 22,000 people in case of evacuations. Classes have been suspended in 40 municipalities of the State. The increase in ash fall has also forced the temporary closure of both Benito Juarez International Airport and Felipe Angeles airport in Mexico City. CNPC are implementing actions to improve evacuation routes, signalling, temporary shelters and options for protection and preparation in the educational systems. The National Centre of Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico are monitoring the activity.
ECUADOR: EL NIÑO
KEY FIGURES
17 PROVINCES IN ECUADOR ON YELLOW ALERT
Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat (SGR) has declared a yellow alert status in 17 (out of 24) provinces, 143 cantons and 489 parishes following forecasts by scientific institutions such as the Climate Prediction Centre and the Ecuadorian El Niño Phenomenon Index (IEFEN) that declare a 75 per cent probability of an El Niño event occurring between June, July and August 2023. The alert level increase comes after months of already increased rain activity.
The number of rainy season events recorded so far this year has surpassed the historical record recorded from January to April 2010.
Landslides and floods are the most recurring events, with the provinces of Loja, Guayas, Pichincha, El Oro, and Manabí having the highest number of events. The yellow alert level requires provincial and cantonal governments to develop preparatory actions to strengthen their response capacity and to protect resources, infrastructures, goods and services, among others. This also requires Situation Rooms and technical-scientific entities to monitor the threats, issue warnings, and respond immediately, while directing governments to coordinate and articulate prevention, mitigation, and response preparedness actions with the executive. It also instructs governments to maintain alert operations and implement and update evacuation and response plans.
PANAMA: MIGRANTS & REFUGEES
KEY FIGURES
127,687 MIGRANTS ENTERED PANAMA THROUGH THE DARIEN GAP IN THE FIRST 4 MONTHS OF 2023
According to Panama’s National Migration Institute (INM), between January and April 2023, some 127,687 migrants have crossed the dangerous Darien jungle on the east border with Colombia in search of protection and better opportunities. This is six times more people than during the same period in 2022, when 19,925 people made the journey. The majority (88 per cent) of arrivals are from other countries in the region, such as Venezuela, Colombia,
Haiti and Ecuador, however some are from as far as China (4 per cent) and India (2.5 per cent). There has been a continued increase in arrivals from Venezuela, with 25,340 crossings in April 2023, compared to 20,816 in March and 7,097 in February.
National authorities are working with UNHCR and other partners to address protection risks, gender-based violence, health and shelter needs and to provide legal support. A UNHCR survey of migrants in Darien corroborated well-documented protection risks, including mistreatment or abuse (3 in 10), threats, intimidation and attacks (58 per cent) and theft, scams or fraud (87 per cent). More than half of participants reported situations that affected their physical safety, such as drownings, fallings or attacks (59 per cent). Of those interviewed, 92 per cent reported the United States as their final destination.
Source : Relief Web
