UNICEF Humanitarian Action Report 2009

In recent decades, the number and severity of natural disasters has increased significantly. In 2008 alone, there was a devastating hurricane season affecting the Caribbean, catastrophic earthquakes in China and Pakistan, a worst-ever cyclone disaster in Myanmar’s history, floods and landslides in South Asia, and drought and floods in the Horn of Africa. Humanitarian situations have also deteriorated in several ongoing and protracted emergencies, including renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and worsening food insecurity in Zimbabwe.