According to Ricardo Mena, Head of the UN Americas Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), indigenous populations are among the most vulnerable as “climate change added to their current socioeconomic condition, can transform drought into a chronic, widespread and irreversible disaster for these communities.”
14 August 2012: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has highlighted the recent impact of drought on the indigenous populations of Chihuahua, Mexico. UNISDR noted that while the Mexican Early Warning System for cyclones has proven to be a powerful tool to reduce the loss of lives, there are yet no appropriate early warning systems for other extreme hydro meteorological events such as drought, hail storms and flash floods.
According to Ricardo Mena, Head of the UN Americas Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), indigenous people are among the most vulnerable as “climate change added to their current socioeconomic condition, can transform drought into a chronic, widespread and irreversible disaster for these communities.” He stressed the need for an immediate response to the drought to alleviate suffering, and for the establishment of credible drought risk models to create resilience. [UNISDR Press Release]