UN weather agency pledges help to poor countries

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2007

GENEVA (AFP) — The UN weather agency closed out its congress here on Friday pledging to help poor countries cope with natural disasters through better forecasting and alert systems.

The World Meteorological Organisation said poor countries often do not have the means to invest in sufficient technology and that it was putting in place a plan to reduce risks related to weather disasters.

The agency said that between 1980 and 2005, nearly 7,500 natural disasters have killed more than 2 million people and caused more than 1.2 trillion dollars (900 billion euros) in losses.

Work on a severe weather forecasting network will begin in southeastern Africa in November, it said. Alert networks currently being tested in France, China and Central America could be used in...