Honduras

To facilitate the activation of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters in Central America, Mexico and Dominican Republic, UN-SPIDER, the Central American Coordination Centre for Natural Disaster Prevention (CEPREDENAC) and the International Charter Space and Major Disasters organized a regional training course in Guatemala City, Guatemala, from 30 November to 02 December 2021.   Experts from the National Commission on Space Activities of Argentina (CONAE), National Space Research Institute of Brazil (INPE), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) made participants aware of the procedures used by the International Charter in case of activations, and on the procedures and guidelines that project managers designated by the International Charter must follow when designated as project managers in case of activations. In addition, an expert from the Federal University of Santa Maria of Brazil (UFSM), in its role as a UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office,…

ONU-SPIDER, la Carta Internacional Espacio y Grandes Desastres, el Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de Desastres Naturales en América Central y República Dominicana (CEPREDENAC) y la Universidad Federal de Santa María de Brasil (UFSM) organizaron un curso de entrenamiento para facilitar la activación de la Carta Internacional Espacio y Grandes Desastres en México, América Central y República Dominicana, Dicho curso se llevó a cabo en Ciudad Guatemala del 30 de noviembre al 2 de diciembre del 2021.  El curso fue brindado por expertos de la Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales de Argentina (CONAE), el Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Espaciales de Brasil (INPE), el Servicio Geológico de los Estados Unidos (USGS) y UFSM. Los expertos  describireron el proceso que utiliza la Carta Internacional en caso de activaciones y los procedimientos y lineamientos que deben seguir los gerentes de proyecto que son designados por la Carta Internacional en caso de…

The hurricane season in Central America normally quiets down at the end of October, but this year is one of those rare years when tropical storms and hurricanes in the region have occured beyond the typical season. With 30 events thus far, the 2020 tropical storm season in the Caribbean continues to take its toll in developing countries in Central America. Hurricane Eta entered the west coast of Nicaragua on 3 November as a Category 4 hurricane – the second-highest classification category. It triggered massive floods in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. In some regions, the magnitude of these floods was similar to those triggered by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which devastated the region and killed more than 35,000 people throughout Central America. Fortunately, the consequences of Hurricane Eta were much smaller.

UN-SPIDER has been supporting disaster response efforts to Hurricane Eta at the request of the…

On 22 July 2020, UN-SPIDER and the Central American Coordination Centre for Natural Disaster Prevention (CEPREDENAC) joined forces to conduct a webinar on the use of novel space-based products and services to monitor forest fires that took place during the spring of 2020 in Honduras. The webinar included high ranking authorities and participants from several institutions of Honduras such as the Ministry of Environment (MiAmbiente), the National Forestry Conservation Institute (ICF), the Permanent Contingencies Commission (COPECO), the National Fire Brigade and the Humanitarian Rescue Unit (UHR), alongside participants from CEPREDENAC and UN-SPIDER.

Alexander Ariza, an expert on the use of Earth observation to monitor forest fires, and currently a Visiting Scientist with UN-SPIDER, made a presentation on novel products and services developed by the space community that can be used to track forest fires and associated smoke plums, and to assess the burn severity of forest fires…

UN-SPIDER conducted a Technical Advisory Mission to Honduras from 13 to 18 July 2015. The mission was conducted at the request of the Permanent Commission for Contingencies of Honduras (COPECO), and was carried out with a team of experts from the Mexican Space Agency (AEM), the Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (CRECTEALC), the Federal University of Santa Maria in Brazil, and with experts from two UN-SPIDER Regional Support Offices: the Agustin Codazzi Geographic Institute of Colombia (IGAC) and the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC).

Taking into consideration the exposure of the territory to hurricanes, floods, droughts, forest fires, landslides and tsunamis, the Government of Honduras and COPECO have conducted a variety of efforts to implement the recently established integrated risk management policy. The national territorial ordainment policy now includes the need to…

Honduran and Colombian authorities participated in an exchange of knowledge to reduce disaster risk. Representatives from national and municipal authorities from both countries did a study visit in Colombia, preparatory sessions and workshops to share their experience. 

As Honduras is one of the countries that is most affected by climate change and disasters triggered by natural hazards the Honduran government wants to adopt a more proactive disaster risk management (DRM) approach, and therefore increase their knowlegde and capacity on how to incorporate risk reduction and prevention into overall development.

Colombia, on the other hand, has established itself as a role model in implementing a comprehensive DRM strategy, including technical assistance to municipalities. The South-South exchange provides a substantial increase in the knowledge and skills on how to consolidate policy and institutional frameworks with an integral emphasis on natural hazards.

The United States and Honduras are joining efforts in Tegucigalpa and Soto Cano Air Base, June 9-12, to demonstrate and assess a mapping tool designed to revolutionize the way governmental and non-governmental organizations from all over the world collaborate in response to disasters and humanitarian crises.

Known as GeoSHAPE, the open-source, open-standard software, integrates data from multiple sources and displays it in a dynamic Internet-based map to provide situational awareness and facilitate the decision making process. “GeoSHAPE bridges the geospatial information sharing gaps we witnessed during the international response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, providing a tool for military and civil organizations, local and international, to efficiently coordinate their activities and, in turn, save more lives,” says Juan Hurtado, science advisor to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).

This two-year technology development effort will be put through the…