Seven million people have been forced to flee their homes so far this year as extreme weather strikes around the world
- A report has revealed that 7million have been displaced due to extreme weather
- 3.8million on top of that have fled homes due to war, conflict and other violence
- The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre warned displacement is the norm
Published: 20:46 EDT, 12 September 2019 | Updated: 21:58 EDT, 12 September 2019
Extreme weather forced a record seven million people from their homes across the world in the first half of the year, a report has revealed.
A further 3.8million fled conflict and violence, according to experts’ analysis.
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) warned that mass displacement was becoming ‘the norm’.
Hurricane Dorian, one of the strongest hurricanes on record, decimated houses forcing many to evacuate, knowing they would never be able to return
‘These numbers are at a concerningly high level and the trend overall is that they are not going down,’ the IDMC’s Bina Desai said.
She added: ‘The number of people exposed to displacement risk is increasing as more people live in poverty or insecurity as well as in areas at risk of flooding or other disasters.’
However, the group did point out that because of the increasing likelihood of extreme weather, communities were getting better at preparing for it.
This means that while many have been displaced by natural disasters, in previous years they may have died instead.
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