Southeast Asian armed forces told to prepare for disasters

HONOLULU: US officials on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) offered to help Southeast Asian countries prepare for the devastating effects of climate change, urging stronger cooperation among armies and emergency agencies.

Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel and other top officials discussed the danger posed by rising global temperatures with defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Honolulu, home to a major US weather research center that tracks sea levels and tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean.