are more catastrophic acts of nature these days, you're right. In fact, the number of natural
disasters has doubled in the past twenty years. Last year some 400 natural disasters
affected over 200 million people, killing 16,000 people and displacing close to 50 million
from their homes. Natural disasters affect both rich and poor countries; while they
generally produce higher economic losses in developed countries, casualties are higher in
developing ones. And scientists tell us that disasters, particularly hydrometerological
disasters – flooding, cyclones, hurricanes, etc. – are likely to increase in both frequency
and severity as a result of climate change.
disasters – to dispatch aircraft packed with food and water and to mobilize teams of
doctors, rescue equipment, and sniffer dogs. But this takes time. Most of the lives saved in
the immediate aftermath of a disaster are the result of local action – of neighbours pawing
through rubble to rescue trapped earthquake victims, of local churches and mosques
setting up systems to distribute food, of families opening up their homes to people whose
houses are now under water. While most Western media attention focuses on the
international response, much more should be done to support local communities to
respond to disasters. More importantly, more should be done to support their efforts to
reduce the risks of natural disasters.
clearly steps they can take to reduce the impact of such disasters on their communities.
Compare the response of the Cuban and Haitian governments to the four devastating
hurricanes that hit their countries last year: while 2 million Cubans were affected by the
hurricanes, there were only 7 deaths. In Haiti, there were 423 deaths reported among the
800,000 people affected by the storms. The Cuban disaster response system is one of the
strongest in the world, with early warning systems which reach deep into communities and
evacuation plans in which local officials ensure that the most vulnerable members of
communities are evacuated to safety. Hurricane awareness programs are mandatory in
schools and citizens are taught how to board up their homes before leaving for shelters.
which make headlines in Western countries—is usually easier than raising money for long-
term actions to prevent large-scale casualties. Some relief agencies have adopted policies
that 10 percent (or more) of the funds they raise to respond to disasters will be dedicated
to risk reduction—this is a good initiative which should become standard practice and
communicated clearly to individual donors.
after disaster has struck. Even as the international community springs into reaction to
respond to these recent devastating disasters, we should be preparing for the disasters to
come and planning on how to reduce their human casualties. The disasters will come. It's
time to take disaster risk reduction seriously.