Remittances and natural disasters
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Material Information

Title:
Remittances and natural disasters ex-post response and contribution to ex-ante preparedness
Series Title:
Policy Research Working Papers
Creator:
Mohapatra, Sanket
Joseph, George
Ratha, Dilip
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Place of Publication:
Washington, D.C.
Publisher:
The World Bank
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2009
Language:
English
Physical Description:
International government publication

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Natural hazards and disasters ( lcshac )
Poverty ( lcshac )
Insurance ( lcshac )
Emigration and immigration ( lcshac )
Developing countries ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
Asia -- Bangladesh
Africa -- Ethiopia
Africa -- Burkina Faso
Africa -- Ghana

Notes

Summary:
This report examines the impact of remittances on residential disaster preparedness. The study analyses data on households in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. The study used GDP statistics and population data based on the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. It obtained catastrophic data from the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Diseases and the International Emergency Disasters Database. Remittance-receiving status was determined using a variety of factors, including the age of the head of the household, the level of education in the home, land value, and number of children under 5 years old. Bangladesh households were studied between 4 and 16 months after the 1998 flood. These homes were able to maintain a higher level of per capita consumption than those who did not receive such benefits. Ethiopian households tended to survive on cash following a catastrophic event, and thus were able to keep their livestock and maintain a source of income. Families in Burkina Faso and Ghana increased their access to communication equipment and were able to upgrade their homes’ construction material from mud and leaf roofs to concrete. The study also found that countries with high populations of emigrants abroad received the most remittances. It concludes with suggestions on how to maximize the impact of remittances in order to better prepare populations for natural disasters. Researchers recommend that emigrant populations be encouraged to further aid home populations by supporting the remittance raising efforts of migrant associations, and by supporting embassies’ efforts to assist migrants abroad when they endeavor to send funding. They also recommend that money transfer facilities be maintained, and their processes be streamlined such that local populations can receive funding quickly in the wake of a disaster. ( English )
Subject:
Remittances and Natural Disasters ( English )
Citation/Reference:
Mohapatra, S., Joseph, G., Ratha, D. (2009). Remittances and natural disasters. The World Bank.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042500
778846835 ( oclc )

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction