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|a Disaster Reduction and the Human Cost of Disaster |h [electronic resource]. |
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|a [S.l.] : |b Integrated Regional Information Networks, |c 2005. |
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|a Refer to main document/publisher for use rights. |
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|a (2005). Disaster reduction and the human cost of disaster. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). |
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|a This document discusses the rising human and economic costs associated with the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters over the decades, suggesting steps to be taken in order to reduce these devastating impacts on the most vulnerable societies and communities. It presents some rather distressing statistics on the global death toll related to disasters. The publication asserts that over 650,000 people died due to disasters during the past decade, and this is before factoring in the occurrence of the 2004 tsunami, which alone killed nearly 300,000 people in 12 countries. In an attempt to comprehensively explain this rising global death toll, the publication points out some factors increasing the likelihood of larger disasters. These factors include poverty, the unplanned and unregulated growth of mega-cities, and poor governance. Poverty is considered a key factor because, according to the publication, the most disaster-prone areas are often in the poorest countries and inhabited predominately by the poorest people. The poor are most likely to inhabit flood plains, river banks, and unstable slopes in dense settlements in poorly constructed shacks. Not only are they vulnerable because of where they live, but also because of how they live. This publication, like others in the disaster risk reduction (DRR) field, makes the connection between poverty and vulnerability, basically asserting that increases in one lead to increases in the other. The poorest are typically heavily depend on ecosystem services and natural resources for their livelihoods. Disasters often destroy such resources, leaving the poor without their traditional sources of income. The inability to maintain traditional livelihoods has also driven large numbers of people away from rural areas towards cities in search of new livelihoods. Often this rapid population growth has led to population increases near coasts, major flood-prone rivers, and earthquake zones. This population growth is typically unplanned, and thus issues such as lack of housing, infrastructure, or services increase vulnerabilities and thus potential for disaster. This is directly connected to poor governance, particularly poor city-planning and weak public institutions. In terms of ways to reduce the human and economic costs of disaster, the publication makes some recommendations that include the decentralization of DRR initiatives. This entails the integration of local authorities into the DRR process; the enforcement of building codes, clearly specifying building materials and procedures; and the active involvement of communities in identifying risks and vulnerabilities, policy planning, and implementation. |
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|a General Risk Reduction |
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|a Electronic reproduction. |c Florida International University, |d 2013. |f (dpSobek) |n Mode of access: World Wide Web. |n System requirements: Internet connectivity; Web browser software. |
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|a Disaster response and recovery. |
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|a Integrated Regional Information Networks. |
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|u http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13042678/00001 |y Click here for full text |
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|a http://dpanther.fiu.edu/sobek/content/FI/13/04/26/78/00001/FI13042678_thm.jpg |
