Managing Disasters → Reducing disaster risk

Reducing disaster risk

How are disasters caused?

“Hazards only become disasters when people’s lives and livelihoods are swept away…we must reduce the impact of disasters by building sustainable communities that have long-term capacity to live with risk.”

Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General, International Day for Disaster Reduction, 8 Oct 2003

• Vulnerable people such as the poor, socially excluded and those affected by previous disasters are forced to live in unsafe locations e.g. prone to landslides or flooding, or in an unsafe manner e.g. poor housing or reliant on subsistence agriculture.
• Hazards are potential threats which may be natural e.g. hurricanes or earthquakes, or human-made e.g. industrial accidents, war, civil conflict.
• Disasters occur when those who are vulnerable lack the capacity and are unable to cope with a major hazard due to underlying social, economic, environmental or political pressures.
• The reason for, and nature of vulnerability influences the impact of a hazard on different people or groups. 
   

Reducing the risk of disaster

Disaster risk is the chance of negative consequences when a natural or man-made hazard affects vulnerable people or locations. Reduce risks through:

• Risk and impact assessment, including identification of hazards and vulnerability/capacity analysis e.g. as part of Needs Assessments and Contingency Planning;
• Raising awareness of risks;
• Developing knowledge of risks, e.g. through training, education, research, disseminating information;
• Securing public commitment to address risks, e.g. through government policy and legislation, community action and organisational development;
• Risk reduction measures e.g. environmental management, social, economic and livelihood opportunities, protection of critical services, land-use and urban planning.
• Early warning systems e.g. forecasting, public alerts

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Identifies strategies to minimize vulnerabilities and disaster risks in a given population to avoid (prevent) or limit (mitigate and prepare for) the negative impacts of hazards, within the context of sustainable development
 

Who carries out DRR?

• National authorities
• International and regional organisations and institutions
• Civil society; volunteers and community based organisations