

    28 Oct 2013

    flooding in Haiti





    For example, more than 300,000 people in Haiti have been engaged in community clean-up, which aids reconstruction and limits the risk of future events. Workers have been building riverbank protection against floods, constructing walls to prevent landslides, and planting mangroves and forests to block winds and debris.

    Cuba, which has been hit by at least 20 hurricanes and tropical storms since 1996, only lost 56 lives to Sandy. While any death is unnecessary, this number could have been much higher without the risk reduction management centres set up by the government with our support.

    The centres analyse areas of the country that are most at risk from storms and use this information to develop safer housing policies or urban planning. When Sandy struck last year, early warning systems ushered people away from exposed areas and into shelters.

    In countries as diverse as Chile, Armenia, Bangladesh and Nepal, it has been proven that preparing for disasters helps mitigate the impact and avoids the heavy costs of cleanup and recovery. This is a lesson that should be adopted in all countries prone to disasters, rich and poor alike. For instance - while estimates vary, the cost of protecting New York City from future storms could be as low as $10 billion, much less than the estimated $18 billion worth of damage Sandy caused to the city.

    Talk to us: Does your country invest in disaster preparedness?