Disasters discriminate. The planet has witnessed an alarming increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters, but the burden is disproportionately heavy in the poorest countries.
Of those killed in natural disasters in 2002, only six per cent lived in countries of high human development. Humankind is increasingly vulnerable to hurricanes, earthquakes, floods or droughts, but it is the poor who incur the majority of costs.
So, it would seem that today, on International Day for Disaster Reduction, there is little to celebrate. Reducing disaster vulnerability is proving to be one of the most critical challenges facing development in the new millennium.
But disaster preparedness is not newsworthy. We in the disaster reduction field would love to see headlines like: “Not many hurt in big earthquake” or “Flash flood fails to kill anyone”. But they don’t sell newspapers, dominate airtime or, crucially, attract the donor dollar.
There is a fundamental lack of political will to address the underlying causes of vulnerability – to reduce risk before disaster strikes rather than reacting afterwards.
In flood-prone Mozambique, for example, a US$2.7million appeal was launched in 2000 to support preparedness measures, but the country received less than half this amount. Several months later, when the devastating floods materialised and hit the headlines, Mozambique received some US$ 100 million in emergency assistance, with a further US$ 450 million being pledged by the international community for rehabilitation.
Despite the obvious economic arguments, the international system would rather repair than prepare.
Inevitably, disaster mitigation efforts will always fall in the shadows of disaster response, a more urgent, visible and tangible way of saving lives.
But is it acceptable to allow poor countries to run the risk of social and economic destruction and disruption, when it is within our reach to help them prepare for or, even better, avoid exposure to disaster in the first place – simply by investing in the construction of cyclone shelters or flood defences or by training local people in emergency first aid and response?
As this year’s floods in Mozambique illustrate, investment in disaster reduction not only reduces the impact of disasters but also saves money in the response phase. It also protects vital assets, such as houses and infrastructure, as well as preventing aid being diverted from other critical development work, such as education and health.
There is, then, an urgent need to make the world a safer place for all, where lives and livelihoods of the poor are just as valued as those in the developed world.
This must start with a recognition that natural disasters are not mere acts of God beyond human control that target the most vulnerable. The truth is that the impact of most disasters is exacerbated by man-made factors like climate change, flawed development, rapid population growth, migration, unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation and, above all, poverty.
We need to shift our attention from dealing purely with the symptoms of disaster vulnerability to addressing the root causes that create vulnerability.
The massive earthquake that recently hit the Japanese island of Hokkaido showed that, while natural hazards cannot be avoided, much can be done to prevent them becoming major disasters. Safe buildings, effective evacuation procedures and earthquake preparedness measures meant that no lives were lost and disruption to public services was kept to a minimum.
How many deaths would such an earthquake have caused had it hit a poorer country? All populations should have the basic right to live with the same standards of protection and safety as the Japanese. That will require a much greater degree of commitment that we have seen so far.
One positive sign is the ProVention Consortium, a global partnership of international organisations, governments, academic institutions, private sector and civil society dedicated to reducing the impact of disasters in developing countries.
ProVention was launched by the World Bank in 2000 and is now hosted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva. It links key actors so that efforts and benefits are shared, for example connecting the insurance industry with the aid sector to find innovative ways to help poor people transfer risk and be better protected during times of disaster.
The International Day for Disaster Reduction will never be a day to celebrate but it is an important opportunity to draw attention to the urgent need for prevention to become both a global priority and a public value. The benefits of disaster reduction efforts may not be felt by the next International Day for Disaster Reduction, but they will be seen in the longer term.
Then perhaps we can all better appreciate the disasters that did not happen.
* David Peppiatt is Manager of the ProVention Consortium Secretariat in Geneva
Related Links:
Disaster preparedness
ProVention Consortium
News story: Preparedness pays off in Mozambique
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