Disaster risk reduction and sustainable development

Abstract

Each of us has had at least one moment in time when

we stop to ask ourselves: how would we perform in a

disaster scenario? On a personal level, how we

manage before and carry on after such an event says

something about our vulnerability and our resilience.

But what do these terms really mean, and how do we

manage risks so as to reduce our exposure to what

are still commonly thought of as acts of God? As in

other aspects of human existence, scale and context

matter and while an individual’s experience may

reflect the experience of the larger group in terms of

loss, sorrow and pain, nonetheless there are steps we

can take to minimize adverse impacts and outcomes