Within the broad scope of disaster risk reduction (DRR), the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) defines three general approaches to minimizing vulnerability and disaster risks to a society:
Preparedness – that builds capacities to efficiently manage all types of emergencies and to achieve an orderly transition from response through to sustained recovery, based on anticipating, responding to and recovering from hazard events.
Prevention – the outright avoidance of the adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters.
Reducing Risk: vulnerability reduction and damage prevention in the face of natural and man made hazards
Poverty, increased population density, urbanisation, climate change, and changes in building practices and materials, access to safe land are some of the many reasons why risk of disaster and human vulnerability are increasing around the world. And whilst the world mobilises in the aftermath of disasters, much of the damage that occurs in disasters comes from lack of action to reduce risk and vulnerability before the disaster happens.
