Disasters

Abstract

Globally, and if one was counting, it would seem that disasters are on the increase. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, 2004) states that existing records, going back to 1900, show a relentless upward movement in the number of disasters and their human and economic impacts. Disasters can lead to widespread loss of life, both directly and indirectly, affect large segments of the population and cause significant environmental damage and large-scale economic and social harm (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN/ECLAC), 2003). According to the World Heath Organization Collaborating Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), more disasters were reported for 2000 than in any year over the last decade, affecting some 256 million people. Both CRED² and The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR, 2004) reports that the trend during the last three decades shows an increase both in the number of natural disasters and their related costs (Figure 1.1).