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