By Martin Lasater
The vulnerable Asia-Pacific needs broader engagement in disaster planning
According to a 2013 World Bank report, the Asia-Pacific has accounted for 61 percent of global losses from disasters in the past 20 years, with more than 1.6 billion people affected in the region since 2000. Total losses from Asia-Pacific disasters for the years 1980-2011 were an estimated $453 billion.
Speaking about the report, World Bank East Asia and Pacific Vice President Axel van Trotsenburg observed: “East Asia Pacific is the region that is most affected by cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes and floods. To confront these disaster challenges, governments need to be prepared for the unexpected and undertake major investments in disaster risk management and resilience.”
The UN has estimated that a person living in the Asia-Pacific is 3.2 times more likely to be affected by natural disaster than a person in Africa, 5.5 times more likely than a person in Latin America and the Caribbean, almost 9 times more likely than a person living in North America, and 67 times more likely than a person living in Europe.
From Krakatoa in 1883 to the Tohoku earthquake in 2011 and Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, the Asia-Pacific has experienced some of the most devastating natural phenomena on record. It remains highly susceptible to future disasters because of unique geological factors (such as the Ring of Fire) and its large, concentrated populations. By 2025, Asia will be home to 21 of the world’s 37 global megacities, making multi-billion dollar disasters even more common.
Read the full story at The Diplomat