The UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) is the flagship report of the United Nations on worldwide efforts to reduce disaster risk. The GAR is published biennially by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
This work introduces the state of informal settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean based on a comprehensive review of recent reports on urban development from national governments. The authors explore potential relationships between informal
The UK’s Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards (IRNH) Programme was established in 2010 to support science-led research aiming to increase social and economic resilience in earthquake-prone and volcanic regions. IRNH marked a new direction for
From the 19th to 21st of August 2014, the city of Hiroshima in Japan experienced a torrential rainfall triggering 166 landslides, which led to 107 debris flows and 59 shallow slides. These landslides were compounded by flash flooding. The consequence of
Ebola outbreaks, which have re-emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have continued to galvanize the regional and global attention. The outbreaks are likely to transcend borders and threaten the global health crisis, especially ensuring
Brazil is not an exception to the increasing frequency and intensity of droughts in several countries. However, assessing the spatial and temporal identification of drought episodes is an extremely complex process. Drought indices are particularly useful
It is estimated more than 150,000 people die from fires or burn-related injuries every year. Over 95% of fire deaths and burn injuries are in low- and middle-income countries. Meanwhile, urban growth is said to be one of the 21st century’s most
Volcanic ash is an excellent archetype of an ‘extensive hazard’. Ash fall occurs frequently and intermittently during volcanic eruptions, and populations in close proximity to persistently-active volcanoes report ash impacts and distribution that have
Disasters differ markedly in their speed of manifestation, which in turn greatly affects how researchers as well as authorities interpret and respond to them. In theory, disasters with a gradual and creeping onset are easier to manage than sudden and
Critical infrastructure systems provide vital resources and services to the population, commercial ventures, industrial operations, government entities, as well as to other interdependent critical infrastructure. These infrastructure systems depend upon
The high risk emanating from the increasing number of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure systems at national or local level is only now beginning to be understood. The cascading effect of that risk beyond the system under attack into allied and