Disaster losses and damages data use cases

Existing and potential use cases of losses and damages data across a range of different domains are presented as a small demonstration of the many applications available today and anticipated in the future

city destroyed
Case study
Children displaced in a changing climate: Using historical disaster impact data to understand and map child displacement risk for action and investment
This case study demonstrates how disaster losses and damage data can be applied to understand child displacement risk and inform forward-looking planning.
  • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Understanding disaster displacement and assessing future risk
Recording displacement in the context of disasters and estimating the risk of future displacements is challenging. Evacuation numbers, both for planned and spontaneous evacuations, and arrivals in shelters are recorded on an ad hoc basis.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Philippines
Impact-based forecasting for anticipatory action to typhoons in the Philippines
Due to its geographical location, the Philippines is highly exposed to Tropical Cyclones (TC). On average the Philippines receives about 20 TCs a year and they can cause significant humanitarian impact and economic loss.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Sri Lanka
Understanding vulnerability in Sri Lanka: Combining disaster losses and damages data with national survey data
The importance of baseline information on exposure and vulnerability for risk modelling cannot be underestimated.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Mongolia
Reducing the risk of loss and damage in Mongolia
Mongolia has invested significantly in collecting local disaster losses and damages data for every hazard event, regardless of the size of its impact.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Sierra Leone
Using disaster loss data to develop national risk financing strategies in Sierra Leone
In the absence of nationally aggregated disaster data, most countries rely on patchy data collected by humanitarian responders or on global datasets.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Cambodia
Planning resilient roads in Cambodia
Assessments of disaster impacts on sectors critical to national economies and people's livelihoods, such as infrastructure and agriculture, have repeatedly shown that sector planning needs to become more sensitive to disaster risk.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Nepal
An impact-based early warning module in Nepal’s BIPAD portal
Nepal has developed an impact-based forecasting tool for floods, earthquakes, forest fires and air pollution, with historical loss data informing the impact estimates.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

Related

Man collecting data
Disaster losses and damages tracking
UNDRR and partner organisations support countries in monitoring their progress in reducing losses and damages at national and sub-national levels through publicly-accessible Disaster Tracking Systems for hazardous events and disaster losses and damages.