On the occasion of the international disaster risk reduction day, Kristalina Georgieva, the Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, talks about the ongoing monsoon floods in India and advocates for simple measures for disaster preparedness – early warning alerts, elevated homes and the provision of boats – than can make all the difference between saving or losing lives, homes and livestock.
"Today, on the international Disaster Risk Reduction Day, we have a good occasion to talk about examples like these – they prove that mitigation and preparedness help reduce the impact of disasters. But we also need to factor disaster risk reduction in our policies not just today, but every day – because it is not a cost, but an investment."