Pacific island states top disaster risk index
The World Risk Index has classified Vanuatu, Tonga, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Guatemala as the most at risk of disasters according to AlertNet.
Peter Mucke, managing director of Alliance Development Works, declares that 'The World Risk Report shows the need to focus in the future more on disaster risk reduction than just on humanitarian aid after an extreme event.'
Furthermore, the report demonstrates that governance has an important impact on the vulnerability of the countries in the face of natural hazards.
Some of the fragile states include: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, Nicaragua and Timor-Leste.
The world's five safest countries are Qatar, Malta, Saudi Arabia, Iceland and Bahrain according to this index.