Much to be learned from the L'Aquila tragedy - Opinion

Writing in the Irish Times, John McCloskey, professor of geophysics at the University of Ulster and a member of the Royal Irish Academy highlights three lessons to be learned from the L'Aquila tragedy:

- Science is the first step in disaster risk reduction.
- Coordinated and resourced disaster management plans and preparation is vital, and scientists need to be involved as advisers
- "Had scientists, well-trained in the communication of sensitive and uncertain information, been talking to people who understood the seismic hazard of their area and the nuances of probabilistic forecasting, the L’Aquila earthquake would have killed many fewer people."