Learning from responses to disasters and public health emergencies: the cases of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan
This study analyzes responses to past natural disasters in four countries in South Asia - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan. Of 178 hazardous events reported in the four countries during the 10 years covered by this study (2009–19), 126 were classified as disasters and used for the in-depth analysis.
The analysis revealed that countries have multi-hazard preparedness and response capacities in place, albeit to varying degrees, in areas such as early warning and surveillance systems, emergency operations centers, and whole-of-society approaches to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Notwithstanding, the analysis also revealed gaps across each country in their capacity to detect, prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazard-induced disasters, including public health emergencies. To address these gaps, the paper offers recommendations for improving capacities and resilience to disasters.