By learning from disasters we'll improved safety for tomorrow and we can be salvage from today's

tragedy. As we learned the lesson in the postdisaster period we can apply this to improve all
aspects of natural hazard reduction. Cooperation is essential to the success of the decade.

The scientific and technological advances of the last half century provide unprecedented
opportunities for responding to the urgent need to mitigate the impacts of natural hazards.

Widespread public awareness and education is fundamental to reducing loss of life, personal
injuries, and property damage from natural disasters. Yet people in many sectors of society remain
unaware of the natural hazards they face and the actions they can take to protect themselves and
their property. Special efforts should be made to reach sectors of the population that may not have
access to traditional education and information media — small children, the elderly, people with
disabilities, and those who do not speak English. Because public officials and the news media
have crucial responsibilities for disseminating information during a disaster, procedures for their
cooperation need to be established in advance of an event.

Preparedness for emergency response, recovery, and reconstruction can reduce immediate losses
caused by natural disasters and minimize the long-term social, economic, and environmental
damages they cause. The key to reducing loss of life, personal injuries, and damage from natural
disasters is widespread public awareness and education. People must be made aware of what
natural hazards they are likely to face in their own communities. They should know in advance
what specific preparations to make before an event, what to do during a hurricane, earthquake,
flood, fire, or other likely event, and what actions to take in its aftermath.

Equally important, public officials and the media — television, radio, and newspapers — must be
fully prepared to respond effectively, responsibly, and speedily to large-scale natural emergencies.
They need to be aware, in advance, of procedures to follow in a crisis that threatens to paralyze the
entire community they serve, and they need to know how to communicate accurate information to
the public during a natural disaster.

Special efforts must also be made to reach and plan for the care of particularly vulnerable
segments of the population — latch-key children, the elderly, individuals in health care and
correctional facilities, people with disabilities, and those who do not speak English — with
information about possible disasters and what to do in an emergency.

What is disaster preparedness?

Disaster preparedness refers to the preventive measures taken to reduce the severity of a disaster’s
effects. The goal of disaster preparedness is to lessen the impact of disasters on vulnerable
populations, to ready an organization for an influx of activity, and to design a coordinated plan
that reduces the waste of resources, time, and efforts.

When any disaster strikes, whether it be a hurricane, flood, domestic terrorism, tornado, or fire,
the situation has the potential to create chaos and confusion. Effective disaster preparedness helps
alleviate some of the chaos wrought by the unexpected crisis. It is critical to have a written plan in
place, and for all staff to understand their role within the plan. Disaster plans should be revisited
regularly to ensure complete understanding within the organization. If you follow your disaster
plan, it is possible for your nonprofit to be able to get back up and running quickly and begin
serving the populations affected by the disaster.