Ready or Not. Pakistan’s resilience to disasters one year on from the floods.

The floods that hit Pakistan in 2010 were the worst in the country’s
history. The humanitarian response achieved remarkable successes in
minimising the immediate loss of life and providing relief to millions of
people. However, it could have been better: more than 800,000 families
remain without permanent shelter and more than a million people remain
in need of food assistance. These unmet needs must be addressed as a
matter of urgency.
As Pakistan faces another monsoon season and the likelihood of more
disasters, the country is not prepared. Many factors which have
hampered the relief and reconstruction effort are still present, such as an
inadequate disaster management system and a lack of emergency relief
co-ordination and leadership. These institutional challenges must be
resolved as soon as possible. The government and donors need to
invest heavily in measures to reduce disaster risks such as better early
warning systems, flood control, and more resilient housing. They should
also tackle the underlying social inequalities which leave people
vulnerable to disasters through a pro-poor national development plan.
Spending on risk reduction and preparedness not only saves lives and
livelihoods but hugely reduces the economic impact of disasters.