World Disasters Report 2001 – Focus on recovery

There were more disasters in 2000 than in previous years of the decade. The good news is
that the year 2000 saw significantly less people killed by disaster. Some 20,000 as
compared to the average of 75,000 per year during the decade. The bad news is that the
number of people affected by disasters went up to 256 million compared with an average
from 1991 to 2000 of 211 million per year.

A major cause in the increasing of number of people being affected by disasters is the
increase in the number of hydro-meteorological disasters such as floods, wind storms and
droughts.

Against this background, this year’s World Disasters Report looks at the subject of, and the
difficulties involved in, recovery from disasters. The overall picture, particularly for those
in the most disaster-prone countries, is far from encouraging. Chapters in this edition of
the World Disasters Report look at the way in which recurrent disasters from floods in Asia
to drought in the Horn of Africa to wind storms in Latin America are sweeping away
development gains and calling into question the possibility of recovery. Gaps between lifesaving relief and longer-term development can leave disaster-affected people stranded.
Technical solutions that do not adequately take account of community’s needs may mean
that reconstruction does not lead to recovery.