Blogs

When it comes to responding to disasters, time is of the essence. And while money is critical to this response, it’s not just about funding. Indeed, funds need to match the event scale, target the right areas and sectors, and smoothly flow to communities in need. But in order for that to happen, sound public policy on risk and frameworks have to be in place.  

Culture is the foundation on which cities are built. Culture injects a sense of place in a city that brings meaning to its people; without culture and people, cities would be no more than a mere collection of buildings and unbuilt areas. Culture plays a critical role during post-conflict and post-disaster reconstruction processes.

The magnitude of threats faced by Bangladesh is unprecedented in terms of risk, exposure and vulnerability. And with a population of 160 million, the country is one of the world’s most disaster prone and vulnerable to tropical cyclones, storm surges, floods, a changing climate and even earthquakes.

Examples abound of leading tech companies that have adopted open source strategy and contribute actively to open source tools and communities. So, how can the World Bank – an institution that purchases and develops a significant amount of software – also participate and contribute to these communities?

Pakistan is one of the most disaster prone countries in South Asia. The country has suffered approximately $18 billion in damages and losses from natural disasters over the past decade.

The demand for decent, affordable – and safe – housing for growing urban populations is a nagging problem for financially strapped governments throughout the developing world. According to McKinsey & Co., a third of the world’s urban population – 1.6 billion people – will be hard pressed to obtain decent housing by 2025.

By 2030, without significant investment into making cities more resilient, climate change may push up to 77 million more urban residents into poverty. To prevent such losses, the international communities and countries – especially those highly vulnerable to climate change and nations in fragile and conflict situations – must prepare in advance for better disaster and crisis recovery. 

On August 27, 2015, there was little sense of anxiety or urgency in Dominica as the first rains landed on this small Eastern Caribbean island state. Tropical Storm Erika was not predicted to heavily affect Dominica – but predictions could not have been off further for its 71,000 residents.

Water-related disasters are sometimes lost from the idea of ‘water issues,’ yet they are closely aligned with five Sustainable Development Goals of poverty, hunger, urban, climate, and, of course, water.

Intense drought can devastate a country. Severe flooding can be catastrophic. Dealing with both at the same time? That’s just another day for many countries around the world that struggle to accurately predict weather- and climate-related disasters while simultaneously dealing with their effects.