“Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster” (AC)

basic systems that keep society functioning

basic systems that provide proper plumbing

strategies used in disaster prevention efforts

is as simple as ensuring

most common causes of urban flooding

so roads and bridges don’t crumble

Chile had laws that required buildings to be more earthquake-safe.

A large international search-and-rescue team helped people in Chile.

The earthquake in Chile occurred in a deserted area.

planting mangrove forests

building homes on high platforms

building high dikes

After a disaster, residents are more likely to take steps leaders suggest.

Disasters get attention and assistance from the international community.

Studying the disaster can help decision-makers see what they did wrong.

a number identifying location

a measurement of power

a measurement of fatalities

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti

Just a month later

the much stronger earthquake in Chile

People should take certain recommended steps to help equip their homes to withstand natural disasters.

Leaders should take certain recommended steps to help their countries better survive natural disasters.

Families should take certain recommended steps to help them better cope with natural disasters.

Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,000 people in the Philippines last fall, reminded us how much suffering and damage nature can cause.

Even as climate change increases the risk of natural disaster, cities can be made increasingly safe, as long as public policy makers carefully prepare.

Open-source tools such as the World Bank’s Open Data for Resilience Initiative make it easy for countries to collect and share information on risk.

early-warning systems

rebuilding unsafe buildings

replacing aging bridges

Open-source tools such as the World Bank’s Open Data for Resilience Initiative make it easy for countries to collect and share information on risk, and allow people with a variety of expertise to participate in the challenge of building resilience.

Just $1 invested in early-warning systems can save as much as $35 indamages—and protect untold numbers of lives. When Cyclone Phailin hit India in the fall of 2013, a new early-warning system and a network of cyclone shelters kept 900,000 people out of harm’s way.

Countries can learn from Peru, where the head of disaster risk management reports directly to the prime minister and works closely with the ministry of finance, or from New York City, where former Mayor Michael Bloomberg . . . personally fought for investments in preparing for climate change.