Thirty years of natural disasters 1974-2003: The numbers

Abstract

The publication : Over the last 30 years, 6,367 natural disasters killed more than 2 million people. A cumulative total of 5.1 billion individuals were affected, of which 182 million were left homeless.These same disasters caused US$1.4 trillion worth of damages. Data on natural disasters and their impact on populations and economies play an essential role in understanding the factors that increase human vulnerability and the importance of disaster preparedness, mitigation and prevention. The public : Policy analysts, aid and development specialists, researchers and journalists are invited to read this book to familiarize themselves with the occurrence and impact of natural disasters. Engineers, environmental and insurance specialists and other technical professionals will also find this publication valuable. The authors : Debarati Guha-Sapir is Director of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) and Professor at the School of Public Health of the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL).Previously trained in Calcutta University and Johns Hopkins University, she holds a doctorate in epidemiology. For over 20 years, she has been involved in field research and training in humanitarian aid issues. David Hargitt is a Research Project Officer at CRED. He coordinates projects on disasters and complex emergencies and is in charge of GIS and mapping applications for the centre. He has degrees in biology, human ecology, cartography and remote sensing. Philippe Hoyois is a Senior Research Fellow at CRED where he is in charge of data analysis. A sociologist, he has been involved over many years in medical and epidemiological studies and has extensive experience in mental health and psychiatric emergency issues. About CRED : The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters is based at the School of Public Health of the Université catholique de Louvain in Brussels, Belgium. For over 30 years, the centre has been involved in multidisciplinary research, training and information dissemination on disasters and conflicts, with a special focus on public health and socio-economic impacts.