In the last twenty years natural disasters have claimed more than 1.5 million lives around the globe. In 2008 alone, almost 250,000 lives were lost. Many more millions of people live with the constant threat of impending natural disasters. According to figures published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), about 118 million people are at risk from earthquakes, 343.6 million individuals must live in fear that a hurricane or cyclone will destroy their homes, 521 million live with the threat of being hit by flooding, and 130 million with the threat of drought. Studies confirm the mutually reinforcing nature of vulnerability to natural disasters and poverty. Disaster risk management, which helps to reduce that vulnerability, is thus an essential factor in poverty reduction.
