Update

'Schools are also centres for learning and spreading disaster risk reduction awareness in the community' said state official Manasa Vaniqi....

'Governments must come up with medium and long-term strategies to cope with flooding.' said Hervé Ludovic De Lys of UNOCHA 'humanitarian responses are not sustainable.'....

Vulnerable nations will be among those hit earliest and hardest by the impacts of climate change on water resources management, food security and health, in particular in Africa....

Experts seek to fill gaps in knowledge, planning and technology....

Professor Santosh Kumar of the National Institute of Disaster Management gives his perspective on disaster management and preparedness in India....

'The role of the satellites will be significant when China faces such natural disasters as this year's snowstorms and massive earthquake,' said Bai Zhaoguang, a leading scientist and designer of the satellites....

'If you can prevent something from happening, you probably have to pay out less dollars on prevention than after it happens. So we got to work on that.' said Federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day

'Bhutan is one of the seismically active regions in the world and education and awareness on disaster management and preparedness in school is crucial' said Mahesh Nakarmi, emergency management expert....

The central coastal province of Quang Nam is prepared to relocate 18,000 families with almost 73,000 members living along the coastline to safer places to protect them from natural disaster threats....

The first of eight new satellites, to be launched this week, 'is expected to forecast and monitor natural disasters', said Wu Xiaoqing, vice minister of Environmental Protection....