Disasters do not only cause direct damage, but they influence global industrial production, writes M Mizanur Rahman and Simon Rahman of Islamic Relief Worldwide on the pages of New Age, referring to a a UN estimate of costs of the recent floods in Thailand. Thus, disaster risk reduction is becoming increasingly important, and, as one of the crucial issues identified at the recent Rio + 20 conference is ensuring the sustainability of cities, governments are encouraged to take urban planning seriously and to implement laws for making cities resilient.
In Bangladesh people are aware of flood risks, but not prepared for earthquakes. The two authors advocate that trained and prepared community volunteer groups can be very effective in building community awareness and supporting the Fire Service and Civil Defence in case of disaster emergencies.