An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Reducing disaster risks around the world - Expert

Success of disaster risk reduction 'depends heavily on how well disaster risk is understood. City planners, for instance, play important roles through risk-based territorial planning, enforcement of building standards, early warning systems, and emergency response plans. Governments and donors can help cities build this capacity and the knowledge for managing risks. At the heart of the success of these projects is the long-term support of specialized actors on the ground, as well as government institutions operating at the national and local levels,' writes Francis Ghesquiere, head of the GFDRR Secretariat on the pages of his Huffingtonpost blog.