Earthquake risk management

Asian disaster management news, January-April 2010, vol.16, no.1:

This issue follows the series of devastating earthquakes which struck four countries in early 2010: Haiti on January 12, Chile on February 27, Mexico on April 4, and China on April 14, and the serious threat earthquakes pose for millions of people worldwide; and in urban communities, as eight out of the ten most populated cities in the world are located on earthquake fault-lines. Throughout the 12 articles it seeks to enhance preparedness and increase resilience through mitigation and safe construction before an earthquake strikes.

It contains four thematic articles: (i) earthquake-resistant construction practices for non-engineered housing construction; (ii) preventing building collapse; (iii) re-orientation of disaster management plans in Asian countries in view of recent earthquakes in China, Chile and Haiti; and (iv) the importance of topography in seismic amplification; as well as seven country specific articles covering five countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Asian Disaster Management News is published three times a year by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), bringing one theme for each issue in disaster risk reduction. It aims to serve as a channel of communication and source of information for disaster risk management practitioners and development workers in Asia and the Pacific.