Multi-Hazard Risk and Integrated Approach to Resilience

Disasters occur as a result of a combination of risks and vulnerabilities. Every year, natural and anthropogenic hazards cause damage around the world, thousand of fatalities or injuries and other societal impacts as the frequency of destructive natural events is expected to rise as a result of climate change. Risk management is concerned with reducing vulnerability in order to protect the community. The multi-hazard disaster risk reduction approach involves assessing a composite risk from all hazards in order to conduct integrated planning. When hazards are viewed in isolation, mitigation measures proposed as a solution for one risk may create vulnerability for another. The interdependencies between different types of hazards must be considered in a multi-hazard approach. Poverty causes vulnerability, but it is not the same as vulnerability. Poor people are forced to settle in vulnerable areas as a result of rapid urbanisation and scarcity of land, and can be avoided through a multi-pronged approach that considers the structural, social and economic part. Community knowledge and education are critical components of disaster risk reduction.