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The International Decade for Natural Disaster ReductionThe International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) is a United Nations project, established in 1990, aimed at increasing national, community, and individual awareness of hazards and reducing the impact and loss from natural hazards. The overall objective of the Decade programme is to achieve a substantive reduction in the impact of natural disasters through a new emphasis on pre-disaster preparedness activities, disaster planning, and innovative technology. Individual member countries, of which there are approximately 150, are now responsible for identifying major hazards affecting their communities and for formulating hazard mitigation plans to help reduce losses. As part of this resolve, National Governments are called upon to formulate their own national disaster-mitigation programmes; within the US for example, the United States Geological Survey is responsible for implementing numerous scientific research programmes to monitor volcanoes and earthquakes for purposes of prediction and hazard planning. Similar programmes are being undertaken in less developed countries, with the costs of setting them up supported by the United Nations - so as to encourage programme development and implementation, and the sharing of technologies between member nations. Fundamental to the success of such a programme is scientific research, aimed at better understanding the nature of natural events and the means by which these events can be mitigated. The type of information needed includes: the types of hazards known to exist in the region; event frequencies and magnitudes in historic and pre-historic time; affected populations and the economic impact of disasters on these communities; any existing mitigation measures; and possible future options for mitigating events. The potential exists for adoption of new technologies or methodologies identified as a result of scientific research, especially in the area of event prediction. Has the Decade programme been successful? "The success of the IDNDR programme will be measured in terms of increased understanding of the physical and social aspects of natural disaster reduction and improved risk assessment, emergency response, and rapid recovery plans", Hays (1992).
The objective of this exercise is to learn more about the "United Nations International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction" using resources available on the internet. Search for sites which provide you with information on the IDNDR programme, and specifically, sites which address the following:
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