Resource information
Human welfare and development are
heavily influenced by climatic factors. As many as 95
percent of all disaster-related casualties occur in
developing countries, and after an event the recovery often
takes years. Natural disasters can significantly derail the
process of social and economic development. The Bank has
always supported reconstruction in countries affected by
natural disasters. A forward-looking approach to disaster
management is needed, in which natural hazards are screened,
analyzed, and dealt with in an integrated fashion and in as
routine and efficient a manner as are other risks affecting
development. This paper argues that the effective use of
climate information and forecasting should become an
integral part of the new paradigm of comprehensive disaster
management. Longer-range forecasts of many phenomena can now
be produced at a time scale, reliability, and spatial
resolution that make them useful for planning purposes.
Forecasts of El Nino Southern Oscillation events are one
such example, and their use for disaster management is the
main focus of this paper. The use of climate information and
forecasts requires strong local institutions,
well-functioning procedures for information dissemination,
and the trust and motivation of end-users.
