Conclusion
317
differentiated, and the poor are most affected by fatalities and injuries because they tend to live in areas with high risk of floods, landslides, or droughts; because the quality of their housing is too poor to withstand severe weather events; and because they lack resources to help them quickly recover lost assets. The high density of urban slums makes the urban poor more susceptible to disease outbreaks following natural disasters, while the rural poor are vulnerable because of their high dependence on natural resources. On the other hand, natural disasters erode the asset base of poor households by destroying natural and physical assets, diverting human capital, depleting financial resources, and straining social assets, pushing the poor deeper into poverty. Thus, the impact of disasters is superimposed on existing vulnerabilities and may compound the difficulties faced by the poor. Disaster adaptation policies should combine a mix of hard and soft adaptation measures to strengthen public infrastructure and protect the asset base of the poor. Supporting the infrastructure needs in essential public service areas, such as schools, hospitals, and police buildings, as well as safeguarding access to water, electricity, and sewerage connections, will help build resilience in local communities and thus prevent natural hazards from turning into disasters. In addition, applying a strategic focus to the infrastructure needs of the poorest, for example, by building food and feed storage and safe livestock facilities, will help protect their asset base during extreme weather events. In particular, hazard risk management frameworks should focus on developing social capital in the community by incorporating participation and voice coalition in the design of natural disaster adaptation initiatives. Key policy recommendations include the following: • Decentralize decision making, draw on local knowledge, and involve communities in planning local responses to natural disasters. • Apply asset-based vulnerability analysis to both long-term climate trends and natural hazards at the local, regional, and national levels. • Enhance policies that place legal requirements on national institutions and local governments to keep updated emergency and disaster risk reduction plans. • Upgrade public buildings, such as schools, so that they can serve as storm shelters when needed; hurricane-proof government buildings such as hospitals and police stations. • Increase awareness of disaster risk and risk reduction through television and radio broadcasting.