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As you'd expect, there is a significant body of ongoing literature & research covering the area of disasters, emergency response & humanitarian aid.

We've produced a quick overview of some of the most important documents & services available to help you understand the key current issues & thinking in this area. We'd encourage you to review some of them if possible before the event itself.

World Disasters Report 2010

Produced by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies, this comprehensive report seeks to investigate a key 21st century challenge: how to work with the growing 'urban risk divide'. Simply put, for inhabitants in stable, economically prosperous locations the city may be one of the safest places to face hazard & disaster risk. Yet for the increasing number in (and migrating to) informal or unrecognised slums & shanty towns the risks can be both manifold & acute.

Of note is Chapter 2 "Urban Disaster Trends" which seeks to encapsulate particular 'visions' of urban hazards & risks;

Vision #1: Asset exposure to multi-hazards in large cities

Using information from the NatCatSERVICE produced by insurer Munich Re, this provides a hazard risk index for 50 of the world's largest & most economically important cities.

Vision #2: Flood exposure in port cities

Referencing an OECD 2008 report, this considers 136 port cities with a population of over 1 million with exposure to "one-in-100-year, surge induced flood events." The report models the likely exposure of both people & assets with forecasts up to 2070.

Vision #3: City-level data for multi-hazards

Seeking to capture & portray the reality of risk facing communities at a more local level, the DesInventar database is introduced. This is based on a social studies network for disaster prevention in Latin America & seeks to reflect the more numerous - but likely under-reported - daily disasters of small & medium impact.

Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters (The Economics of Effective Prevention)

Produced by the United Nations & the World Bank this report takes a joint economic & social-construction approach to considering the inter-relationship between natural systems and human action & offers a number of findings & policy implications. On a related note, the UK's Institute of Development Studies held a recent event based on this report & made a case for adding development perspectives as a crucial part of the context for any assessment of these issues

Global Assessment report on Disaster Risk Reduction

Produced for the first time in 2009, this biennial global assessment of disaster risk reduction (DDR) is prepared within the context of implementing the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). In turn, this is based on the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA) which urges all countries to make major efforts to reduce their disaster risk by 2015.

Climate Vulnerability Monitor

Launched in 2010, this research initiative seeks to offer an assessment of climate change across a number of interconnected vulnerabilities including weather disasters, health impacts, habitat loss & economic stresses. It also offers suggestions for appropriate adaptation measures.

Lastly, we're increasingly used to engaging with catastrophic events on a near real-time basis via TV, news-feeds & the internet but does technology also help play a wider role? A BBC Click report offers a useful insight into "How technology helps with the aftermath of disasters".

Other websites & information services

EM-DAT - the International Disasters Database is a comprehensive, searchable online resource produced by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) which has been active for over 30 years in the fields of international disaster and conflict health studies.

Disasters  - a peer-reviewed quarterly journal produced by the UK's Overseas Development Institute (ODI) reporting on all aspects of disaster studies, policy and management.

PreventionWeb - founded by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) in 2007, PreventionWeb is designed as a resource for increasing knowledge sharing on disaster risk reduction (DRR) issues.

AlertNet - a free humanitarian news service run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation covering crises worldwide including natural disasters, conflicts, refugees, hunger, diseases and climate change.

We'd welcome any suggestions for further inclusion.

@guyyeomans