International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction — 13 October
#DRRDay #BreakTheCycle
Today, 13 October, the world marks the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction — a day to celebrate how communities are reducing their exposure to disasters and to raise awareness on the need to control the risks we face.
Natural disasters are catastrophic events that destroy property, cause loss of life and result in economic upheaval. Any natural event that kills over ten people or injures at least 100 is considered a natural disaster. These disasters kill about 90,000 people and affect 160 million people each year. Millions are displaced annually.
From earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, landslides and wildfires to volcanic eruptions — history has shown us how devastating they can be. From the Bhola Cyclone of 1970, the Tangshan Earthquake of 1976, the Central China Floods of 1931, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — the deadliest and costliest disasters remind us that no community is immune.
Scientists believe disasters are becoming more common due to global warming and rapid urbanization of flood-prone regions. But much can be done — making infrastructure more climate-resilient, educating communities on preparation, and using advanced technology to predict and warn.
First designated on 22 December 1989 by the UN as International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction to be observed on the second Wednesday of October, the day was moved to 13 October in 2009 and renamed International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2019.
At WAELE AFRICA Foundation, this day is a call to protect the most vulnerable — especially women and girls.
In Africa, when disasters strike, women bear the heaviest burden. They lose homes, livelihoods, crops, and access to healthcare and education. Yet women are also the first responders, the community builders, and the most powerful agents of resilience.
Reducing disaster risk means:
Educating communities on preparedness
Empowering women with resources and early warning information
Building climate-resilient homes, schools and farms
Planning as families and communities — discuss risks, assign roles, practice response, keep an emergency kit and fund
Let us build a safer, more resilient Africa where no woman, girl or community is left behind when disaster strikes.
Prevention is possible. Resilience is power.
#DisasterRiskReduction #WAELEAFRICA
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