When it comes to natural disasters, many communities are unprepared. Others have planned only for the worst-case scenario—a devastating flood, fire, or earthquake— neglecting to plan for smaller but more frequent disasters or assuming that their large-scale disaster plans will address any emergency.
This focus on only the largest natural disasters is akin to treating only the advanced stages of a disease after ignoring decades of symptoms. The interdisciplinary experts of the Natural Disasters and Resilient Communities Roundtable is taking a unique approach to examining the impacts of small, frequent disasters such as floods and fires on communities.
We cannot prevent natural disasters, but by better understanding how different disasters impact ecosystems and people, we can make our communities more resilient.
