Author Description

The World Bank is the largest funding agency of disaster recovery and reconstruction in developing countries. Since 1984, the Bank has financed a total of $26 billion in disaster activities. These more than 500 projects represent almost 10% of all Bank loan commitments during this period. Over 80 percent of Bank disaster financing has addressed rapid onset disasters -- floods, earthquakes, tropical storms and fires. This report is the first ever assessment of this assistance, and one of the most comprehensive reviews of disaster preparedness and response ever conducted. The report calls for new thinking that integrates predictable disaster risks into development programs and concludes that it is possible to anticipate where many natural disasters will strike.