Perspectives of Natural Disasters in East and South Asia, and the Pacific Island States: Socio-economic Correlates and Needs Assessment

The regions of East and South Asia, and the Pacific Islands are among the most-hazardprone areas in the world. Because of this, during the last century, most of the humancasualties of `natural-triggered' disasters have taken place in this region. This circumstance therefore has become a major global humanitarian concern. Another major concern, specifically for the donor agencies, is the damage sustained by infrastructure resulting from environmental disasters. These recurrent loses take away a significant proportion of the cumulative economic gains accrued from development investments over many years. Stepwise multiple regression results substantiated the fact that many of the socio-economic and demographic variables significantly influence disaster-related deaths and injuries in this part of the world. A comparative temporal analysis has shown that, over the past two decades, demographic variables have become prominent predictors of disaster-loss in South, Southeast and East Asian and the Pacific states. Many countries of the region are lagging behind in understanding and recognizing thebroader scope of disaster mitigation and management. Emerging needs and awarenessamong the decision-makers and the general public, however, have prompted institutionsin many countries to initiate a critical review of the prevailing approaches. Thecountry-specific disaster-management capacities and needs in the region vary widely.There are many differences in historical courses, institutional and administrative settings, sociocultural characteristics, as well as political and economic systems. Development of a common institutional framework for the region, therefore, seems unfeasible. Based upon a regional review, it has become clear that the research calls for improving the understanding of the significance of disaster mitigation and management in light of sustainable development and the emerging global issues. In addition, aspects of human resource development to enhance institutional mitigation and response capacities are emphasized. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003