chapter 4 - DRK

The International Federationof Red Cross and Red CrescentSocieties promotes thehumanitarian activities ofNational Societies amongvulnerable people.By coordinating internationaldisaster relief andencouraging developmentsupport it seeks to preventand alleviate human suffering.The International Federation,the National Societies andthe International Committeeof the Red Cross togetherconstitute the InternationalRed Cross and Red CrescentMovement.“When our house flooded, I sometimes woke up atmidnight to find my feet in water, cockroaches and ratsfighting over space, and various objects floating around theliving room, so I had to get up in the middle of the night.Our biggest concern was preventing the furniture fromgetting ruined. Not that we had much to get ruined… Everytime it rained, we used to nail another piece of wood acrossthe doorframe, and dump another truckload of earth toreinforce the barricade. But every time it rained the waterlevel rose further. And the authorities never did anything.– President Lula da Silva, BrazilWorld Disasters Report 2010Focus on urban riskThis year’s World Disasters Report takes an in-depth look at the consequencesfor humanitarian action of the dramatic surge in the numbersof people living in cities and towns which will be the hallmark of the21st century. It examines the issues around this irreversible trend as theworld comes to terms with the fact that more people now live in citiesand towns than in the countryside for the first time in human history.Has development aid kept pace with this dramatic shift? Why arealmost a billion people worldwide still living in slums? How can vulnerablecities protect themselves from climate change? What are theemerging health issues of rapid urbanization? Can anything be doneto turn back the tide of violence sweeping many inner cities andghettos?The World Disasters Report 2010 features: Avoiding the urbanization of disasters Urban disaster trends Starting over:Community rights and post-disaster response Urban violence Urban risk to health Urbanization and climate change risk Urban governance and disaster risk reductionPlus: photos, tables, graphics and indexPublished annually since 1993, the WorldDisasters Report brings together the latesttrends, facts and analysis of contemporarycrises – whether ‘natural’ or man-made,quick onset or chronic.”