2016•08•25     London     The Guardian

World risk report underlines need for major improvements to transport and power networks in poor countries vulnerable to extreme weather events.

Countries with dilapidated transport networks and unsafe power grids stand a greater risk of extreme natural events becoming humanitarian disasters, a report has found.

Using analysis of floods, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters, the 2016 world risk report, claims that decrepit infrastructure and logistics systems can become a “direct threat” to societies because they can trap or injure victims, as well as impeding the delivery of humanitarian relief.

“Once you have a disaster situation, you need infrastructure to deal with it in the short term and long term, to get supplies and relief into the right places,” says report co-author Dr Matthias Garschagen of the UN University – Institute of Environment and Human Security, which publishes the annual reports.

Read the full article online here.