Natural disasters are inevitable but are the population displacements they cause also unavoidable? 22 million people were made refugees by natural disasters in 2013, according to a report released last week from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and the Norwegian Refugee Council. This number is three-times higher than that for displacements caused by conflicts in 2013. Displacement increases the risk of health problems such as infectious diseases from overcrowding in refugee camps or worsening of chronic diseases due to disruption of care. However, a substantial number of displacements from natural disasters should be preventable. As the report notes, increased investment in disaster risk reduction measures such as better urban planning, maintenance of flood defences, and implementation of building standards for houses to withstand small-scale hazards, could help reduce displacements after natural events.
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