A staggering amount of development dollars – one in three, in fact – are lost due to natural disasters and crises. Certain communities are less affected than others by such disasters; they are more resilient. Knowing where vulnerability and strength exist and how to bolster them could help avoid these losses. Yet, today, very little data exists to help development practitioners understand which adaptive capacities are lagging in a given community.

Resilience, as defined by USAID, is “the ability of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth.” To better understand what makes a person, household, community, country, or system more resilient than others, comparative measurements need to be taken. Fran Norris et al. have asserted four key adaptive capacities that are the most essential for a resilient community: economic development, social capital, information and communication, and community competence.

Whether based on these criteria or others, better measurement of community resilience will allow development experts to prioritize aid and invest in projects that build adaptive capacities where they are most needed.

Costs Are Disproportionate to Preventative Measures

Over the past three years alone, natural disasters have resulted in $647 billion in economic losses worldwide. 2011 was the most expensive year on record, resulting in over $380 billion in economic losses due to the advanced economic development and infrastructure of nations struck.

Michael Renner on creating peacebuilding opportunities from natural disasters

While the death toll of disasters has varied throughout history, population growth, urbanization, and movement to coastal areas in the past decade have increased mortality rates substantially. Deaths from disasters in 2010 exceeded 300,000 people worldwide – compared to just over 13,000 from terrorism in the same year.

For the complete article, please see New Security Beat.