Data against Natural Disasters: Establishing Effective Systems for Relief, Recovery, and Reconstruction

Data against Natural Disasters: Establishing Effective Systems for Relief, Recovery, and Reconstruction

Data against Natural Disasters: Establishing Effective Systems for Relief, Recovery, and Reconstruction

Article Type: Book reviews From: Disaster Prevention and Management, Volume 18, Issue 3

Edited by Samia Amin and Markus Goldstein,World Bank Publications,Washington, DC,www.worldbank.org/publications2008,340 pp.,ISBN 978-0-8213-7452-8,$35 (paperback)

It is difficult to think about collecting data in the midst of a natural disaster, but knowledge about what data is needed and where is critical to mounting an effective relief and recovery effort. Data Against Natural Disasters outlines what information is needed to coordinate relief efforts and discusses the limits of that data.

“However generous the support provided to the affected population, there is always a gap between needs and resources”, according to the book. “Proper data management ensures that priorities are set and enforced.” The book contains extensive case studies from Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Even well-funded disaster response can face difficulties without proper information management (see Large-scale Disasters, below).

“The response to the Asian tsunami was particularly generous and, in fact, overwhelmed many humanitarian actors”, the book states. “This assistance amounted to over $8,000 per displaced person, supplying, in principle, the response and recovery actors with an incentive and ample resources for proper data management and evidence-based decision making.”