How we prepare for disasters
| The Red Cross doesn’t only respond to emergencies, we also prepare for them. We have learned from experience that being prepared makes a huge difference in saving lives and protecting the livelihoods of people affected by disaster. | | |  | |
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It also makes economic sense. For every £1 invested in reducing the risk of disasters, £4 are saved in terms of emergency response and reconstruction.
We prepare for disasters by:
- giving local people the skills and resources to respond to an emergency
- ensuring life-saving stocks, such as food, blankets and hygiene sets are already in place in disaster-prone areas.
Working together
The British Red Cross plays a major role in helping other Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies prepare for disasters.
In India, we helped our colleagues construct a flood platform, which gives people shelter and access to clean water during annual floods. We also worked with communities in Nepal to reduce the dangers of flooding through a range of activities, including building dams and providing first aid training.
It may not be possible to prevent a disaster altogether, but by working with communities to find solutions we can greatly reduce the negative effects of disasters, saving lives and livelihoods.
Read about preparing women in Bangladesh for disasters
Learn how Indonesians are better prepared after the tsunami | |
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