ReliefWeb

OVERVIEW

Populations throughout South Asia face a range of natural hazards, including earthquakes, cyclones, floods, landslides, droughts, and tsunamis. Demographic changes, rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, and climate change have increased exposure to natural hazards, often resulting in more natural disasters and compounding the impact of civil conflicts and other complex emergencies. In addition, declining socio-economic conditions of some populations are increasing vulnerability to hazards in the region. National governments in South Asia are investing in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and improving their countries’ response capacities from the community to the national level. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is committed to assisting these nations in the development of DRR and emergency response capacities throughout South Asia.

In FY 2012, USAID/OFDA emphasized DRR activities in South Asia’s urban areas, particularly in cities that face seismic risks, as well as the development of public-private partnerships to reduce risk. USAID/OFDA also enhanced existing DRR programs to build disaster early warning, response, and mitigation capacity from the national to the community level. In FY 2012, USAID/OFDA provided more than $27 million for DRR projects throughout South Asia, including programs that integrate DRR with disaster response.