Disaster preparedness

Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

The cost of natural disasters is high, but lives can be saved before they ever occur. As climate change and increasingly erratic weather patterns increase the risks of devastating storms, droughts and floods, we are helping communities identify, assess and reduce their risks. Creating response plans and resilient strategies now can help better protect people tomorrow.

All stories about Disaster preparedness

Haiti: What does resilience look like? January 22, 2013

Discussions at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting this week will focus on how to better prepare for and minimize disasters of the future. In Haiti, we've been investing in communities to do just that.
Haiti: Three years later, investing in the long-term January 11, 2013

Since the January 2010 earthquake, Mercy Corps has reached more than 1.6 million people with lifesaving assistance. Now, we're investing in youth, small business owners and rural communities to build back stronger.
Haiti: Building back stronger January 9, 2013

Through programs that empower young people, support entrepreneurs, and protect valuable natural resources, Haitians are finding new reasons to hope.
Haiti: Isaac update: Safety nets working in storm's wake August 30, 2012

As we've watched what became Hurricane Isaac batter the U.S. Gulf coast, the importance of a strengthened infrastructure and emergency plan — what we in the development world call "resilience-building" or "disaster risk reduction" — is incredibly clear. And close to home for many.
Nepal: Teaching kids to prepare for floods June 6, 2012

Young students at a school in flood-prone western Nepal learn how to stay safe in the event of disaster.
Colombia: Trekking to see flood recovery efforts May 9, 2012

I just returned from a trip to Colombia where, instead of sitting behind a computer, I sat in planes, taxis, boats, vans, dugout canoes and on horseback — in one day.
Indonesia: Emergency planning saves lives in Indonesia today April 11, 2012

Given the scale of the earthquakes that hit on Wednesday, the damage and impact on lives in West Sumatra's Aceh province has been minimal.
Indonesia: Cities and climate change: Mercy Corps joins the global discussion March 23, 2012

Next week London will host the Planet Under Pressure conference, a gathering designed to discuss solutions to the global climate challenge.
Colombia: Stronger communities in the wake of flooding March 22, 2012

Wilfran Zamora Nieto used to spend his days tending field of yucca, cotton, lettuce, radishes, cilantro and onions.
Indonesia: Neglected springs go from trickle to lifeline March 21, 2012

Padang is one of the world’s most vulnerable cities to earthquakes. Indonesia’s capital city is situated on a highly active fault line — the same one that triggered the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. And it is inevitable that another quake will hit in the future.