ABSTRACT
The World Disasters Report (IFRC, 2016) recently revealed that forced migration due to conflict was at its highest levels since the Second World War, while the frequency and scale of disasters caused by natural hazards was also increasing. When the growing threat of terrorism is factored in as well, it becomes clear that the world is becoming increasingly volatile. Disasters tend to be most devastating in low-income settings, which are often characterised by weak infrastructure, poorly constructed houses and a lack of resources for immediate and longer-term recovery. Events such as the Haiti earthquake of 2010, which resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 people and displacement of more than two million people (DEC, 2013), and Typhoon Haiyan, which swept across the Central Philippines in November 2013, claiming 6,000 lives and leading to the displacement of over four million people (NDRRMC, 2014), provide examples of the catastrophic scenarios that can easily arise when disasters occur in countries that are ill-equipped to withstand their impact.
