This book presents papers on several events organized by the World Bank's Disaster Management Fund (DMF). The DMF's objectives are to help the Bank provide a more strategic and rapid response to disaster emergencies and to integrate disaster prevention and mitigation measures in all Bank activities. Part I of this book on risk identification contains chapters on the economic impacts on natural disasters in developing countries, including flooding, with the example of Buenos Aires; and time scales of climate and disaster. Part II explores aspects of reducing disaster risk, such as the relationship of infrastructure, natural disasters, and poverty; flooding issues in the United States, incentives for risk management and mitigation concerning cultural heritage; issues related to single-family housing, women, and children; and climate change from a development perspective. Part III looks at strategies for developing countries to more effectively share and transfer disaster risk from the angles of risk and insurance by the poor in developing countries; financing disaster mitigation for the poor; moral dimensions of risk transfer and reduction strategies; incentives for mitigation investment and risk management to encourage public-private partnerships; and linking catastrophe insurance and mitigating disaster losses.
