Risk management and disaster relief operations

Abstract

During 2002, some 11,000 people throughout the world were killed in natural catastrophes and man-made disasters were responsible for 10,000 fatalities worldwide; flood claimed the most victims with more than a third of the fatalities caused by natural disasters. Indeed, people will always face natural disasters, but it seems that disasters nowadays are frequently generated by or aggravated by human activities. The poverty as well as the increase of the density of the population is making the world more and more vulnerable since more people are living in riskier situations. The number of people at risk is growing every year and most of this population is located in developing countries where resources are limited. The purpose of this study is to identify the different types of risk and risk management in order to increase the participation of the private sector in disaster relief operations. This could generate the incentive for a collaborative work in an effective and efficient manner despite the number of agencies involved in disaster relief and fund raising in the corporate world. After providing an overview of the risk management concepts, this thesis will focus on assessing risks and ways to mitigate them before presenting risk transfer. Finally, there will be an emphasis on the importance and the role of Information Technology in Disaster Risk Management activities.