We’ve recently seen widespread media coverage of natural events ranging from volcanic eruptions in Iceland to destructive earthquakes in Haiti, while the recovery from Hurricane Katrina continues.  When these events affect vulnerable communities the impact can be devastating, and knowing how to respond is increasingly critical.

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) hosted a panel discussion on 25 May 2010 as part of its 21st Century Challenges series, titled Natural disasters: how can we improve?.  It invited several internationally recognised practitioners to explore these issues of preparedness and response in more detail.  You can watch videos of the discussion here.

Learning about natural disasters is a central theme in geography.  The Geography Teaching Today website has links to KS3 teaching resources relating to natural disasters and risk in the UK and elsewhere, including Risky World and Are You Flood Ready?

You might also like to check out some other teaching resources focused on natural hazards and disasters from Geography in the News, which includes materials at AS/A2 and IB levels: South Asia Quake, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, A case study of natural disasters in the summer of 2009 and Consequences of Hurricane Katrina.  The ESRC website also offers a factsheet on disasters and disease.

ESRC has funded research on a range of research projects relating to the response to natural disasters, such as A Comparative Study of Natural Disasters in Asia, and recently held a seminar on natural hazards and critical public participation as part of the ESRC seminar series Critical Perspectives on Public Engagement in Science and Environmental Risk .  It is this research which helps us to improve our knowledge of, and readiness for, major natural events.