Strategies for Managing Low-probability, High-impact Events

Every country should develop strategies
for managing low-probability, high-impact extreme
events-strategies that reflect their own as well as global
experiences with mega-disasters. These strategies should
integrate structural and nonstructural measures tailored to
local conditions. Forecasting and early warnings, land-use
planning and regulation, hazard maps, education, and
evacuation drills are all vital. Lessons from the Great East
Japan Earthquake (GEJE) can help improve these nonstructural
practices, which in Japan have been shaped by trial and
error after experiences with many natural disasters. The
international community should develop knowledge-sharing
mechanisms to help countries prepare for low-probability,
high-impact extreme events.