Know risk or no risk? UN launches guide on disaster risk reduction

December 2004 was a painful reminder of the many vulnerable people threatened by natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, landslides and tsunamis. The disaster presented a range of valuable lessons, including the need for people to be aware and take action to reduce disaster risk. A new book launched at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, on 19 January 2005, could help achieve this goal.