FloodUnited_NationsFlickr.jpg Natural hazards and disaster risk reduction Tags: Natural hazards Floods Drought Contact: Natural hazards are severe and extreme weather and climate events. Although they occur in all parts of the world, some regions are more vulnerable to certain hazards than others. Natural hazards become disasters when people’s lives and livelihoods are destroyed. The global expected average annual loss in the built environment associated with tropical cyclones (wind and storm surge), earthquakes, tsunamis and floods is now estimated at US$314 billion. This risk presents a real challenge to the global agenda of sustainable development. (...) In absolute terms, global average annual loss is concentrated in large, higher-income, hazard-exposed economies. However, in relation to annual capital investment or social expenditure, many low and middle-income countries, and in particular small island developing states (S...