Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

Disaster risk: Conditions, trends and impacts
173
(see Figures 7.2 to 7.4). Loss to hydrological (floods,
landslides and hurricanes) hazard is most widespread, affecting
human settlements in China, Southeast Asia and Central
America, and in a band from Eastern Europe through Central
and Eastern Asia. Loss to geological hazard (earthquakes and
volcano eruptions) is most concentrated in Central Asia and
the Mediterranean and Pacific Rim states (e.g. Japan, the US
and Central America). The Americas show variable loss, with
low levels of loss in North America.
Central Asia is exposed to losses from the greatest
number of hazard types. Likewise, the Black Sea region,
Central America and Japan face multiple hazards. Disaster
risk is, however, distributed differently across specific
regions, depending upon what is considered to be at risk. In
terms of mortality caused by natural disasters, hotspots
include Central America, the Himalaya, South and
Southeast Asia, Central Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (see
Figure 7.2). Risk of absolute economic loss shows quite a
different distribution (see Figure 7.3). Wealthier countries
lose the highest value of economic assets in natural disasters.
Consequently, hotspots for absolute economic loss
include North America, Europe and Central, South and
Southeast Asia, with sub-Saharan Africa being less prominent.
A third measure – economic loss as a proportion of
gross domestic product (GDP) – resembles losses recorded
for mortality (see Figure 7.4).
Figure 7.3
<strong>Global</strong> distribution of
highest risk disaster
hotspots indicated by
total economic loss
(1980–2001) 11
Source: Dilley et al, 2005
Figure 7.4
<strong>Global</strong> distribution of
highest risk disaster
hotspots indicated by
economic loss as a
proportion of GDP per
unit area (1980–2001) 12
Source: Dilley et al, 2005