Geohazards International

SAVE LIVES BY EMPOWERING AT-RISK COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE TO BUILD RESILIENCE AHEAD OF DISASTERS AND CLIMATE IMPACTS.

HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SHARE THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA AND ARE EXPOSED TO VERY SIMILAR, IF NOT THE SAME, HAZARDS. EARTHQUAKE FAULTS SPAN THE TWO COUNTRIES, TSUNAMIS GENERATED FROM OFFSHORE EARTHQUAKE FAULTS THREATEN COASTAL COMMUNITIES IN BOTH COUNTRIES, AND TROPICAL STORMS AND HURRICANES HITTING THE ISLAND AFFECT THE TWO COUNTRIES. THEY ALSO FACE SIMILAR CHALLENGES, BEING SMALL ISLAND NATIONS WITH LOW RESOURCES. OUR PROGRAM IN THE AREA FOCUSES ON EQUIPPING AT-RISK COMMUNITIES IN THESE COUNTRIES WITH ACTIONABLE INFORMATION ON REDUCING THEIR RISKS FROM DISASTERS. OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDE YOUTH-LED EFFORTS IN BUILDING DISASTER RESILIENCE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES, AS WELL AS SUPPORT FOR FAMILY PREPAREDNESS.

OTHER PROGRAMS INCLUDE EFFORTS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF NATURAL HAZARD RISK IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES. THE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ABOUT DISASTER RISK AND HOW GHI SEEKS TO REDUCE THAT RISK OCCURS THROUGH NEWSLETTERS, A WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, WORKSHOPS, MEETINGS, SEMINARS, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, AND EVENTS. RESOURCES OF TIME AND ENERGY ARE ALSO SPENT COLLABORATING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ADDRESS RELEVANT ISSUES IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GHI.OTHER PROGRAM EXPENSES ALSO INCLUDE OUR PROJECTS IN AFRICA, WHICH HAVE FOCUSED ON UNDERSTANDING THE DISASTER RISK TO SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE, AS WELL AS CONDUCTING BUILDING REGULATORY CAPACITY ASSESSMENTS, PARTICULARLY AS IT RELATES TO DISASTER RESILIENCE.

COUNTRIES IN SOUTH ASIA ARE EXPOSED TO A MULTITUDE OF HAZARDS, INCLUDING EARTHQUAKE, LANDSLIDES, CYCLONES, AND EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. OUR SOUTH ASIA PROGRAM PRIMARILY INCLUDES WORK IN BHUTAN, NEPAL, AND INDIA. IN THE HIMALAYAN REGION (BHUTAN, NEPAL, AND NORTHERN INDIA) WE HAVE FOCUSED ON PROGRAMS TO REDUCE RISK FROM EARTHQUAKES AND LANDSLIDES, WITH A FOCUS ON SCHOOLS, HEALTH FACILITIES, AND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, AS THESE ARE PARTICULARLY CRITICAL TO COMMUNITIES AFTER A DISASTER. IN SOUTHERN INDIA, WE ARE FOCUSING ON REDUCING CLIMATE-RELATED RISKS, INCLUDING RAIN-INDUCED LANDSLIDES. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH LOCAL LEADERS AND COMMUNITIES IN ALL OF OUR EFFORTS THROUGHOUT SOUTH ASIA.

OUR GLOBAL PROGRAM INCLUDES AN ONGOING STUDY OF HOW EARTHQUAKE, LANDSLIDE, AND VOLCANO SCENARIOS HAVE BEEN USED AND HOW THEY CAN BE IMPROVED TO BETTER MOTIVATE DISASTER MITIGATION ACTION. THIS PROGRAM HAS INCLUDED GLOBAL LITERATURE REVIEW ON SCENARIOS, AS WELL AS MORE IN-DEPTH STUDIES OF SCENARIOS USED IN ECUADOR, NEW ZEALAND, NEPAL, AND THE UNITED STATES. THIS PROGRAM IS ALSO INVESTIGATING HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS AFFECTING IMPACTS FROM GEOLOGICAL HAZARDS.