ABSTRACT
In this conference, as elsewhere, much has been made of the distinction between natural disaster work based on relief efforts and that which is concerned more with prevention and mitigation. The latter 'school' is particularly vocal: it is keen to establish that the relief approach is not only partial and merely reactive, but also may actually be incompatible with development as a whole. The main reason given for this is that while the focus is on relief, development efforts tend to be forgotten and the latter can actually help reduce the impact of disasters.
