ABSTRACT
Disasters are largely divided into two main areas to include natural and man-made disasters, and both can cause a significant loss and disruption of lives, built and social assets, and the economy. There are many different definitions of disaster and its components. This chapter uses those held in the document, “UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction” published by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland. Resilience is a far-stretching and complex concept taking into account many other aspects of disaster including risk reduction, risk management, early warning systems, disaster preparedness, post-disaster strategies, capacity building, knowledge sharing, effective policy making, technical solutions, financial/economic infrastructure, and political structures. Post-disaster reconstruction forms only one element of the overall recovery process but a very important one. The construction industry has an important role to play in finding and providing appropriate solutions to the continuous threat of disaster.
