Disaster Preparedness: Anticipating the Worst Case Scenario   [open pdf - 3MB]

"Effective disaster preparedness planning at the national and regional levels is a 'high payoff' investment that governments can make in anticipation of large-scale natural or man-made disasters. The 2005 Indonesian area earthquake and tsunami and the resulting national, regional, and international response efforts energized the nations of South Asia to take a serious look at their disaster preparedness planning processes and at the critical gaps exposed by the magnitude of the disaster."