Giving Before Disasters Saves Lives

Nepali engineers and academics joined with our global technical team for robust testing of Earthquake Desks, designed to protect schoolchildren in buildings that fail in an earthquake. Results were exciting—Desks held the protective area below. Innovative Earthquake Desks provide an interim protective solution until schools are made safer.

In the past five years, our focus has been on tapping into our global team’s capacities and investing in our local leaders – leading to tremendous progress. We are also expanding and improving our efforts to address the most pressing natural hazard issues facing at-risk communities, thus serving them better. 

Your support has been instrumental in making this happen!

Highlights of our progress since 2019 include:

Inspiring Locally-Led Action: Ultimately, we are about catalyzing action where communities take resilience efforts forward. We have engaged over 1,600 local leaders, strengthened 76 local groups, and sparked the creation of 3 local youth clubs.

Municipal-level geologists (the first in India) are implementing Aizawl’s new slope modification regulations, helping to reduce landslide hazards. Aizawl is now a model for hill cities facing high landslide risk. We have been providing technical support since 2011.

Advancing Local Capacities: We directly reached over 290,000 people in 15 countries where disaster risk is high, including training 4,000+ construction workers, engineers, school children, community leaders and emergency responders. Strengthening capacities puts local people in charge and strengthens their systems to address disaster risk.

We trained masons and carpenters from a small Haitian construction company to use standard plans for disaster-resilient school buildings that can also serve as shelters. Having many small builders skilled with these plans is efficient and fills a great need to build more.

Co-Developing Solutions: We conducted over 400 pre-disaster risk assessments, which included that of buildings, infrastructure, and regulations to inform safer practices and mitigation efforts. Working in partnership with local professionals, key decision makers, and disaster management agencies, we influenced or co-developed over 165 policies, procedures, and plans. Institutionalized risk management is key to long-term resilience.

Bhutanese officials integrating findings from a GHI-led earthquake building losses scenario into their planning for Thimphu. They developed an action plan, identified earthquake safe evacuation centers, and updated their Disaster Management & Contingency Plan.

Broadening our Efforts: Communities where we work are facing increased disaster risk from climate change and multiple hazards. We have expanded our work to address pressing issues like these, including implementing 9 climate and 19 resilient infrastructure projects.

Leaders in a Philippines farming/fishing community are assessing local mangroves, which serve as a first defense against tsunamis and increasing coastal climate hazards. We are empowering and working alongside communities like this to help them be better protected.

With your support, we can continue to build on our efforts and do so much more. To keep the momentum going, our Board of Trustees has pledged a generous $80,000 matching grant for donations made by December 31. Double your impact today by donating at www.geohaz.org/donate.

With deep gratitude,

Veronica Cedillos

President & CEO

GeoHazards International

Bhutan · Dominican Republic · Haiti · India · Nepal · U.S.A.

P.S. Want more detail about our programs and progress? See our 2024 Annual Report.