1 Such expenditures can, and should, be reduced. The United States must create a sustainable society, resilient to natural hazards. The impacts of natural hazards can, at a minimum, be mitigated or, in some instances, prevented entirely. Natural disasters kill and inflict human suffering. In addition, they destroy property, economic productivity, and natural resources, and they harm the environment.
Natural disasters jeopardize sustainable development.
Inaction today regarding natural hazards compromises safety, economic growth, and environmental quality for generations to come. Furthermore, the burden of natural disasters falls disproportionately on the poor and disenfranchised. However, forward-looking decisionmaking today regarding land use, the direction and nature of economic development, and needed investment in societal infrastructure and capital facilities can improve the prospects and opportunities afforded to future generations. Because natural hazards occur frequently, they could allow testing and rapid evaluation of policy options in a wide range of geographical and cultural contexts. However, in most instances today, such analyses are not conducted.