In Gonavies, the largest city in Haiti, in-kind transfers from friends and relatives abroad, especially in the United States, after the cyclone Jeane in 2004 played an important role in relieving the immediate distress from the devastation caused by the cyclone (Fagan 2006).<sup>6</sup> There was a 15 percent increase in remittances to Granada after hurricane Ivan in 2005, which helped the households to recover from the disaster (Harvey and Savage 2007). Increased remittances helped to smooth household consumption and compensate for the loss of assets after an earthquake in El Salvador in 2001 (Halliday 2006).

There is increasing emphasis in the policy debates on measures that can reduce the _ex-ante_ vulnerability to natural disasters.<sup>7</sup> In disaster prone regions or countries, exante actions taken by households with migrants (community and the government) in preparation for a possible disaster can substantially reduce the loss of human life and vulnerability in the aftermath of the disaster. For example, programs to reduce the impact on livelihoods have been introduced in countries such as Jamaica that face recurrent devastating cyclones.<sup>8</sup> However, although there is substantial evidence of how remittances sent by migrants abroad contribute to ex-post responses, there is little evidence of how remittances can facilitate _e_ x _-ante_ preparedness that reduces the extent of damages in the event of a natural disaster.<sup>9</sup> For example, remittances can contribute to disaster preparedness by households by making resources available for investments in home improvements so as to increase their disaster resilience. Collective remittance incomes and diaspora contributions can be channelized to augment the efforts of the government and international organizations.

> 6 In-kind remittances, especially from domestic migrants, are important in many countries, but there is very little reliable data on these. The reported values of remittances from the household surveys include in-kind remittances to some extent.

> 7 The Hyogo framework (www.unisdr.org/eng/hfa/hfa.htm ) recognizes the importance of integrating disaster concerns in the larger context of development and vulnerability reduction **.**

> 8 For example, these include green houses for horticulture that can be easily disassembled and reassembled before and after hurricanes (UN News Center ―To Succeed, Disaster Management Strategies Must Target, Reduce Inequalities, Vulnerabilities Faced By Poor, UN Economic and Social Council told.‖ 16 July, 2008 (http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/ecosoc6363.doc.htm)).

> 9 There is some evidence from a related literature on household coping strategies that receiving additional income may reduce ex-ante vulnerability. Udry (1994) finds for a sample of rural households in northern Nigeria that households facing increased weather variability deplete grain inventories at a slower rate to cope with the possibility of income shocks due to weather fluctuations. In a similar work, Paxson (1992) finds for a sample of rural farmers in Thailand that farm households experiencing rainfall shocks save a significantly larger portion of transitory agricultural income in order smooth consumption from income fluctuations. In another study, Rosenzweig and Wolpin (1993) show that farmers in India are more apt to sell bullocks when they experience income shocks.

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