The Role of Disaster Preparedness in National Planning with Specific Reference to Droughts

Drought is a slow-onset, insidious natural hazard. Vulnerability to drought is increasing in all drought-prone nations and the traditional crisis management approach to address the impacts of these events has proven to be ineffective, untimely, and poorly coordinated. Amore risk-based management approach has been gaining acceptance worldwide because it addresses the underlying cause of impacts — vulnerability. This approach includes development of national policies and mitigation plans directed at identifying the causes of drought impacts and improved early warning systems that provide information to decision makers in a timely manner. This paper discusses the conceptual framework for improved drought preparedness planning with an emphasis on reducing societal vulnerability to future episodes of drought.