Expectations Are Changing for Disaster Relief

Abstract

Health is often the most critical issue during the initial emergency period after a disaster, whereas the next period is typically devoted to reconstruction. There has been a considerable amount of change in the field of disaster relief over the past 30 years. For example, access to victims has now become a right, the coordination between the different actors has become more organized, and principles have been created to guide relief response activities. Also, fund-raising continues to become increasingly more efficient. Still, there are many improvements that need to be made to prevent disasters and to best organize relief action when disaster does occur.