The recent snowstorms in China have signaled that "freak
weather" is becoming increasingly more common, a United Nations
body that seeks to mitigate the impact of natural disasters warned
on Wednesday.
The unprecedented scale, cost, and human impacts of China's
freak month of snowstorms, its worst in 50 years, herald a need for
the world to get ready for "new kinds of disasters," said the
Geneva-based International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
(ISDR).
"So-called 'freak weather' is becoming more common, and reducing
vulnerability to these unexpected extremes must be a top priority
for governments," the agency said in a statement.
ISDR emphasized the growing importance of ensuring
infrastructure can withstand weather that was previously
unthinkable.
"When billions of dollars in potential losses are balanced
against the low costs of prevention in the future, the choice
should be clear," it said.
According to the agency, the impact of the recent snowstorms on
China's vast, mobile population, are a lesson in how "we need to
reduce the risks associated with extreme weather that most
countries can expect in the future."
The agency also praised the Chinese government's rapid
activation of emergency plans and marshaling of state resources to
respond to the needs of over 100 million of its citizens.
"Governments across the world can learn from the Chinese
government's commitment. Governments should also learn from the
shock of new types of disasters, and need to start examining how to
best adapt to unpredictable, 'freak' conditions that may sadly
become all too normal," it said.
(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2008)