(introduction...)

In the 1970s, advances in telecommunications permitted the mass media to relay images and information about natural disasters directly to a world audience with unprecedented speed. People saw what happened to their neighbors as the result of disasters. This new knowledge helped erase boundaries between societies and has given rise, in the 1990s, to a focus on sustainable development. This new way of looking at disasters has integrated the concepts of prevention, mitigation, and preparedness to reduce the social and economic impacts of natural disasters.