Prediction and Forecasting of Natural Disasters

Abstract

Differentiating between the terms prediction and forecasting, the chapter provides a brief on the current status of forecasting and early warning in the backdrop of success and failure stories. The speeds with which disasters strike, their prediction and people-centered early warning and indicators of crisis and emergency are discussed. The new generation of initiatives are introduced that provide ready access to global, regional, national, and local early warning systems and facilitate dissemination of early warnings.