The Capacity Crisis in Disaster Risk Management: Why Disaster Management Capacity Remains Low in Developing Countries and What Can Be Done

Asmita Tiwari is a development practitioner in the fields of disaster risk management, international development, urban development and environmental management. As a little girl, growing up in Bhopal, India, she was deeply affected by the Union Carbide disaster (Bhopal Gas Tragedy) that took lives of thousands of people in one night. Her passion to understand more about disaster management took her to multiple countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia―while working for major international development agencies as a Disaster Risk Management Specialist. Her primary job has been to support governments in the aftermath of disasters, particularly in developing their capacity to reduce future disaster impacts. This book is a culmination of her fifteen years long journey to understand how to better manage disasters and disaster risks. She has a PhD in Public Administration and Policy and Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. She is currently based in Albany, New York.