Like many other developing countries, South Africa faces increasing levels of disaster risk. It is exposed to a wide range of hazards, including drought, fires, cyclones and severe storms that can trigger widespread hardship and devastation. The negative impact of theses disasters leave the country to deal with issues such as loss of lives, damages to infrastructure and the environment, disrupted livelihoods, schooling and social services. The country also shares borders with six Southern African neighbours and this contributes to both natural and human-induced trans-boundary risks, as well as humanitarian assistance obligations in times of emergency. In 2007, Damon Coppola in the introduction to his book 'International Disaster Management' summarised recent global disaster trends as follows:

• The number of people affected by disasters is rising;
• overall, disasters are becoming less deadly;
• overall, disasters are becoming more costly;
• poor countries are disproportionately affected by disaster consequences; and
• the number of disasters is increasing each year.

These trends have also been evident in the South African context which has highlighted the critical role of information in decision-making. Communities must also be able to understand the risks they face. Identifying natural hazards, and understanding their potential impact on people and assets is a fundamental element of guiding resilient development.

In the South African context, 'disaster management' is a comprehensive term defined in the Disaster Management Act, 2002 and means a continuous and integrated multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary process of planning and implementation of measures aimed at:

• preventing or reducing the risk of disasters;
• mitigating the severity or consequences of disasters;
• emergency preparedness;
• a rapid and effective response to disasters; and
• post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation.

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Terminology aims to promote common understanding and common usage of disaster risk reduction concepts and to assist the disaster risk reduction efforts of authorities, practitioners and the public. The 2009 version is the result of a process of ongoing review by the UNISDR and consultations with a broad range of experts and practitioners in various international venues, regional discussions and national settings. South Africa supports the ISDR and strives to implement the Hyogo Framework of Action. By following the international terminology, all spheres of government and stakeholders will also develop a common understanding of the field.

Important terms that need to be aligned include the following:

• 'disaster risk reduction' which means the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyse and manage the causal factors of disasters, including through reduced exposure to hazards, lessened vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land and the environment, and improved preparedness for adverse events;
• 'mitigation' in relation to a disaster, which means the lessening or limitation of the adverse Impacts of hazards and related disasters; and
• 'preparedness' which means knowledge and capacities developed by governments, professional response and recovery organisations, communities and individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from, the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazard events and conditions.