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2 Fires raged unhindered in many parts of Managua, Nicaragua, after the December 23. 1972, earthquake (magnitude 6.2) disrupted the water system and damaged much of the city's fJre{ighting equipment. The collapse of houses and public buildings left 10,000 dead, 20,000 injured, and three, fourths of Managua's population of 400,000 without homes. Nearly every Nicaraguan shared in the disaster's effects as the earthquake disrupted almost the entire nation's industrial production. ~ I ~ Z => ill > :J o ~ ~ proposal for an International Decade for Natural Hazard Reduction (IDNHR). Such a concerted effort ro develop, disseminate, and apply this knowledge could yield both immediate and long, term benefits worldwide, The concepr of a global program to reduce natural hazards, involving collaborative efforts among culturally and economically diverse na- tions, has received enthusiastic support from the scientific and technological community at large, International organizations including the Inter, national Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), rhe International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), the Internarional Union of Geological Sciences (lUGS), the International Association of Engineering Geology (IAEG), the Inter-Union Commission on the Lithosphere (ICL), the Inter- national Association for Earthquake Engineering (IAEE), and the International Association for Wind Engineering (IAWE) have expressed support for the Decade. At least 17 national professional groups, including the Science Council of Japan, the Royal Society of Canada, the Asociacion de Ingenieros Esrructurales (Argentina), the Earth- quake Engineering Research Institute (United Srates), rhe Mexican Academy of Engineering, and the Engineering Institute of Thailand, have also responded wirh strong interest and encour- agement. In view of this growing support for the IDNHR, the time is ripe to bring the marter to the attention of governments and harness rhe energies of scientists, engineers, practitioners, and others who are willing ro devote their talents to crearing a more hazard-resilient world. The present report suggests a broad framework for the conduct of the IDNHR. It should not be seen as a detailed planning document: such a blueprint must be the product of future discus- sions among prospective participants. Thus, the report suggesrs many acrions and proscribes none. It is a call to action to a diverse, global audience and seeks a unity of vision without prejudging possible IDNHR activities, HAZARD REDUCTION It is generally recognized rhar the impacrs of natural hazards are increasing and will continue to do so unless rhe world community takes concerted action. The reasons are clear: popula-