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<br /> <br />30 <br /> <br />coordinated and needless duplication reduced - <br />in other words, if an international campaign were <br />undertaken. <br />Why should an international effort be <br />mounted? First, natural disasters exact costs that <br />are unacceptable by any social, economic, or <br />political measure. Second, applied science and <br />technology is the only means to reduce these <br />impacts. Third, natural hazards and catastrophes <br />do not respect national boundaries, and the <br />techniques to limit their occurrence are not <br />specific to any country. Experience from events in <br />one place may be useful elsewhere before a similar <br />event occurs. A coordinated international effort <br />offers the opportunity to develop and apply <br />avoidance approaches more quickly and at a <br />lower cost than can separate national strategies <br />alone. Indeed, a cooperative international effort <br />may be the only way to develop effective avoidance <br />methods for global application, notwithstanding <br /> <br />An aerial view of Albion, <br />1'C11l1sylvallia, reveals a deadly <br />trail of disaster. 011 ,'"lay 31, <br />1985, a tornado outbreak saw <br />43 twisters touch dowlI in an <br />8-hour period; 10 were <br />classified as "maxis" -the most <br />powerful killd -illcludillg the <br />olle ill Albioll. The tornado's <br />destructive path is clearly seen <br />proceeding diagollally from the <br />lower right. <br /> <br />the successes of some bilateral programs. <br />The International Decade for Natural Hazard <br />Reduction offers its participants the opportunity <br />to accomplish the following: <br /> <br />1. Enhance the flow of information and experi- <br />ence across geographic and national boundaries. <br />2. Make efficient use of experimental facilities <br />and laboratories throughout the world. <br />3. Achieve the critical mass of knowledge, <br />experience, and investigative capability required <br />to truly develop disaster avoidance. <br />4. Allow researchers and professionals of many <br />nations to gain access to areas and information <br />that would not otherwise be available. <br />5. Obtain and share demonstrable results <br />within a relatively short time that clearly advance <br />engineering and scientific understanding and can <br />be adapted for use within the participants' own <br />countries. <br /> <br />