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<br /> <br />FOREWORD <br /> <br />The images of death and destruction from natural <br />disasters are constantly thrust before us: a ty- <br />phoon in South Korea, landslides in Europe, <br />tornadoes in the United States, an earthquake in <br />Mexico, poisonous gas releases in Cameroon, <br />This report counters with its own image of a less <br />hazardous world, attained by sharing knowledge <br />we already have about reducing the impacts of <br />natural hazards, and by cooperating in research to <br />extend this knowledge. <br />The time has come to view natural hazards as a <br />world problem, but one that scientific and techno- <br />logical advances now provide a unique oppor- <br />tunity to address, The establishment of an Inter- <br />national Decade for Natural Hazard Reduction, <br />beginning in 1990, would be a potent first step in <br />reducing the impacts of natural hazards through <br />coordinated research, data gathering, and infor- <br />mation sharing. <br /> <br />The thrust of this report is that much that is <br />already known is not universally applied and that <br />there is vast opportunity to advance our knowl- <br />edge of hazard reduction if we pool resources. If <br />we are to achieve a less hazardous world, we must <br />approach the problems of research and applica- <br />tion on an international basis. Anything less is to <br />accept the frightful toll that natural hazards now <br />inflict. <br />I hope that you will read this report with a view <br />toward action and that you will share my enthusi- <br />asm for the International Decade for Natural <br />Hazard Reduction. A safer world awaits our <br />resolve to act together. <br /> <br />FRANK PRESS, President <br />U,S. National Academy of Sciences <br /> <br />IX <br />