Public Awareness and the Development of a Safety Culture: Key Elements in Disaster Risk Reduction

Currently, the vital need has been identified for the further development of public awareness programmes as a key element in mitigation policies within disaster-prone countries. The promotion of these programmes is needed at all levels of society to heighten public awareness in order to reduce the death toll of disasters. This paper will discuss why these awareness programmes are important, how to develop, implement and link them with other risk-reduction initiatives and to consider appropriate target audiences. The paper will conclude with a series of recommendations for use by key decision makers in government.