Abstract:
Disasters cause a substantial damage around the world every year. In the recent few years, large scale earthquakes and tsunamis brought tremendous damages to urban and rural areas in the world, especially in Asia. A disaster is a serious disruption of the functioning society, causing widespread human, material or environment losses which exceed the ability of affected society to cope using only its own resources" (Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka, 2008). According to official statistics issued by the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) and United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) in 2008, natural disasters killed 16,517 people and destroyed US $ 60 billions worth of property and infrastructure in 2007 (UNISDR/CRED, 2008). According to the statistical figures although there is a reduction in impacts caused on human lives and infrastructure, the frequency of occurring disasters have increased during past years. (World disaster report, 2002, 2003, 2004)
