Disasters cause $228 billion in housing losses each year

Highlighting the need for greater investment in building stronger homes and better preparedness, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that millions of homes are damaged or destroyed each year “displacing families and exacerbating poverty”.

Marking International Day for Disaster Risk ReductionThe UN Secretary General emphasized that “as climate and disaster risks increase, building safer places to live is a shared responsibility between governments, developers, engineers and communities”.

Echoing the message, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – UNDRR – noted that Damage to housing alone accounts for 43 percent of direct losses from hurricanes, floods, tsunamis and earthquakes.

The difference between life and loss

Spokesperson Jeanette Elsworth stressed that reducing the impact of disasters depends on building resilient homes and households being prepared for the worst.

“Among people who have received early warning when a disaster occurs, only 27 percent from those who do not have a household disaster plan or are unsure of their ability to protect themselves…able to act on the warning,” he said, citing data from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll 2026.

“On the contrary, 83 percent of those who had a plan and confidence in their ability to respond were able to take action.”

Ms Elsworth noted that progress in reducing disaster deaths over the past 11 years has not been matched by a reduction in economic impact.

All households must have access to the risk information, early warning and resources they need to protect themselves, he stressed, in a call to put housing resilience at the center of disaster risk reduction efforts.

Safer and stronger

Governments, the private sector and community authorities can do this by “building in safer locations, implementing resilient building standards, repairing existing homes, and empowering households with the knowledge and tools they need to prepare for disasters”, he continued.

United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) helps 1.4 million people by 2025 in 39 countries through disaster risk reduction programs, and supports nearly 1,200 communities.

Maria Moita, Director of IOM’s Humanitarian Response and Recovery Department, said that for many people, the end of a disaster is “only the beginning of a longer struggle to return home, restore their livelihoods and rebuild their lives”.

The agency also helped expand early warning coverage to more than 1.2 million people.

Lessons in recovery

The recent emergency in Nepal, Venezuela and Colombia have shown how disaster planning and data collection can have a significant impact on recovery.

In Nepal, where devastating floods caused by a glacier collapse in August affected more than 84,000 people and damaged around 7,500 homes, an IOM assessment of 48 refugee sites identified 3,650 evacuees and 28 sites were still operational.

In Venezuela, after the earthquake in June, the agency assisted 50,600 people, providing temporary accommodation, essential supplies, health services and protection.

The survey showed that more than half of affected households identified housing improvements as a priority. “The lesson is clear: recovery planning must start early, before temporary displacement is prolonged,” stressed Ms. Moita.

In Colombia, an earthquake in August reportedly affected nearly 500,000 people and damaged more than 200,000 homes, displacing around 20,000 families in Cali.

“Just rebuilding a house is not enough, people also need functioning services and opportunities to rebuild their lives,” said the IOM official.

“We need sustained investment in early warning, local preparedness, safer housing, and recovery efforts that start early and build resilience.. Disasters can happen suddenly. The transfer may take longer,Mrs. Moita said.