A staggering 40,000 people lost their lives due to natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region during the period 2003-2012 alone. Around 1.6 billion people were affected, while economic losses were estimated to be at $188 million per day.
These numbers were presented by Charlotte Benson, the senior disaster risk management specialist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on September 30, while addressing journalists from ADB member countries.
