INTRODUCTION
Disasters, whether natural or man-made, have had adverse effects on human beings ever since mankind existed on earth. In response, communities try to battle disasters by developing various disaster response and management strategies. The concept of disaster management encompasses multidisciplinary approaches and almost always interfaces between the earth and life systems. The need for interdisciplinary contribution demands diverse expertise in Disaster Management, much more than in any other field of operation. Convergence of expertise of individuals from various disciplines is essential for developing professionals in the field of Disaster Management.
The Disaster, Risk and Vulnerability Conference aims to bring together specialists, practitioners, academics, students and the public to a common platform where researchers and practitioners can present their research papers, debate on the issues, and discuss the challenges, opportunities and areas of mutual cooperation. Discussions on disaster management, risk and vulnerability reduction can lead to increased awareness of disasters and its various hues and aspects, strategies for resiliency, and newer technologies for disaster management. The conference enables the updating of the knowledge base of disaster management professionals by communicating the latest practices and developments evolved in various parts of the globe. The Disaster, Risk and Vulnerability Conference 2011, organized at the School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University was the first in this series of once-in-three-years conference series. DRVC2014 was organized by the Department of Geology, University of Kerala, Trivandrum. The DRVC.s have provided an ideal platform for the disaster management user community to share and update the academic and practical knowledge base in disaster management. Following on this footstep, DRVC 2017 is going to be held between March 29-31, 2017.
About the Conference
The present conference, Disaster, Risk and Vulnerability Conference 2017 (DRVC2017) would be an ideal venue for revamping the disaster education at University level by collating and incorporating expert suggestions in this area. The conference would also bring together experts working in the multifarious aspects of disaster management and the discussions and brain-storming sessions could bring about suggestions for mitigation that could have long-reaching impact on Indian disaster management policy formulation. The three-day conference provides an ideal venue for networking amongst disaster management enthusiasts, and the conference aims to throw up newer ideas that could go a long way in streamlining disaster management activities of the nation. The conference would be a premier event for disaster management professionals, scholars and students offering unique educational and operational knowledge sharing within the broad spectrum of disaster management. It will provide an opportunity to gain valuable education, training and best practices to assist you and the community to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters.
