El Caribe reports on a joint study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Dominican government that urges improved preventive measures for natural disasters rather than regret after the event. The research comprises 2,000 natural disasters of major and minor proportions between 1966 and 2000. Most common are fires and floods, and most serious are hurricanes, but the report recommends that small- and medium-scale disasters, including drought and epidemics, be given more attention as their effects could be as serious as the more dramatic events, such as hurricanes David (1979) and Georges (1998). The aim of the survey was to provide a basis for designing a national risk-management strategy, including systems for effective disaster prevention, mitigation and response. The researchers warn that “according to some projections, the Dominican Republic’s population is set to double in a short period of time, dramatically increasing its vulnerability, the risk of continuing poor public order and the difficulties in providing public services.” This can only be prevented with “the incorporation of prevention criteria in physical planning (urban and territorial) and in sectoral and socio-economic planning.” The 522 fires recorded over the last 35 years can largely be attributed to the deficiencies in the power generation and supply sectors, caused as they are by electrical short circuits and the use of candles during power failures. Many of the floods recorded during the same period could have been prevented through better management of dams and river systems, as well as drainage installations on land. Many epidemics (including dengue fever, TB and measles) are preventable through vaccination or clean water and sanitation systems.