Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) will organize the first Saudi international conference on disaster management on Feb 12-13 at its premises in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The conference will highlight the role of infrastructure and the regulatory environment for better disaster and crisis management and will introduce modern methods of predicting natural disasters. The conference will also shed light on the importance of planning and training to minimize the effects of natural disasters, as well as developing adequate mitigation efforts to prevent hazards from developing into disasters, IMSIU Rector Sulaiman bin Abdullah Aba Al-Khail said. He added the conference will also focus on the role of the media and the community in dealing with disasters, as well as the importance of medical, psychological and social services. Aba Al-Khalil stressed the importance of exchanging experiences and lessons learned from international disaster management organizations. Aba Al-Khail said disasters cause a huge loss of life, property damage and serious economic damages. The severity of the damages and the consequences depend on the affected nation’s preparedness and ability to manage the crisis. As such a resilient infrastructure and regulatory environment is needed to mitigate the dangers posed by disasters, as well as their negative impact on society. From : Arabnews