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The mission of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) is to reduce the loss of life and property damage caused by severe weather and earthquakes. Worldwide, natural disasters killed more than 650,000 people over the last ten years, and caused more than C$1 trillion in damage. Disaster damage has been doubling every five to seven years since the 1960s, an alarming international trend. The greatest tragedy is that many disaster losses are preventable. Nature’s extreme events are remarkable forces. They can be relentless and unforgiving, but they do not need to cause disasters. Hazards deserve respect. They demand that individuals prepare, and that communities invest in resilience. Resilient communities and knowledgeable individuals are best able to prevent hazards from becoming disasters.
ICLR is an independent, not-for-profit research institute based in Toronto and London, Canada. We are affiliated with the University of Western Ontario. The Institute is a world-class centre for multi-disciplinary disaster prevention research. It achieves its mission through the identification and support of sustained actions that improve society’s capacity to adapt to, anticipate, mitigate, withstand and recover from natural disasters.
The research staff is recognized internationally for its pioneering work in a number of fields, including wind and seismic engineering, atmospheric sciences, hydrology, and economics. Multi-disciplinary research is central to ICLR’s work in helping communities to become more resilient, better able to avoid and resist disasters.
Canada’s property and casualty insurers founded the Institute in 1998. ICLR is a coordinated effort to reduce disaster losses involving member insurance companies, the The University of Western Ontario and other partners. The Institute earns contract revenue for specific projects, and workshop fees. Ongoing funding is provided by member insurers, and the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund.
ICLR Principles
ICLR Organizational Priorities |
