The latest lessons paper by ALNAP and Provention provides a distillation of the learning from thirty years of humanitarian response to earthquakes. It concentrates on issues of particular relevance in earthquakes, such as communication breakdown due to the destruction of infrastructure, geographic concentration of the effects and the occurrence of aftershocks disrupting operations.

The main intended audiences are operational decision-makers and relief programme managers working in the response and recovery efforts following sudden-onset natural disasters.

The paper presents existing and new lessons in a concise and easily accessible format and provides practical recommendations for agencies on recovery, relief, the management of aid, and livelihoods and shelter.