In 2018, there were 281 climate-related and geophysical events recorded in the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT). It is estimated that these events caused the deaths of 10,733 people across the world, impacting some 61 million people. Last year saw a rise in seismic activity in Indonesia, in particular. Add to that a string of disasters in Japan and India, including flooding and increased volcanic activity – culminating in more deaths than the previous 18 years combined from this activity alone. The World Bank is researching how it can use data and machine learning algorithms to predict certain types of disasters, and improve recovery in their aftermath, says Vivien Deparday, Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction.