Alertnet: "The United Nations launched a drive on Thursday to "disaster-proof" schools to prevent children being crushed in earthquakes and swept away in floods.Tragedies like last year's Pakistan quake, when collapsing classrooms killed 16,000 children, underlined the urgent need for action, U.N. disaster reduction chief Salvano Briceno said.

The two-pronged campaign will also push governments to make risk reduction part of the curriculum.

"More than 200 million people are affected by disasters every year, a third of them are often children ... Educating about disasters can make the difference between life and death," Briceno told a launch ceremony in Paris."