To engage people in early action we must understand their experience, behaviour and constraints, says disaster policy expert Andrew Collins.

Dialogue enables scientists and communities to work with uncertain information, say humanitarian policy experts Emma Visman and colleagues.

Cuba's early warning approach holds lessons for other countries, write disaster risk reduction specialists Veronica F. Grasso and José Rubiera.

New communication tools get good press but must become part of response systems, argue ICT specialists Jessica Heinzelman and Krista Baptista.

Earthquake science was not on trial in Italy — it was about inadequate information and participation in decision-making, says Carina Fearnley.

Fruitful dialogue in Africa shows the gap between climate scientists and decision makers can be bridged, says adaptation specialist Arame Tall.

Pakistan urgently needs to refine its crop yield forecasting and estimation system to improve food production, says Ibrar ul Hassan Akhtar.

More must be done to prevent damage of ocean data buoys that costs money, vital data — and lives, say Sidney Thurston and M. Ravichandran.

The East Africa famine calls into question the wisdom of investing in early warning systems without improving take-up, writes Linda Nordling.

Combining satellite data with mobile phones offers cheap and effective tools for managing fires, says South African scientist Philip Frost.

Disaster management needs constellations of satellites with multispectral sensors, says Indian space researcher, Ranganath Navalgund.

Kenyan MP and remote sensing expert, Wilbur Ottichilo, argues the time is ripe for using satellites to spot developing African droughts.

Africans need to be more aware of earthquakes to cope with disasters — and there's no better place to start than in schools, says Chris Hartnady.

Everyone — from scientists to the public — has a role to play in preparing for earthquakes, says a Nature editorial.