Jagan Chapagain and Andrew Steer: Delay disaster preparations and the world will pay the price

A man covers himself with a plastic sheet and walks in the rain ahead of Cyclone Amphan landfall, at Bhadrak district, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, Wednesday, May 20, 2020. A strong cyclone blew heavy rains and strong winds into coastal India and Bangladesh on Wednesday after more than 2.6 million people were moved to shelters in a frantic evacuation made more challenging by coronavirus. (AP Photo)

The world has been planning for the future in the mistaken belief that it will resemble the past.