Despite Nepal being very susceptible to natural disasters, little has been done by the way of disaster preparedness. There is a realization that the recurring natural disasters are inevitable and that is about it. The natural disasters continue to claim thousands of lives and displace tens of thousands of others all across the country. This is all because of the lack of timely steps to adopt appropriate measures for disaster preparedness and the strategy for risk reduction. Yet the government ineptitude to deal with such crisis is glaring.It should thus heed the call made by such bodies as the National Network of Disaster-affected Community which is organizing the first national convention of the disaster affected communities in order to give them a wake up call. As per the UN report, Nepal is one of the countries most vulnerable to such disasters. According to its listing, this country is the 11th most vulnerable country to earthquakes and also the 30th as far as water borne-disasters are concerned. It is not only the people who suffer but floods, fires, landslides and avalanches destroy property worth billions of rupees almost every year not to talk about other calamities. The way out would be to implement the international standards to deal with this appalling situation. Also to blame is the lack of awareness amongst the general people about the safety practices. What must be realized here is that natural disasters often cannot be prevented but their damages can be itigated.Here it is essential to identify the high risk areas. Furthermore, this should be accompanied by making adequate provisions for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims. The lack of this infrastructure is responsible for much of the casualty which could have been avoided. The inefficiency of the government in this regard is that many of the victims of the breaching of the Koshi barrage have yet to be receive compensation or be resettled even after the lapse of over nine months of the flooding. This cannot be excused under any pretext and those responsible for the relief not reaching the victims should be made accountable. The present Natural Disaster and Rescue Act Act-1982 is now virtually defunct. This is ridiculous for what was the intention of bringing out the act in the first place if it was not going to be implemented.Now there is a need for a public debate with the involvement of the government and all the stakeholders so as to decide on just what needs to be done by way of helping to cope with such disasters, and if possible averting natural calamities and also rehabilitating and resettling the victims and providing them relief. The plight of natural disaster affected communities should receive due attention and it is no time to be dilly dallying about it.The government should, therefore, accord due priority to the needs of the disaster victims, and under no circumstances leave them high and dry. Unless, immediate measures are taken in this direction the consequences could be tragic. There is no time to waste and the pitiful voices of the victims show the urgency for implementing the much needed disaster preparedness now lacking.