with few savings and living in precarious circumstances they have few buffers against shocks nevertheless poor communities and their most vulnerable members can learn from past adversity and can even bounce back stronger and better prepared for future shocks especially if they can rely on social protection schemes and inclusive and adaptive governance rural communities for example rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods and are at greater risks from droughts and floods poor urban communities in precarious housing such as slum dwellers and those living on riverbanks are also more exposed to hazards