Unrecognised and unrecorded Cross-border displacement by disasters It is widely accepted that the vast majority of displacement by disasters tends to take place internally, but comparisons with cross-border movements have not been quantified with any precision. IDMC’s data does not yet capture global trends in terms of where people are displaced to, including to other countries, and where they eventually settle again. Nor does it capture all types of disaster that displace people. Those driven by slow-onset hazards such as drought and other human-made technological and environmental hazards are not included. That said, increasing knowledge about crossborder disaster displacement shows that when people cross borders, most tend to remain in countries in the same geographical region.169 The assumption is supported by preliminary research into more than 100 disasters that occurred in 2016 using a range of displacementrelated reporting terms to identify cross-border cases. Basic data was found to be scarce, incomplete and difficult to interpret because this type of displacement is not systematically monitored and reported on from the local to the global level. Evidence remains case-based and anecdotal as a result.170 SPOT LIGHT The flood and landslides in the Ayeyarwaddy and Bago regions of Myanmar nearly destroyed Daw Tin Ngwe’s house. She fled to higher ground when the flood hit, surviving without proper shelter for weeks. Her crops were badly affected by the flood. Photo: NRC/Hla Yamin Eian, October 2016 OFF THE GRID: Are today’s IDPs tomorrow’s refugees and migrants? 53