In Nepal, for instance, six school buildings which had their beam and column structures wrapped with low-cost materials like wire mesh and glass fibrewithstood April's 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
Although Singapore is relatively sheltered, it has become a thriving centre for natural disaster research, whether it is predicting when one will happen, or how to rescue survivors fast.
There is good reason for this.
More than half of the world's 226 natural disasters occurred in the Asia and Pacific region last year, according to a United Nations report, causing over 6,000 deaths and affecting almost 80 million people.
NTU Assistant Professor of Sociology Saidul Islam, a coordinator of the Environment and Sustainability Cluster at NTU's School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said that it is in Singapore's interests to help. "With no vital natural resources of its own, Singapore needs other nations for its economic growth and political stability."
Assistant Professor Adam Switzer from NTU's Asian School of the Environment, an expert in storms and tsunamis, said tropical cyclones affect Singapore's economy "every single time they happen in the region".