After recent earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes devastated more than a dozen countries, civil engineers find themselves at the forefront of building and repairing the infrastructure of destroyed communities. A balance must be struck between potential losses from natural disasters and financial commitments to infrastructure protection. Civil engineers are positioned to achieve this balance, but may need new tools to do so. This monograph asks the bigger question: are civil engineers doing their jobs or should their roles be redefined? The topics covered in this publication include: an introduction to disaster risk assessment and mitigation; disaster risk assessment for natural hazard mitigation; reducing the effects of hazards; system evaluation for hazard mitigation; lessons learned from recent disasters; construction challenges; and political commitment to disaster mitigation. This publication is invaluable to engineers involved in disaster risk assessment and mitigation, lifelines, and owners and operators of public and private infrastructure systems.