Managing Disaster Risk in Emerging Economies

This book presents papers on several
events organized by the World Bank's Disaster
Management Fund (DMF). The DMF's objectives are to help
the Bank provide a more strategic and rapid response to
disaster emergencies and to integrate disaster prevention
and mitigation measures in all Bank activities. Part I of
this book on risk identification contains chapters on the
economic impacts on natural disasters in developing
countries, including flooding, with the example of Buenos
Aires; and time scales of climate and disaster. Part II
explores aspects of reducing disaster risk, such as the
relationship of infrastructure, natural disasters, and
poverty; flooding issues in the United States, incentives
for risk management and mitigation concerning cultural
heritage; issues related to single-family housing, women,
and children; and climate change from a development
perspective. Part III looks at strategies for developing
countries to more effectively share and transfer disaster
risk from the angles of risk and insurance by the poor in
developing countries; financing disaster mitigation for the
poor; moral dimensions of risk transfer and reduction
strategies; incentives for mitigation investment and risk
management to encourage public-private partnerships; and
linking catastrophe insurance and mitigating disaster losses.