Disaster Law

Is National Disaster Legislation Ready for Climate Change?

Damage construction equipment sits in a flooded business yard. — Hurricane Patricia destroyed crops, vehicles and infrastructure when it hit Mexico in 2015. “This is a bad dream” said one small business owner.

07 January 2021 • UPDATED 12 July 2022

Disaster risk management (DRM) legislation can be an effective tool to regulate and encourage current and future flood risk management and resilience-building for communities. However, it is clear that there is an urgent need to update national policies and laws to reflect the challenges posed by climate change.

The Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance - of which Mercy Corps is a member - has identified commitments that governments can make today to effectively create and update DRM legislation. In this policy brief, discover recommendations designed to address the increasing perils of floods and other hazards.