Comparative Study of Institutional Arrangements in Urban Disaster Reduction Management

Within the governmental structure of a country, there are typically two or
three levels (World Bank, 2000, pp. 114-117). These sub-national units are defined
here as local governments, or local government units (LGU); they are also referred to
as local authorities. The LGU is the closest level of organized government to the
people, and therefore it has a key role in broad-spectrum disaster risk management
practices and processes. Large cities in particular bring heavy demands on how to deal
with disasters because of the very nature of their functions, the significance they have,
and the resultant complexity that their socio-economic and settlement characteristics
present in combination with the types of risks they are exposed to. To handle
problems arising from increasing risks from both natural and technological sources, a
government authority needs to ensure it has a coordination framework that ties its own
system together and enables it to appropriately link with others. Government has
special responsibilities in the realm of risk reduction and disaster preparedness.
However, we do not mean that governments have sole responsibility for disaster risk
management. In reality, disaster management is a responsibility it shares with every
sector of society. Disaster management requires mechanisms, processes and
institutions through which stakeholders can contribute and participate as part of good
governance