Disaster risk assessment of five Colombian cities

This report summarizes findings on the current level of disaster risk management (DRM) and the financing dedicated to DRM by those municipalities, and identifies gaps in awareness and use of DRM tools, such as resilience building and risk transfer tools. Colombia is widely recognized as one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. According to the World Bank, at least 85% of its population and its assets are exposed to two or more natural hazards. In addition, not only is climate change is already exacerbating flooding and landslides in large parts of the country, but the average rainfall in Colombia is projected to increase over the course of the century, further increasing flood risk.  

To further enhance DRM efforts at the sub-national level, this report proposes a set of risk mitigation measures, including but not limited to the following: 

• Governance measures. Enforcing DRM governance schemes, with government roles and responsibilities assigned in engaging communities, academia and the private sector. 
• Infrastructure measures. Maintaining up-to-date inventories of public assets and studies to understand their exposure, promoting risk awareness and risk mitigation measures, and taking a holistic approach to the relocation and resettlement of informal communities in high-risk zones. 
• Financial measures. Establishing adequate local DRM funds, designing and implementing tax systems that incentivize the enforcement of risk mitigation measures, and integrating mitigation measures into development loans, to mention a few.