Discussions on developing a contingency plan for landslide-associated disasters in developing countries – Perspectives from Belo Horizonte municipality, Brazil

Abstract

Contingency plan is a fundamental tool for preparedness and response to disasters; however, the research focuses on adopting high technologies or considering a well-structured government. Therefore, this research aims to present the development of a contingency plan for landslides based on the perspective of a municipality in a developing country. The research considers the perspective of Belo Horizonte municipality in Brazil, as it is a high-risk prone area for landslides with limited discussion on the topic. The research applied a multi-criteria method to analyze 18 approaches for developing contingency plans for landslides, applying in the Belo Horizonte municipality the one ranking in first place (meeting 87 % of the 15 requirements selected for analysis). The results illustrated relevant analysis to developing the contingency plan for landslides, the need to consider a broader range area for the propagation pathways of landslides, and that the response time is longer than the acceptable time interval. The findings are relevant for researchers and professionals working on the topic in Belo Horizonte municipality, other cities in Brazil, and potentially other developing countries. Future research could discuss adopting advanced technologies to address the topic in developing countries and developing contingency plans for different disaster types.