The Increasing Cost of Disasters in Developed Countries: A Challenge to Local Planning and Government

Abstract

The number and severity of disasters have increased in recent decades. Developed countries are not immune from this trend. Their governments and insurance industries are now being required to cope with rapidly increasing and unanticipated disaster expenditures. In some cases, disaster related claims have increased by more than a full order of magnitude in just a decade. It is important for local planners and governments to understand the general trend of disaster impacts in order to respond to them. To illustrate these trends, the increase in number and financial impact of the last decade of disasters in Canada are reviewed in this article along with some discussion of the impact on government and the insurance industry. In spite of the increasing impact of emergencies and disasters, Canadian local municipal governments have, in general, invested very little in emergency mitigation planning. Many municipalities have no emergency plans at all. Where plans exist, many only address a small range of possible threats, and many do not include any mitigation aspects. Emergency mitigation planning at the local municipal level is critical for effective mitigation and response. We review the general institutional context for local disaster and emergency planning in Canada, concluding that planners have sufficient tools available to begin to address the challenge. Political will and professional interest now is required to make the necessary advances.