Social Resilience, Disaster Prevention, and Climate Change: Challenges from Mexico

Abstract

Major damages associated with natural and technological hazards in Mexico occur mainly in the country’s poor and marginalized south and southeastern regions. Technical and administrative issues create some challenges in building disaster resilience into Mexico’s communities, but the main challenge lies in public policy. National, state, and municipal governments must work with different organizations to build community resilience with the objective of linking development to welfare and security. In intervention, challenges lie in consolidating programs and actions related to disaster prevention and adaptation to climate change. We suggest an agenda for promoting social resilience as a component of public policy.