State capacity in risk and disaster management after the national policy of protection and civil defense (Law 12.608/2012)

Abstract

The high frequency of extreme events in cities has turned our attention to the need for measures to help managers reduce risk around the world. In Brazil, after the introduction of the National Policy for Civil Protection and Defense in 2012, the importance of implementing the policy in a multisectoral manner was highlighted, requiring the revision of the various plans and laws. In addition, the need for integration between the sectors of society is one of the key points of the policy, since the minimization of disaster risks in the municipalities comes from the collaboration of all. The methodology of the present research was based on three main analyzes: (1) the integration of National Policy with sectoral legislations; (2) presentation of the capacities and disabilities of States and Municipalities in view of the competences of National Policy; and (3) evaluation of measures and instruments to monitor National Policy. It will still be necessary to go a long way in the country considering all the challenges found in the analyzes. At first, it was observed that although sectoral legislations clearly play their role in the face of disasters, the lack of integration is still noticeable. The measures adopted for resource allocation, in addition to the lack of training of managers and the population, are the main points of disability of states and municipalities. Furthermore, the lack of instruments to help monitor and follow up on actions taken to address risks continues to hinder the achievement of goals to reach more resilient cities.