Ten Steps to Enhance Municipal Disaster Resilience

1.    Assess current capacity using the Municipal Emergency Management Capacity Index (MEMCI).

2.    Ensure local buy-in with municipal administration.

3.     Ensure  community-wide buy-in among all involved in disaster management.

4.    Train in obligations of local government, communication, and coordination, resulting in a draft ordinance on forming a disaster management standing body.

5.    Train in disaster risk reduction models, risk assessment and management, resulting in a municipal risk assessment plan.

6.    Train in planning methodology, resulting in a specific-hazard response plan required by law. In most cases this is a flood response plan.

7.    Provide demand-driven, tailored technical assistance to interested municipalities, resulting in best practices.

8.    Perform quality control by vetting documents with external experts and revise as needed.

9.    Conduct follow-up capacity assessment. Repeat MEMCI.

10.    Certify municipality as demonstrating enhanced disaster resilience.