ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how the law and policies can be used to help implement strategies that build, enhance and support resilience practices. It focuses on how the law and policy has been used in the US to encourage resilient behaviour during disasters, both natural and man-made, and evaluates how those efforts have been effective in enhancing overall resilience within the diverse cultures and society of the US. With respect to disasters and resilience practices, prior to having a single agency organised to coordinate a single federal response, Congress merely allocated funding to pay for post-disaster damages on an incident-by-incident basis. From a macro-economic standpoint, however, larger scale reasons exist for encouraging business to take steps to become more prepared and resilient. The Safety Act was created following the 9/11 terrorist attacks to encourage the development and marketisation of anti-terrorist products and strategies.
