ABSTRACT
This chapter provides empirical evidence that social inequalities exist in terms of social position, social class, and disaster risk and disaster vulnerability. Accordingly, any national disaster management policy must address the underlying social causes of disasters instead of focusing solely on the immediate causes. The chapter discusses flood response policies should take into account the effects of education on disaster mitigation. It argues that disaster education programs must be tailored to the needs of various population subgroups, particularly marginalized groups such as the elderly and disabled, people without family resources, new immigrants and low-income families. Taking into account the governance structure and institutional characteristics of disaster management in Taiwan, this disaster insurance option appears to be more relevant and feasible than the provision of direct disaster assistance to flood victims, especially since it contains built-in community-level risk-mitigation incentives. It reduces the losses incurred by natural disasters and provides financial protection when disasters occur.
