ABSTRACT
This chapter places disaster law at the core of action against embedded inequities and poverty. Evidence shows that the largest price of any disaster is consistently borne by the poor and the vulnerable, both in wealthy and is developing countries. They affect not only individuals and communities but also impact on state and business infrastructure and can reverse long-term development gains of countries. Over the past 20 years, natural disasters have caused $2 trillion in economic losses globally. The term disaster risk reduction in its broadest sense means ‘making decisions to reduce the human impact of natural hazards’. It is evident therefore that laws, policies and regulatory frameworks can and should play a critical role in ensuring both risk reduction and that they are legally prepared in the event of a large-scale disaster response. Globally, domestic institutions and local organizations have significant and increasing capacities to manage the risk and impact of humanitarian crises in their countries. This is elucidated in the UN General Assembly resolution that underpins the current international humanitarian architecture, providing the basis for principled humanitarian action, and suggests the multidimensionality of disaster research and a merger of legal frameworks with specific requirements of communities. Authors highlight disaster law as a bridge between the global and national concerns.
