Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

Figure 26: Thailand
risk profile showing the
impact of all disasters
Source: Natural Disaster Hotspot 208
Looking to the future, it is important to incorporate the anticipated impacts climate change
will have on Thailand’s risk profile, and integrate the anticipated needs and vulnerabilities
into risk management activities and adaptation plans across sectors. In climate change
research, Thailand is expected to be 4th – after the USA, Russia and Japan – on the list of
countries expected to incur climate-related economic losses by 2030. Bangkok is in South
East Asia and is considered a high-risk, hazard-prone city due to its coastal location, ongoing
land subsidence, and its mean sea level elevation. A population of more than 14 million
living in high-density zones makes the risk to human life and assets significant. As the
Bangkok metropolitan area contributes approximately 40 percent to the national GDP, 209
any disasters that impact this mega-city will also have significant impacts on the country.
5.2 DRM Policy and Institutional Framework
The Department of Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation (DDPM) was established in 2002
under the Ministry of Interior as a result of the restructuring of five government institutions.
In 2007, The National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act (NDPMA) was passed,
and mandated that the DDPM be the focal organization for the coordination of all types of
disasters. The DDPM operates in all 76 provinces and has 18 regional centers.
Some of NDPMA features are, 210
(1) The scope of disaster management activities has been extended to encompass
all types of disasters,
208 Natural Disaster Hotspot: Global Risk Analysis http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/chrr/research/hotspots/documents/hotpots_backgrd_acknowl.pdf
209 Climate Vulnerability Monitor 2010 – the State of the Climate Crisis, DARA, 2010
210 Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E.2550 (2007), Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Ministry of
Interior, RTG.
THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING
243