Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

Long-term
Mainstream DRM into development planning/capacity building Though national
plans for DRM prioritize a holistic approach for disaster risk management, these new plans
have not yet been incorporated into sectoral and local action plans, nor mainstreamed into
development planning. At the local level, disaster risk management is largely dominated
by emergency response and recovery operations, rather than prevention and preparedness.
Government institutions, especially the Budget Bureau and The National Economic and
Social Development Board (NESDB) should support the mainstreaming of DRM into a
national and local development plan and budget plan. Operational agencies such as the
DDPM and BMA, can take the lead in promoting a holistic approach by investing in staff,
resources and enhancing partnership opportunities. Therefore training and capacity building
on disaster management should be incorporated in development planning processes.
Review DRM policies Though Thailand has a sound legal foundation for emergency
management and recovery, existing laws and regulations would benefit from further
clarification, harmonization and improvements based on lessons from the floods. The
system for disaster management is seen as highly complex in practice, requiring integration
of related government agencies, defense, NGOs, the private sector and civil society to
work effectively. The lack of clear operational procedures and fragmentation of roles and
responsibilities led to ad hoc responses and resulted in inefficient and untimely interventions,
especially when it required coordination among different agencies.
Restore accountability and transparency While the floods largely brought the people
of Thailand together, there were some conflicts related to environmental resource management,
and flood protection strategies. How relief and recovery funds are administered may also
create tensions and rifts, particularly if support is regarded as lacking transparency and
favoring particular groups. The above recommended communications campaign will be
particularly important for ensuring transparency and understanding of the system, as well
as accountability measures including appeals and grievance structures, which should all
be a standard part of all recovery and reconstruction operations.
Disaster Risk Financing
Medium-term
Undertake a disaster fiscal risk assessment An assessment of the fiscal risk associated
with natural disasters, as part of the broader fiscal risk assessment strategy is recommended.
It would require a detailed analysis of the explicit and implicit contingent liability of the state
associated with natural disasters, including the development of probabilistic catastrophe
risk models for major perils such as earthquakes, floods and tropical cyclones – including
detailed risk mapping from an insurance liability point of view. Developing such a risk
model for major perils (including floods) usually costs around THB 60 million. 219
Review financial management related to budget volatility associated with natural
disasters In particular, the short-term spending needs in the aftermath of a disaster
219 Highly dependent of the exposure database already available.
252 THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING