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Community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) initiatives have strong roots in Philippine society not only because of the country's contributory vulnerability to disasters but also because of a culture of community cooperation known as bayanihan and a history of social movement driven by the citizens’ discontent with bad governance leading to social injustice and environmental degradation (Heijmans, 2009). CBDRM in the Philippines has been a mechanism for change within civil society (Allen, 2006; Heijmans, 2009). In this way, community-based approaches are a fundamental form of empowerment of participants and a compelling strategy for enforcing the transmission of ideas and claims from the bottom up (Allen, 2006).

According to the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) (2008), Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country to natural hazards and disasters due to its geography, high population density, and poverty. The country is exposed to a variety of recurring natural hazards such as floods, cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, and riverbank erosion (Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (MoFDM), 2007). Furthermore, Harmeling (2010) mentioned that Bangladesh heads the list of countries most at risk for floods. Bangladesh has suffered from 93 large-scale natural disasters in the period from 1991 to 2000 that killed 0.2 million people and caused loss of property valued at about 59 billion dollars in the agriculture and infrastructure sectors (Climate Change Cell, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Bangladesh, 2009). Fig. 1 represents different natural hazard-prone areas of Bangladesh.

Although the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 explicitly recognizes the need for psychosocial support and mental health services, the focus of this and many disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) plans lies in the response, recovery, and rehabilitation phases. Less attention has been given to how mental health aspects affect the predisaster phase. This chapter explores the less understood concept of “resistance” in the perspectives model of disaster mental health, which is related to DRRM themes of “prevention and mitigation” and “preparedness” interventions. Four strategies are identified by which DRRM interventions can contribute to psychosocial support and mental health: increasing stress resistance, fostering cohesion and social support, fostering positive cognition, and building self-efficacy and hardiness. We review the cases of the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand and report existing socio-political DRRM initiatives for prevention, mitigation, and preparedness that can potentially enhance resistance as a predisaster intervention. Beyond medical services or clinical mental health interventions for select populations, DRRM interventions can benefit the general public. Despite natural intersections, there remains a need for deliberate and targeted initiatives that explore how vertical pyschosocial care programs can be created to straddle both DRRM and health sectors in practice.

Based on the case study examples described in the book, this chapter focuses on key issues and future perspectives of the CBDRR.

The pace of urbanization in the developing world is led by Asia. Over the next 25 years, Asia's urban population will grow by around 70% to more than 2.6 billion people. An additional billion people will have urban habitats (ADB, 2006).

The “Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and communities to disasters” (HFA) was adopted at the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction (January 2005, Kobe, Japan). The HFA specifies that disaster risk is compounded by increasing vulnerabilities related to various elements including unplanned urbanization. Across the HFA, important elements on urban risk reduction are mentioned as one of crucial areas of work to implement the HFA. In particular incorporating disaster risk reduction into urban planning is specified to reduce the underlying risk factors (Priority 4).

Central America is exposed to a variety of natural hazards such as earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslides, and floods. This study considers Central America as a group of six countries: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, on the basis of their geographical, cultural, historical, and geopolitical backgrounds. The region, located on four conjunct tectonic plates, with 24 active volcanoes, and in the path of hurricanes, has experienced 348 disasters in the last 40 years (from 1980 to 2010), resulting in 29,007 deaths (725 on an average per year) and US$16.5 billion in economic losses (US$400 million per year) (Emergencies Disasters Data Base (EM-DAT), 2009). This amount of US$16.5 billion in economic losses is nearly three times greater than Nicaragua's GDP in 2009 (US$6.14 billion), according to Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2010) data. High disaster risk in the region is also demonstrated from the World Bank (2005) indicating that all six Central American countries rank among the top 35 countries in the world at high mortality risk from multiple hazards.

Definition of community varies based on its perspective. Many people describe community in different ways. McMillan & Chavis (1986) described community as “a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together.” This definition is preferred in the current context because of its general nature. Community includes not only the people living in a certain location, but also the local government, local business sectors, local academic bodies, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) (Shaw, 2006a).

Coastal zones throughout the world have historically been among the most heavily exploited areas because of their rich resources. In coastal countries today more than half of the population lives in coastal areas, and migration from inland areas to the coast is increasing. Climate change has posed new threats to many of the coastal areas with rises in sea-level and the increasing intensity and frequency of coastal hazards. In many countries, coastal areas are narrow strips, located between mountain and sea areas, which are becoming overcrowded, and therefore increasingly vulnerable. Also, hazards caused by climate change are showing an increasing trend, and therefore the cumulative risk in the coastal areas is getting higher.