Disaster Risk Management Plans in Colombia: General Guidelines for Their Development

Over the years, Colombia has faced disaster situations that have generated changes in risk management models. These situations have brought suffering, destruction, and loss of human life, but have also served as lessons to develop procedures aimed at minimizing the risks caused by the presence of hazards. The objective of this article is to provide general evidence-based guidelines for formulating disaster risk management plans for each of the 3 action processes: risk awareness, risk reduction, and disaster management in Colombia. These plans can be achieved by preparing responses to different emergencies, which arise from threats in each of the possible scenarios, and are adverse events that alter the normal functioning of entities and communities. The implementation of these prevention strategies will allow communities to respond effectively to emergencies and recover rapidly in the face of adversity.