Why is it important for Canada to have a National Disaster Mitigation Strategy?
There is global evidence to suggest that incidence of disasters and costs for dealing with them are increasing. In Canada, a similar pattern is evident. Further, evidence suggests that disasters larger than we have experienced already are possible. Catastrophic disasters cause enormous costs to Canadians. Together, the 1996 Saguenay floods, the 1997 Red River flood, and the 1998 Ice Storms have so far amounted to an estimated $7.8 billion in costs to governments, private and voluntary sectors. We have learned from these and other events that disaster mitigation is an investment in the future of Canada, not a cost. Without greater efforts to minimize impacts on people and infrastructure, human and economic losses to natural disasters will increase rapidly in the future. A more coordinated effort is required to reduce disaster losses and the liability of governments.
