Public-Private Interactions in Mitigation

In the context of disasters, the term mitigation refers to the broad range of efforts aimed to minimize in advance the potential destructive consequences that may be caused by a disaster. Appropriate mitigation should save human lives, property, and infrastructure. During the mitigation stage, the cooperative efforts of the public and the private sector may largely promote the scope and effectiveness of the mitigation process.

There is a principle difference between the public and the private sector in the context of mitigation. While the relevant public agencies and authorities (such as the emergency management authority, fire departments, and relevant military representatives) have formal and legal obligations to deal with disaster mitigation, the private sector deals with that issue only on a voluntary basis. This situation raises ...