PREPARE Mexico: Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction in Mexico City and Zapopan

Mexico ranks 8th globally in exposure to natural and human hazards, including seismic hazards, according to the 2019 Index for Risk Management produced by the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. The country's seismic risk exposure is particularly high due to its proximity to fault lines, population density, urban sprawl, and poor adherence to building codes and norms for seismic-resistance construction. In September 2017, back-to-back earthquakes measuring over 7.1 Mw killed almost 500 people in southern and central Mexico. The city of Mexico City was severely affected, with 44,350 buildings damaged and 44 collapsed during the event. Seismic risk exposure in Mexico City is especially high due to its population density, estimated at 20 million people in the greater metropolitan area. The city of Zapopan, which together with neighboring Guadalajara constitutes Mexico's second largest metropolitan area with over 5 million inhabitants, also faces significant seismic risk exposure. To address these challenges, the PREPARE Mexico Program focuses on developing city-wide planning frameworks to operationalize and institutionalize Rapid Damage Assessment (RDA) and Detailed Damage Assessment (DDA) technical resources. The program aims to develop a digital platform for the collection, organization, and analysis of RDA and DDA data, as well as partner support for training of additional civil engineers and architects in the application of RDA and DDA tools and methodologies. The program also seeks to increase knowledge of basic seismic-resistant construction techniques among vulnerable populations in high-risk neighborhoods. The program has achieved several successes, including training 644 people in RDA and DDA, with 11 trainings conducted in these areas. Additionally, 34 stakeholder entities have been involved in public-private partnerships, and 182 people have participated in DRR discussions. The program has also equipped 9 USAR teams and provided accreditation support to 2 USAR teams. The PREPARE Mexico Program is part of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), which provides technical assistance and knowledge exchange to strengthen disaster risk reduction throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The program's strategy focuses on building on prior success to further strengthen and institutionalize the risk management and response capacity of public disaster authorities and private sector partners in earthquake-prone and highly vulnerable urban settings in Mexico. The program's successes demonstrate its effectiveness in addressing the seismic risk exposure in Mexico City and Zapopan, and its continued efforts aim to further improve the country's disaster risk reduction and response capacity.