The Role of Local Governments in Disaster Management and Risk Reduction in Natural Disasters

Disasters that occur as a result of natural, technological, or human-made events are defined as events that affect people and societies economically, socially, culturally, and politically. Natural disasters are the type of disasters that have the most devastating effects and develop suddenly. Even if it is not completely possible to prevent disasters, efforts are made to reduce the effects of disasters through scientific research, risk analysis and appropriate measures. Efforts are being made to develop emergency plans and disaster management strategies in order to minimize the damages caused by disasters and to increase the ability of societies to cope with disasters. For this reason, the concept of disaster management appears to be a concept that is emphasized throughout the world and studies are carried out at both international and national levels. In Turkey, it is seen that the risk management approach rather than the crisis management approach is adopted, and the pre-disaster process is worked on in order to prevent or minimize the damage and losses that may occur from disasters. In disaster management studies, not only the central government; but also all other stakeholders, especially local governments, have duties and responsibilities in this process, as they are the management units closest to the public by nature. In this study, after mentioning disaster management and its importance, the concept of risk reduction in disaster management and risk reduction studies in the national and international arena are explained. Disaster management adopted by the public administration in Turkey and the duties of the central government and local governments in this process are discussed. As a result of the study, evaluations are made regarding the role of local governments in disaster management and risk reduction.