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Abstract
Over the past few decades, natural disasters have increased in severity and occurrence, events
that are compounded by the vulnerabilities of the contemporary world.1 In view of this, action is required not only from actors at the national level, but states and districts must also work towards resilience-building to disaster. Hazard awareness, potential impacts, and knowledge of how to cope are critical elements necessary for successfully reducing disaster risk. As one of the most hazard-prone areas in the globe,disaster management is a key issue in India. So much so that in 2005 the national government enacted the Disaster Management Act, providing general standards and guidelines to be followed by every district and state in the country. Since then, policy and awareness have evolved, and a new paradigm has emerged. This paradigm places greater focus on the pre-disaster phase in lieu of only prioritizing response needs. This means that smart risk management also requires investments in prevention and mitigation, once it is both financially and socially more effective than only running an emergency plan. The Disaster Management Act, 2005, requires every district to both prepare and regularly review a District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP). In this regard,in early February 2015 the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) issued a call for proposals for the preparation of such plans in its districts. Located in the eastern region of India, Bihar is one of the most vulnerable states in the country. This may be explained by two different angles. First, Bihar is the most flood-prone state in India. While Bihar houses 16.5% of the total flood-affected area in the country, a higher proportion of the flood affected population lives in that territory: 22.1%.Other hazards include earthquake, drought, cyclonicstorm, as well as heat and cold waves.4 Secondly, socio-economic indicators in Bihar stand among the worst in the country: while it is the third most populated state, over half live under the poverty line. The Human Development Index (HDI) in Bihar is low, as literacy rates fall below the national average with gender-related figures also poor.Additionally, climate change and the increased likelihood of weather-related disasters pose a serious threat to the districts in Bihar, primarilybecause their main economic activity relies soheavily on agriculture. All these mean that when a disaster strikes, it is likely to impact a large number of people, i.e. the poorest and vulnerable, and theimpacts will be more pronounced in terms of gender.