Mr. Marcelo Ebrard is the mayor of Mexico City. The capital of Mexico was built on a dried-up lake bed, and when there is heavy rain there is flash flooding in many parts of the city, he explains. In 2010, over 30 people were killed by a single flood. As Chair of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change, Mr. Ebrard says changes in the rain patterns over last five years could spell wetter rainy seasons, making life very risky for the city. Mexico City has invested in a billon-dollar drainage tunnel that will reduce the risk of flooding, but hesays even this huge investment cannot forestall disaster if society does not embrace the need to manage risk responsibly. Similarly, memories of devastating earthquakes, another big hazard facing the city, have been quick to fade. A 8.1 quake killed over 10,000 people in 1985, and while the city has put in many anti-earthquake measures, the real challenge is in preparing the citizens themselves -- a commitment Mr. Ebrard has taken to heart.
Campaign Activities-
May 2010, Bonn, Germany -
- Joined the Global Launch of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign. August 2010, Mexico City, Mexico -
- Training-of-trainers workshop: Trained 10,000 civil servants on their responsibilities and options to consistently help reduce risks facing their city / The training was sponsored locally and supported by the UNDRR regional office and the Capacity Development for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI) of the UN. November 2010, Mexico City, Mexico -
- Hosted the World Mayors Summit “Mexico City Pact Global Cities Covenant on Climate” an initiative of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change
- http://www.worldmayorscouncil.org/home.html. May 2011, Geneva, Switzerland -
- 2011 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction: Presentation at the Plenary Session: Invest Today for a Safer Tomorrow - Increased Investment in Local Action.