UN agency helps Mexico City better prepare for disasters

About 10,000 civil servants in the Mexican capital will receive specialist training in disaster risk reduction under a United Nations-backed initiative to better protect the city, which is vulnerable to devastating earthquakes.

The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) reported on Friday that its regional office is supporting the training in Mexico City, which is a signatory to the “Making Cities Resilient” campaign, the UN initiative to boost the strength of urban areas against disasters.

The training is designed to ensure that civil servants know their responsibilities and options to consistently help reduce the disaster risks facing their city.

Mexico City is considered a high-risk mega city, with estimates indicating that a population of as many as 21 million people live in the greater metropolitan area. In September 1985 the city was hit by a catastrophic earthquake that killed about 10,000 residents.