Resilience starts at home: building a safer future in Latin America and the Caribbean
The theme for this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, “Resilience starts at home,” resonates deeply across Latin America and the Caribbean. Our region is one of the most urbanized in the world, with 81.2% of the population living in cities. However, rapid, unplanned urbanization, combined with the increasing impacts of climate change, forces many families, especially from marginalized population groups, to build their homes in areas exposed to hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods.
Disasters are not “natural.” They result from the accumulation of social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities that leave many families with little choice but to live in hazard-prone informal settlements, deteriorating historic urban centers, and unsafe housing. Building a safe future demands that we address these structural roots by improving living conditions, dismantling discrimination, and fostering sustainable livelihoods so people can afford to build appropriate houses, in secure zones. A home should be a place of safety, a foundation for a stable life. When homes are not built to withstand a disaster, the social and economic fabric of our communities is put at risk.
Recognizing this, UNDP is working hand-in-hand with governments and communities across the region to ensure that resilience is built from the ground up – starting with the very homes people live in. From promoting safer construction techniques to improving urban planning, our goal is to turn vulnerability into strength. Here are three stories of how this is being achieved.
Cuba – Risk informed planning and housing construction
In Havana, the vulnerability of the existing building stock became a catalyst for transforming urban planning and risk management. The initiative integrated disaster risk considerations into Old Havana’s housing strategy and urban development plan, strengthened local capacities to assess unsafe structures, and enabled urgent interventions through specialized equipment, and enhanced search and rescue capacities. Community preparedness efforts complemented these institutional measures, creating a stronger link between risk assessment, planning, and preventive actions, and timely response.
By bringing together municipal authorities, technical services, and local communities, UNDP helped establish a more integrated approach to urban resilience aimed not only at reducing vulnerabilities but also at improving response and recovery capacities in the face of extreme events. This experience also advanced resilient and affordable housing solutions that preserve built heritage while maximizing the use of locally available materials. Their application in Havana, Pinar del Rio and Artemisa has strengthened technical and institutional capacities for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, enabling safer, more inclusive, and more resilient responses to the impacts of hurricanes and earthquakes across Cuba.
Jamaica – Planning for a Resilient Future
In Jamaica, where a significant portion of the urban population lives in informal settlements, land-use planning is a critical tool for disaster risk reduction. Following Hurricane Melissa, UNDP supported a “Resilient Reset” by helping develop master plans for safer land use. This work is part of a broader effort to ensure that recovery from one disaster lays the groundwork for resilient human development.
This initiative goes beyond planning. It includes practical training in resilient housing construction through technical assistance centers (TACs). By teaching improved building codes and techniques, the program empowers local builders and residents to construct homes that can better withstand future storms and other hazards. Moreover, through these TACs, families receive psychosocial support and assistance in replacing documents lost due to damage to their homes. This integrated approach – combining strategic planning with hands-on capacity building – is creating a stronger, more resilient foundation for communities across the island.
Venezuela – Assessing Risk to Pave the Way for Recovery
In the aftermath of the June 2026 earthquakes doublet, having immediate rigorous data and ensuring the safety of affected buildings became an immediate priority in Venezuela. UNDP has supported a rapid assessment on damage to the infrastructure, estimating the volume of debris to be managed, as well as the crucial work of inspecting damaged structures. The technical assessment of nearly 1,000 structures, including homes, helps determine their safety, enabling families to return home whenever possible and informing the interventions required to restore, repair, or strengthen affected buildings.
This work does not just quantify losses; it is the first step toward a safe and sustainable recovery. By providing engineers and authorities with the tools and methodologies to conduct these assessments, UNDP helps ensure that decisions are based on sound technical evidence. This prevents families from moving back into unsafe homes and ensures that reconstruction efforts prioritize long-term safety and resilience.
Recovery means supporting people’s physical and emotional well-being. Through a dedicated Community and Psychosocial Support Unit, UNDP has reached people in affected communities through individual and group support, helping strengthen local capacities, community support networks and social protection mechanisms as communities work to recover and rebuild.
A Region-Wide Commitment
Resilience begins with community action. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, every neighborhood, community organization, local leader, and family has a role to play in reducing disaster risk before the next hurricane, flood, or earthquake occurs. Communities can identify local risks, promote safer construction practices, protect critical infrastructure and ecosystems, support vulnerable households, and actively participate in local planning and preparedness efforts. These stories offer a powerful reminder: a safer, more resilient world begins at home. By empowering communities with the knowledge, skills, and resources to build stronger homes, we are not just protecting buildings – we are safeguarding lives, livelihoods, and the future of our region.