Republic of the Marshall Islands disaster management reference handbook (2026)

This handbook provides a disaster management (DM) profile of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) as a resource for civilian and military personnel who are either planning a disaster response operation in support of RMI or developing DM engagements with the RMI government or community stakeholders. It provides background information on the country, its hazards, the DM structure, and cooperation with international partners. The intent is to provide a well-rounded look at RMI’s DM capacity and capabilities.

As a remotely located and widely dispersed archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, RMI’s low-lying atolls are particularly exposed to flood hazards. Drought hazards have become more frequent and severe over the past decade causing widespread water scarcity. Sea level rise threatens to exacerbate other hazards such as king tides, coastal erosion, and storm surge, all of which pose an existential threat to the islands. Less common but potentially more impactful are the occasional powerful tropical cyclones and tsunamis that could cause severe damage. RMI’s geography poses a logistical challenge for disaster responders, while urbanization heightens disaster risk for many of RMI’s people. Since 2000, significant disasters that have impacted RMI include droughts, storms that resulted in flooding, and disease outbreaks. The effects of drought have been far-reaching – at times affecting the entire population.