How to turn disaster prevention into policy

MALAYSIA’S Budget 2026 is most meaningful when viewed through the lens of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), observed every Oct 13. IDDRR urges countries to shift from reacting to disasters to reducing risk before hazards strike. Budget 2026 begins to speak that language by prioritising prevention, early warning, and coordination. The task now is to turn these allocations into visible results that protect lives, livelihoods, and public services.

First, prevention must come before cleanup. Floods, landslides, coastal erosion, and urban drainage failures impose losses far beyond damaged homes. They disrupt classrooms, delay medical care, and break SMEs (small and medium enterprises) cash flow.