Community-based disaster management (CBDM) is an approach to building community capacity to assess vulnerabilities to hazards, develop strategies to prevent and mitigate impacts, and respond to and recover from disasters using local resources. Effective CBDM requires communities to be aware of risks, understand potential impacts, accept personal responsibility, and take action during warnings. It also requires partnerships between communities and outside organizations, community participation in all phases, empowerment of local people, and a sense of community ownership.