This volume’s case studies address the problems and counterintuitive phenomena of natural disaster risk reduction (DRR) through public management, as well as the associated uncertainties. They pertain to the pitfalls of stakeholder pluralism and competing patterns of interpretation in risk assessment. In this context, the social cohesion of local communities is both an asset and a liability in terms of effective resilience. Communities exposed to natural hazards, usually due to extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, are facing tough choices between prevention and maintaining familiar patterns of settlement and construction. However, there is a silver lining in the form of innovative and productive stakeholder alliances, such as those between local communities, municipalities, and the insurance industry. These alliances allow government agencies to develop satisfactory second-best solutions to better protect human lives and property.