It is important that governments develop and maintain disaster preparedness and business continuity plans as disasters can occur at any time. One of the ways to strengthen preparedness is by developing contingency plans. Contingency plans are management tools used for analysing the impact of potential crises and ensure that adequate and appropriate arrangements are made in advance to respond timely, effectively and appropriately to the needs of the affected populations.The contingency plan needs to be developed by a team composed of members from all stakeholders, representing all functional areas of the organization and/or government.

Most countries in Southern Africa have compiled multi-hazard contingency plans. Common hazards that have led to contingency planning in the region include hydrometereological hazards (floods, drought, cyclones) and epidemiological hazards such as a cholera outbreak. A list of Contingency Plans of the countries in the region is found below.