A tool to assess livelihood preparedness for disasters: a study of Kaikōura earthquake in New Zealand

Abstract

Over the past decade, the cost of disasters on lives and livelihoods has increased many folds. However, there are few tools available that can be used to measure the level of livelihood preparedness for disruptions caused by natural hazards. By studying the experience and perceptions of communities affected by the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake in New Zealand, this paper aims to develop an assessment tool for measuring livelihood preparedness. Results from a survey of 140 residents in Kaikōura who lived through the earthquake and its aftermath identified four indicators of livelihood preparedness, namely (1) resource accessibility, (2) individual adaptive capacity, (3) livelihood diversity, and (4) the effectiveness of disaster risk reduction (DRR) measure. Structural equation modelling approach was used to establish the quantification of these four indicators, and as a result, a numerical model was developed that can be used as a tool to assess livelihood preparedness at an individual level. It is hoped that this tool will be used by policymakers and individuals living in hazard prone locations to evaluate livelihood preparedness prior to a disaster to facilitate improvement or as a forensic tool post disaster.