Assessing Disaster Management Infrastructure and Strategies in South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Natural disasters have continued to attract attention due to increased human, economic and environmental consequences. The study assessed the effects of disasters and the effectiveness of the response infrastructure in communities of South Eastern Nigeria. The questionnaire survey, participatory research method and field measurements were used to generate data from purposively sampled locations in the region. The data were analysed using descriptive and analytical techniques. The result showed that flooding, landslide and windstorm ranked as the most common disasters affecting the area. These disasters have significantly resulted in food scarcity (food insecurity) and property loss, representing 26% and 25% of the study population. Furthermore, the study reveals several infrastructures as mitigation measures, including financial donations, reconstruction of damaged buildings, bridges, provisions of household materials, and food, among others. The One-way Analysis Variance (ANOVA) results showed a significant difference in the effectiveness of stakeholder involvement in natural disaster mitigation (F-value of 7.737, > the table value of 2.17 at a 0.05 level of significance). This analysis implies that the activities of government, communities, and donor agencies were rated differently in terms of their overall performances in infrastructure provision to disaster-affected areas and people. It was recommended that disaster management education, early warning signs and participatory disaster management response be practised in South Eastern Nigeria.